Auchen Castle

Auchen Castle (separate from Auchen Castle Hotel) is a ruined 13th-century quadrangular castle. It is located near Moffat, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland ( Scottish Gaelic: Am Magh Fada,  Dùn Phrìs is Gall-Ghaidhealaibh, Alba).  It is thought to have been built by the Clan Kirkpatrick, which is also a division of Clan Douglas, in the early to mid-13th century. By the 15th century, the castle was owned by the Douglasses of Morton and later passing to the Clan Johnstone. There is an interesting history of the castle in the Douglas Archives/History website (link below). The remains of the castle is located close to the Auchen Castle Hotel, which is close to Moffat off the A74 road in Dumfries and Galloway.

 

Originally the castle had a four-sided enclosure with the entrance on the north wall. There was a round bastion at the north west angle and a garderobe, which is a lockable room, in the east curtain wall. Surrounding the walls was a ditch, with a causeway on the north side. In the late 15th to mid-16th century, the castle was adapted for use as an artillery fortification with the walls lowered and reinforced with masonry and earth. The old castle is in ruins and a new Auchen Castle was built nearby by General Johnstone in 1849. This is now a hotel and has interesting features and grounds. There is a link to their website below. The castle is located close to the Auchen Castle Hotel, which is close to Moffat off the A74 road in Dumfries and Galloway in southwest Scotland.

 

Links: The Douglas Archives website and also a further link to the website of the Auchen Castle Hotel.