Bannachra Castle

Bannachra Castle is a badly ruined building built upon a wedge shaped promontory overlooking the confluence of a small burn with the Fruin Water, which empties into Loch Lomond about a mile to the north-east. It seems to be situated within private grounds and cannot be seen from public roads.

The lands of Bannachra were held by the Galbraith family in the 15th century, but were forfeited before 1489, and briefly held byt Adam Hepburn, a brother of the Earl of Bothwell. Ther Galbraiths recovered the lands by 1512, but then sold them to the Colquhoun family in 1523. Subsequently the Colquhouns occupied or leased the property into the 18th century in a fairly volatile manner. Bannachra is the location where the chief of the Colquhouns was assassinated in 1592, and the castle is said to have been burned down by the MacFarlane assassins and never reoccupied. However, it has to be said that the style of the building may post date this event.

The ruin is a rectangular building of two storeys and an attic in the roof space, with no evidence surviving of corner turrets, although the walls are too ruined to prove it either way. The east gable, part of the west, and parts of the north and south walls are all fallen and much overgrown, and it has been suggested that the south-east corner contained both the door and a winding stair for access – although this part of the building has completely vanished. There is no evidence of vaulting, and the building had a kitchen at the western end, with a suggested two further ground floor rooms and a corridor, and a first floor hall and chamber above. However this is all completely speculative, and the ruin has more obviously in common with a 17th century lairds house than a 16th century tower house. More may be discovered during stabilisation works prior to a proposed atrium build inside the old building, proposal live at the time of writing.

HES Canmore database entry

Colquhoun Clan International page about future plans