IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Empress Drive, HELENSBURGH, G84 8QN

Viewed on a fine March day.

Suburban Helensburgh.

The original castle is said to date from the 13th century, but most was built in 1583 by the 11th laird. The NW tower is all that is left of the Castle today. See also Image]

All that is left of Ardencaple Castle, which was demolished in 1957-58. The original castle is said to date from the 13th century, but most was built in 1583 by the 11th laird. The Castle was the traditional home of the Clan MacAulay from the 13th to 18th century. See also Image

The tower itself is not well seen from here, but it is shown in Image, and summarised in the end-note. Click on the end-note title for related pictures of it. In the present picture, the tower itself is obscured by the tree on the left, but the main point of the picture is not to show the tower, but rather its setting. Housing built here after 1957 has changed the area greatly, but the retaining wall still makes it clear that the tower occupies a position at the top of a precipice. The geology of the area and its influence on the choice of this location for the castle were described very well by George Campbell, the 8th Duke of Argyll, in his autobiography. The relevant passages are as follows, where I have added a couple of links to illustrate the geological features that are mentioned: "One special feature of the whole estuary of the Clyde was conspicuous at Ardencaple. That feature is an 'old coast line' which marks a higher level at which the sea used to stand, and must have stood for ages, from about 30 to 60 feet above the present level of the sea. This old coast-line is marked by a steep bank (Image), sometimes rocky, with caves (Image) eaten out by the waves, or with projecting ledges undercut by passing sheets of ice. The distance at which this bank stands back from the present line of the shore depends, of course, on the contours of the land. When those contours are steep, the distance is often very small; where they are gentle and gradual, there may be large and nearly level fields separating the old from the present coast-line. In the Middle Ages all sudden declivities were more or less valuable for the purposes of defence, and fortified houses were often built upon this line of steeps. ... The old castle of Ardencaple had been built on the crest of the old coast-line, at a point where it was very steep and formed a projecting curve, so that the walls could have the benefit of a natural defence on two sides." ["Autobiography and Memoirs of George Douglas, Eighth Duke of Argyll, K.G., K.T. (1823–1900)", (2 vols; London; John Murray, 1906).]

For further details, click on the end-note title. For other contributors' pictures, see Image and Image For context, and for a discussion of how the geology of the area influenced the choice of this site as the location of a castle, see Image See also Image for further context. Apart from this one tower, what remained of Ardencaple Castle was demolished c.1957 to make way for housing (this being Helensburgh, the housing was intended mainly for naval personnel). The tower is located near the junction of Frazer Avenue and West King Street.

The spot from which this photograph was taken is one of the access points to Duchess Wood, a Local Nature Reserve. The path shown in Image leads here, and is a part of Duchess Wood. The area of housing is called Kathleen Park. The short road leads directly to Rhu Road Higher (which appears in Image).

The building dates from 1873. Two lodges were associated with it; one of them is shown in Image