Scheduled Monuments›Scotland›Kilchurn Castle, Dalmally
Dalmally

Kilchurn Castle, Dalmally

Scotland
HES SM90179
Site type
Dalmally
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

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Overview

History & significance

Kilchurn Castle is a fifteenth-century stronghold located on a peninsula jutting into Loch Awe in Dalmally, Argyllshire, Scotland. Built by the Campbell clan, the castle comprises a five-storey tower house with adjoining structures and fortifications that reflect its development across several centuries, with significant rebuilding and expansion undertaken in the seventeenth century. The site occupies a naturally defensive position and served as an important seat of Campbell power in the western Highlands, commanding control of the loch and surrounding territory. The castle was progressively abandoned from the eighteenth century onwards and now stands as a ruin, though its tower and substantial remains preserve evidence of medieval and early modern Highland aristocratic architecture.

Kilchurn Castle, Dalmally is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM90179. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Kilchurn Castle, Dalmally?

Kilchurn Castle is a fifteenth-century stronghold located on a peninsula jutting into Loch Awe in Dalmally, Argyllshire, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM90179.

Who is responsible for protecting Kilchurn Castle, Dalmally?

Kilchurn Castle, Dalmally is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM90179.

What other scheduled monuments are near Kilchurn Castle, Dalmally?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Tom a'Chaisteal,dun,Teatle Water (2.9 km), Dychlie,deserted crofts (3.3 km), Achlian,crannog 800m W of (3.3 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Kilchurn Castle, Dalmally

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Kilchurn Castle, Dalmally's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Stat Accounts
The parish Statistical Accounts of the 1790s and 1830s, describing life, work and population here.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Kilchurn Castle, Dalmally report
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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Tom a'Chaisteal,dun,Teatle Water
Iron Age · Dun,teatle water2.9 km
Dychlie,deserted crofts
Deserted crofts3.3 km
Achlian,crannog 800m W of
Iron Age–Medieval · Crannog3.3 km
Fraoch Eilean,castle
Medieval · Castle3.4 km
Auchtermally or Uachdar Mhaluidh,deserted township
Deserted township4.3 km
Inishail,church,cross & burial ground
Medieval · Church,cross & burial ground4.6 km
Inistrynich,crannog 300m ESE of
Iron Age–Medieval · Crannog4.7 km
Inishail,crannog 100m W of
Iron Age–Medieval · Crannog4.8 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Kilchurn Castle, Dalmally

Kilchurn Castle, Dalmally stands on Argyll Group, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is psammite, semipelite and pelite.

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