Dundas Castle
| Dundas Castle | |
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| Edinburgh, Scotland | |
Dundas Castle in 2007
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 Dundas Castle
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| Coordinates | 55°58′30″N 3°24′52″W / 55.9750859°N 3.4145594°W |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Sir Jack Stewart-Clark |
| Open to the public |
The castle can be rented for weddings and other special events |
| Website | dundascastle.co.uk |
| Site history | |
| Built | 15th century |
| Materials | Stone |
Dundas Castle is a 15th-century castle, with substantial 19th-century additions by William Burn, in the Dalmeny parish of West Lothian, Scotland. The home of the Dundas family since the Middle Ages, it was sold in the late 19th century and is currently the residence of politician and businessman Sir Jack Stewart-Clark.
The name Dundas comes from the Gaelic dùn deas, meaning 'south hill' or 'pretty hill'. In the 11th century, the lands of Dundas, along with other land in Lothian, were granted by King Malcolm Canmore to Gospatrick, the earl of Northumbria, who had come north to escape William the Conqueror. The lands of Dundas passed to his great-grandson Waldeve, who granted them to his kinsman Helias in a charter dating from around 1180. Helias took his surname from his lands, becoming the first of the Dundas family. The Dundases and their cadets would later come to own much of Mid and West Lothian.
In 1416, James Dundas obtained a licence from the Duke of Albany (then the effective ruler of Scotland) to build a keep. This keep was extended in 1436, making it into an L-plan. The Keep served both as a home in times of peace and a fortress in times of war. Oliver Cromwell is known to have stayed at Dundas Castle around the time of the Battle of Dunbar in 1650. A statue of him remains standing outside the Keep.
In 1818, James Dundas had the 17th century portion of the building pulled down and rebuilt in a Tudor-Gothic style by the renowned architect William Burn. Burn also designed many churches and this influence is visible throughout the building. Burn's designs for the main state rooms allow for huge windows that look out on to lawns and parkland outside.
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Wikipedia