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Dundee

Guarding the mouth of the Tay.

Dundee's castle stands on a rocky point at Broughty Ferry, where the Tay narrows before it meets the sea. It was built in 1490 by the 2nd Lord Gray to defend the river against a growing English navy, and it changed hands more than once in the wars that followed. In later centuries it was rebuilt as a fort, ringed by low gun batteries, and kept watch for threats from France and Germany. Today it's a free museum, looking across the water to Fife. The sandy beach runs east from its walls.

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From the magazineJust nowThe printed copy of Issue 13Issue 13Autumn / Winter 2026-27

Broughty Castle, at the mouth of the Tay in Broughty Ferry, Dundee, stayed vital to the defence of the nation right up to the end of the Second World War.

The castle holds a commanding position over the river, and in the 1800s the War Department transformed it for the task. Today it is a museum, with an abundance of local history to discover inside. Broughty Ferry itself is known for its sandy beach and attractive waterfront, and fans of the actor Brian Cox's sitcom Bob Servant may recognise it already. A walk down the promenade gives lovely views across the Tay to Fife.

See Broughty Castle · Dundee
Castle of the dayJust now

Broughty Castle.

A castle of 1490 guarding the mouth of the Tay at Broughty Ferry, rebuilt as a Victorian fort, now a free museum.

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Did you knowJust now

Broughty Castle, at Broughty Ferry by Dundee, was taken by the English in 1547 without a shot being fired.

The 2nd Lord Gray built it in 1490, under a charter from James IV, against the growing threat of English ships. In 1547 the English walked in without firing a shot, and it was two and a half years before the Scots won it back.

See Broughty Castle · Dundee
From the JournalThe journalJust nowDundeeDiscovery Point and RRS DiscoveryAttractionDundeeV&A DundeeAttractionDundeeThe HowffAttractionDundeeWee MexicoRestaurantDundeeBroughty FerryAttractionDundeeBroughty CastleAttraction

Things to do in Dundee and Angus

Dundee and Angus pair a design city with red cliffs, castles and quiet glens.

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Did you knowJust now

In the 19th century Broughty Ferry, by Dundee, was known as the richest square mile in Europe, as the city's jute barons moved in.

Dundee made its fortune from jute, and the owners of its mills and whaling ships all wanted to live by the sea at Broughty Ferry. They built luxury villas and grand mansions on the slopes above the Tay, and the old fishing village turned into the fashionable Brighton of the North. The richest-square-mile title was a popular label of the time, and the guide Undiscovered Scotland says it may since have passed elsewhere. Broughty Castle, built in 1495, still stands by the water.

See Broughty Ferry · Dundee
LunchJust nowDundeeBruach Bar500 yardsDundeeGracie’s700 yardsFifeThe Newport Inn3.2 miles

Lunch near Travel back in time to the Coastal Fort of Broughty Castle.

The three good places closest to it: Bruach Bar, Gracie’s and The Newport Inn.

See Travel back in time to the Coastal Fort of Broughty Castle
Did you knowJust now

Broughty Castle, by Dundee, was rebuilt as an artillery fort in 1860 for fear of the French.

By the nineteenth century the old castle was a ruin. In 1860 the threat of a French invasion turned it into a modern artillery defence on the Tay.

See Broughty Castle · Dundee

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