Historic Places in Dundee City

Broughty Castle is situated at Broughty Ferry on the mouth of the River Tay. It was built in 1496 on a rocky promontory. During the eighteenth century it fell into ruin, to be rebuilt in the 1860s as part of the Crimean War effort. Broughty Castle Museum houses fascinating displays on the life and times of Broughty Ferry, its people, the environment and the wildlife that live close by.

Dudhope Castle is located on Dundee Law in Dundee, Scotland. The castle was originally a smaller tower house built in the late 13th century by the Scrymageour family. This was replaced around 1460 and then further extended in 1580 to its current L-plan structure with circular towers. In the 1980s the castle was redeveloped and is now in use as offices, a conference centre as well as housing the University of Abertay Business School. The Scrymageour family sold the castle in 1668 to John Graham of Claverhouse (the following year John Graham died in battle leading the Jacobites to victory at Killiecrankie). In 1792 the castle was rented out for use as a woolen factory. In 1795 the park and the grounds were leased to the Board of Ordnance, who used Dudhope as a barracks for 95 years, from 1796 to 1879. Additional buildings were constructed, including a hospital, officers quarters, stables and guard-rooms. The castle was used as accommodation for 400 soldiers. The Board of Ordnance abandoned the castle in 1881. In council of Dundee bought the grounds and opened them up as a park in 1895. The building was later occupied by the Ministry of Works.

Claypotts Castle is a located one mile north-west of Broughty Ferry, near Dundee on the east coast of Scotland. The castle is a Z-plan tower house, with a rectangular block with round towers at two of the diagonally opposite corners. This was a popular design in the sixteenth century and allowed for defenders to fire along the faces of the main block from both towers. Claypotts was more of a residential building than a defensive structure though. There are two turnpike stairs (one for the family, one for the staff) in the angles created by the towers. The domestic stair runs right from ground level to the attic. The towers are fairly plain until they reach the square garret chambers perched at the top. It is now in the care of Historic Scotland. The castle was originally built by John Strachan between 1569 and 1588. In 1601 the Strachan family sold the castle to Sir William Graham of Ballunie who later sold it to Sir William Graham of Claverhouse. The castle became the property of the crown in 1689 after the death of the then current owner Viscount Dundee John Graham of Claverhouse at the battle of Killiecrankie. In 1694 the castle was gifted to James Douglas, 2nd Marquess of Douglas. Ownership later passed to the 13th Earl of Home through marriage who later gifted the castle to the state in 1926.