NT5984 : Tantallon Castle
taken 4 years ago, near to Auldhame, East Lothian, Scotland
Castle built in the mid 14th Century by William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas, on a promontory, with cliffs on three sides forming a natural defence, with a single wall on the landward side. It is the last medieval curtain wall castle built in Scotland. It suffered damage in the 15th, 16th and 17th Centuries, with the latter caused by a siege by General Monck during Oliver Cromwell's invasion of Scotland in 1651. In 1699 the ruins were sold by James Douglas, 2nd Marquess of Douglas, to Sir Hew Dalrymple, and it was one of his descendants who passed it to the Office of Works in 1924. It is now in the care of Historic Environment Scotland and is designated as a scheduled monument - see Link.