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Perthshire

Huntingtower Castle

Two fifteenth-century tower houses on the edge of Perth, joined into one, where James VI was held for ten months in the Ruthven Raid of 1582.

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Welcome

On a rise on the western edge of Perth stands a tall, plain castle of grey stone, its roofline broken by crow-stepped gables and turrets.

Visited and photographed by Simon Hird

It began as two separate tower houses, built in the fifteenth century a few metres apart for the two sons of the Ruthven family, and later joined by a range between them.

The gap between the towers gave rise to the tale of the Maiden's Leap, of a daughter of the house who jumped from one roof to the other to escape discovery. Royalty came here too: Mary Queen of Scots twice, and her son James VI, who in 1582 was held here against his will for ten months in the Ruthven Raid. When the family plotted against him again in 1600, the king had them tried for treason, took their lands, and even changed the castle's name from Ruthven to Huntingtower.

Inside, the first-floor hall keeps a painted wooden ceiling of about 1540, patterned with knots and foliage.

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The Daily for 4 November, from Scotland with love. A pink sandstone castle bristling with conical turrets and a Union Jack flag rises above a gravel forecourt, autumn-tinged ivy climbing one wing beside cannon displayed on the lawn.
Before you go

Run by Historic Environment Scotland; tickets, opening days and hours are on its website.

Where
Huntingtower, on the western edge of Perth, PH1 3JL.
Inside
The painted ceiling of about 1540 in the first-floor hall.

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Did you know

A ruined stone tower house rises beside golden autumn trees.
Did you know

Renamed by a king.

After the Gowrie plot of 1600 the Ruthvens lost their lands, and James VI changed the name of the place from Ruthven to Huntingtower.

A ruined roofless stone tower house stands beside autumn-coloured trees.
Did you know

Ten months a prisoner.

James VI was held here against his will for ten months in 1582.

A ruined stone tower house with crow-stepped gables and battlements stands behind a dry-stone wall in an open field.
Did you know

A ceiling of 1540.

The painted ceiling in the first-floor hall dates from about 1540.

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Where it is

On the western edge of Perth, off the A85 to Crieff.

Close byPerth.
  1. Tickled Trout CaféTickled Trout Café2 miles 5 min by road
  2. The Pitcairngreen InnThe Pitcairngreen Inn2 miles 5 min by road
  3. The North Port restaurant in Perth, a three-storey stone building with tall chimneys, sash windows and its name over the ground floor.The North Port2 miles as the crow flies
  4. Domed gallery building with T H Marshall Civis Gratia inscription and colourful banners on its columnsPerth Art GalleryOne of the UK's oldest public art collections, with rooms for J.D. Fergusson.3 miles 9 min by road
  5. Scone PalaceScone PalaceThe palace of the Earls of Mansfield, by the old crowning place of Scottish kings.6 miles 13 min by road
  6. Kinnoull Hill Woodland ParkKinnoull Hill Woodland ParkWoodland paths up to a clifftop tower above the Tay.7 miles 9 min by road
Directions
a colonnaded stone building on a riverside street in Perth, autumn trees lining the water's edgeWalksPerth2.7 miles
Red shopfront sign reading "Effie's of Perth, Traditional Tea Room & RestaurantCafeEffie's of Perth2.7 miles
Rows of treadmills and weight machines fill the Live Active gym floorWalksDewars Centre2.8 miles
Coffee & Things café with outdoor tables on a quiet Edinburgh streetCafeCoffee and Things2.8 miles
Wooden planters flank The Rose House shopfront on a quiet streetCafeThe Rose House2.9 miles
Church spire beside the River Tay, with a stone bridge in the distanceAttractionsQueen's Bridge3.0 miles
ShoppingTayberry Gallery3.1 miles
Gift shop interior with dried flower garland above a wooden counterShoppingQuince and Cook3.1 miles
Box hedge maze paths curve through a garden with yellow tansy flowersAttractionsRodney Gardens3.1 miles

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Stay nearby

Places to stay near the castle, and when each is next free.

An aerial view of a golf green surrounded by bunkers and trees, rolling countryside stretching to the horizon.Murrayshall
  • To stay
  • In Scone
  • 5 miles from Huntingtower
Check datesThe Old Farmhouse, PerthshireThe Old Farmhouse
  • Sleeps 8
  • In Logiealmond
  • 8 miles from Huntingtower
Check datesAn aerial view shows a black timber cabin with a pitched roof set on a deck in an open field, a bath and seating area visible outside.The Cabin at Fairygreen
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Perthshire
  • 9 miles from Huntingtower
Check datesA stone cottage with a green door and three chimneys sits behind a lawn bordered by shrubs and flowerbeds.Fairygreen Cottage
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Kinrossie
  • 9 miles from Huntingtower
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in PerthshireAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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