Scheduled Monuments›Scotland›St Andrews Castle

St Andrews Castle

Scotland
HES SM90259
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

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Overview

History & significance

St Andrews Castle is a ruined medieval fortress located in the town of St Andrews in Fife, Scotland. The castle was founded in the late 14th century, likely around 1385, and served as the principal residence of the Bishops and Archbishops of St Andrews, making it a seat of considerable ecclesiastical and political power throughout the medieval period. The surviving remains include the formidable castle walls, towers, and notable features such as the mine and counter-mine, which represent an underground siege network from the 16th-century siege of 1546. The castle was damaged during the Scottish Reformation and subsequently fell into decay, though its ruins remain significant for understanding both medieval ecclesiastical authority in Scotland and the architectural development of Scottish castle fortifications.

St Andrews Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM90259. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is St Andrews Castle?

St Andrews Castle is a ruined medieval fortress located in the town of St Andrews in Fife, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM90259.

Who is responsible for protecting St Andrews Castle?

St Andrews Castle 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 SM90259.

What other scheduled monuments are near St Andrews Castle?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including St Andrews Cathedral and Priory and adjacent ecclesiastical remains (0.4 km), Dominican Friary, 25m S of Blackfriars' Chapel, St Andrews (0.6 km), St Andrews,West Port (0.7 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about St Andrews Castle

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of St Andrews Castle'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.

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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

St Andrews Cathedral and Priory and adjacent ecclesiastical remains
0.4 km
Dominican Friary, 25m S of Blackfriars' Chapel, St Andrews
Medieval · 25m s of blackfriars' chapel, st andrews0.6 km
St Andrews,West Port
West port0.7 km
Kittock's Den, fort
Iron Age · Fort4.5 km
Kittock's Den, souterrain
Iron Age · Souterrain4.6 km
Boarhills, pill boxes 1250m NW of
Pill boxes4.9 km
Peekie Bridge, bridge over Kenly Water 50m E of Peekie Mill
Bridge over kenly water 50m e of peekie mill6.4 km
Drumcarrow Craig, broch
Iron Age · Broch6.5 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under St Andrews Castle

St Andrews Castle stands on Strathclyde Group, bedrock that formed in the Visean. The rock here is sedimentary rock cycles, strathclyde group type.

All Scheduled Monuments