The Castle Guide – a selection of castles from around the UK
There are now over 1100 Scottish castles in this guide, over 300 Welsh castles, all sorted alphabetically. Please use the search box below to select a castle name, country, a clan or family name, or a town to see what’s within a few miles. Just type in your search term, select what you are searching by, and away you go!
Whorlton Castle consists of a large ditched platform containing the ruins of a shell keep and gate tower of the C14. Outside this however are earthworks representing a large bailey and park boundary together with a deserted settlement. It was abandoned in the mid C14 and a now vanished house built against the gate tower in the C16. It is free to access.
- Closest To: England
- Access: Free Public Access
- Grid Reference: NZ481025
Whytbank Tower or Whytebank, privately occupied C16 tower of the Pringles, probably abandoned C18, undergoing restoration
- Access: No Access
- Grid Reference: NT442377
Widdrington Castle was a 14th century tower house consisting of a principal tower, hall and solar. It was reworked and extended in the 17th century, then demolished in the 18th, evenbtually being replaced by a mansion in the 19th century, itself now demolished. All that remains is a large round mound in a field.
- Access: No Access
- Grid Reference: NZ256958
Wigtown Castle, site of C13 royal castle demolished in 1310 and never reoccupied
- Access: S.O.A.C. Public Access
- Grid Reference: NX437550
Willimoteswick Manor, Bardon Mill
Willimoteswick Manor was an impressive fortified courtyard with a hall, tower and gatehouse. The gate tower is all that survives with parts of the barmkin incorporated in farm buildings.
- Access: No Access
- Grid Reference: NY771636
Wilton Hall near Pickering survives as a large moated platform with both platform and ditch having substantial banks at the outer edges. The northern part of the ditch is gone the road being built on top of it but from the road are good views of the earthworks in the field - there is no access to it. The complex sits inside a clearly defined rectangular enclosure visible from the air and on LIDAR imagery and which contains St Georges church.
- Closest To: England
- Access: No Access
- Grid Reference: SE863827
Windgate, ruins of C16 bastle-house associated in legend with feud between Pringles of Symington and Baillies of Lamington
- Access: S.O.A.C. Public Access
- Grid Reference: NT016272
Windydoors Tower, ruins of C16 bastle house within working farm
- Access: S.O.A.C. Public Access
- Grid Reference: NT431398
Winkston Tower, privately occupied & remodelled C16 tower house of Dicksons on working farm
- Access: No Access
- Grid Reference: NT244430
Winton House or Castle, occupied C15 tower of the Setons rebuilt C16 after destruction & extended C17-19. Available as a venue
- Access: No Access
- Grid Reference: NT439696
Wiston Castle, interesting and unaltered motte and bailey castle with shell keep
- Access: Free Public Access
Witches Knowe Ochiltree, large ditched motte on riverside location, ?occupied by Colvilles C12/13
- Access: S.O.A.C. Public Access
- Grid Reference: NS502217
Witton Castle forms the centrepiece of a holiday park today, but remains a private home. It was part demolished and reworked in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, but was originally a walled courtyard with a great tower in one corner.
- Access: Occasional Access
- Grid Reference: NZ154304
Witton Tower is a large rambling house with parts dating to the 12th century and including a tower house, perhaps 15th century. The whole was a hotel, but it is now subdivided into private dwellings and cannot be seen from the public road.
- Access: No Access
- Grid Reference: NZ14343130
Wolfscastle, e/w of ditched motte within oval bailey at river confluence ?occupied to C13
- Access: Free Public Access
Wolstey Castle was a small defended courtyard built for the protection of Holme Coltram Abbey. It remained in use into the 17th century before being demolished. Today it survives as a squarish ditch in a field, with stone footings overgrown by turf on the central platform.
- Access: No Access
- Grid Reference: NY105506
Womaston Castle, e/w of ditched motte within private grounds, any bailey lost in landscaping
- Access: No Access
Wood Hall Womersley is a large moated platform which contained a manorial centre and farm buildings up to their demolition. The site was extensively excavated betwee 1987 and 1998 which revealed occupation from the C12 to C16. There is no clear access to the site and gates are in place to deny vehicles.
- Closest To: England
- Access: No Access
- Grid Reference: SE536206
Woodend Motte, modest sized motte on burnside site overlooking river valley
- Access: S.O.A.C. Public Access
- Grid Reference: NS555887
Woodhead House, ruins of C16 tower of Lennoxes in grounds of C18 Lennox Castle, which replaced it
- Access: S.O.A.C. Public Access
- Grid Reference: NS606783
Woodhouse Tower, ruins of C16 tower of the Irvings which collapsed & was repaired C19
- Access: S.O.A.C. Public Access
- Grid Reference: NY250714
Woodhouses Bastle is a well preserved bastle house accessible from a signposted path with the permission of the landowner. It has a roof, and both levels can be seen. It was occupied into the 18th century at least and was restored c1904
- Access: Free Public Access
- Grid Reference: NT96570028
Woodside House, privately occupied, much altered & extended C16 tower of the Ralstons
- Access: No Access
- Grid Reference: NS347554
Wooler Castle has all the hallmarks of a motte and bailey, but is also a natural strongpoint. The summit of the motte holds the war memorial, and the wedge shaped putative bailey is partly occupied by St Mary's church. It was in disrepair in 1255, and abandoned.
- Access: Free Public Access
- Grid Reference: NT993281
Wooler Tower occupies the motte area of Wooler Castle, and was built after the old site had been unused for centuries. It was repeatedly described as being in poor repair and is unlikely to have been maintained after 1603.
- Access: Free Public Access
- Grid Reference: NT99292809