Broughty Castle

Broughty Castle is at Broughty Ferry Harbour, 4 miles north of Dundee Free to visit, built from 1495 for Lord Gray.

The Castle has an Art Gallery, Museum, Kids Play, and the best Beach for miles. Boat Tours on the River Tay depart from the harbour at the Castle. The huge Rock Garden is about 1 mile north.

The Castle can be visited most of the year free. Postcode: DD5 2TF

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The image top is from the long sandy beach looking south to Broughty Castle.

Broughty Castle History

1454 - George Douglas, 4th Earl of Angus, built a fortified building on this site.

1490 - during the long running disputes between King James II and the Douglas Clan, the King awarded this Castle to his loyal suporter Andrew, 2nd Lord Gray.

1495 - Andrew had the main towerhouse seen today built in place of the earlier building.

This was an important site at the mouth of the River Tay, leading to the cities of Dundee and Perth.

1540s - the Castle was caught up in the wars between Scotland and England as Henry VIII tried to force Queen Mary to mary his son Edward, known as the Rough Wooing.

1547 - Lord Gray of Foulis surrendered the castle to the English for a payment. The English then set about strengthening the castles defenses and bringing in gun ships.

1550 February - a combination of Scots and French troops managed to re-capture Broughty Castle after six days of fighting. Lord Gray somehow managed to avoid execution by the King and held onto his lands.

1651 - the Castle was beseiged and taken by Parliamentarians during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. This conflict began after Parliament forces fought to overthrow King Charles I. There is a cannonball at the Castle thought to have been fired during that seige, and a hole in the wall where it hit.

Dundee was a walled city at that time, home to the largest gold depository in Scotland, with many residents loyal to the King.

1660 - Charles II was made king, ending the rule of the Parliamentarians.

1666 - the Gray family sold the castle as it was falling into ruin.

1846 - the castle was bought by the Edinburgh and Northern Railway Company so they could build a harbour for their railway ferry. The town was then named Broughty Ferry after the ferries crossing the River Tay.

1855 - the War Office took control of the castle at a time invasion from the Russians seemed likely. Russia was gaining territory throughout Europe at that time with British forces engaging them during the Crimea War 1853 - 1856.

1860 - Napoleon III of France began expanding the French Empire, leading to the War Office rebuilding and strengthening Broughty Castle so it could have been used if the French had invaded Britain.

1886 to 1887 - buildings were constructed to house submarine miners next to the castle. This outfit would lay mines in the Tay Estuary at the start of any conflict to damage enemy shipping.

The Castle was used and altered by the War Office up to the end of the Second World War in 1949.

1966 - the Tay Road Bridge was opened 4 miles south leading to the end of the Ferries from Broughty Ferry.

1969 - Dundee City Council opened Broughty Castle as a free museum.