Hoddom Castle

Hoddom Castle is a massive tower house overlooking the River Annan, and lies within the grounds of a caravan park. The building is unsafe and access is not permitted meaning that the only views are from outside the old castle courtyard or through the locked gates.

The tower dates from 1565 when the Master of Maxwell had building underway, and replaced an older castle at an unknown location in this area, The castle consists of a large L-plan tower house with impressively thick walls suggesting an earlier date. The entrance was in the wing at ground floor level and consisted of a narrow corridor through the wall leading to the narrow stairwell leading upwards and an adjacent corridor to the cellars and guard room. Although the caste was damaged in John Maxwell’s time, its subsequent history is uneventful, and played no active military role, which is surprising given its strength and location in a main invasion route. Instead the latter history seems to have been one of alteration and extension into the late 19th century. During the Second World War the castle was recquisitioned by the War Office as a barracks, and afterwards it fell out of favour, with most of the extensions removed leaving extensive scarring – and probably compromising the integrity of the tower. Plans to redevelop it have so far come to nothing.

HES Canmore database entry

Hoddom Castle Caravan Park & Campsite website