Brodick Castle Isle of Arran
Brodick Castle on the Isle of Arran is the most visited historic building in Arran and one of the most historically significant castles on Scotland's west coast, a red sandstone castle on a hillside above Brodick Bay that combines medieval origins, seventeenth-century development and Victorian additions into a building of considerable architectural interest and important collections of art and furniture. The castle is managed by the National Trust for Scotland and the surrounding country park and formal gardens make it the natural focus of any Arran itinerary.
The castle stands on a site that has been fortified since at least the thirteenth century, when the Norse-Gaelic lords of the island built a stronghold on this commanding position overlooking the bay. The medieval origins are obscured by the various subsequent phases of construction, most significantly the seventeenth-century extensions built by the Hamiltons, Dukes of Hamilton, who were the principal owners of Arran for several centuries and who developed Brodick into an impressive aristocratic seat. The Victorian wing, added in 1844 to designs by James Gillespie Graham, more than doubled the size of the castle and provided accommodation suitable for Queen Victoria's household when she visited in 1847.
The interiors of the castle contain an exceptional collection of sporting trophies, Victorian furniture, paintings and silver assembled by the Hamiltons and their successors across three centuries of aristocratic ownership. The painted ceiling in the Duchess's Drawing Room, the armour display and the collection of Meissen and Dresden china are among the highlights of the interior. The castle passed to the National Trust for Scotland in 1958 along with its contents, preserving the collection intact in its historic setting.
The country park surrounding the castle provides excellent walking through mixed woodland and formal gardens, and the views across Brodick Bay to the mountains of the island's interior are outstanding from the castle terraces.