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CASTLE SWEEN FACTS
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Location
New Danna, Argyll and Bute
Description
Castle Sween stands at the mouth of Loch Sween. The castle was built in the late 12the century by Suibhne (pronounced Sween), ancestor of the MacSweens. Four massive walls surround a courtyard which probably had wooden structures inside originally. The walls are strengthened at the corners and there are broad buttresses in the Norman style halfway along each side of the quadrangle. The entrance gate is an arched opening in a ten foot thick section of the south wall. The towers were later additions to wooden structures which have now since vanished. In 1933 the castle was put in the care of the Historic Building and Monuments Directorate (HBMD) and is now in the care of Historic Scotland.
History
During the 13th century a large squat corner tower was built on the northeast corner of the courtyard. The lower floor contains the remains of a kitchen and bake-house. In the late 15th century, a round tower, known as the MacMillan tower, was built at the northwest corner. Next to the round tower a rectangular building was added which may have been a barracks. The castle reverted to the Crown in 1481, when James III appointed as Keeper Colin Campbell, 1st Earl of Argyll. The castle was captured by the MacDonalds in 1647 and partly dismantled
Date
12th century
Other Castles in the Area
Carnasserie Castle
Lochranza Castle
Skipness Castle
Stonefield Castle
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