Drochil Castle

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Dam_01

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 17, 2016
Messages
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Location
Edinburgh-ish
Been really quiet this last while with a change in job, house etc so not really much time to get out and explore the surrounding area that much although I'd driven past here a few times and just seen the top poking out of the trees.
Since it's basically in the back garden of a B&B and working farm, I'd been hesitant to just wander up but I had a spare hour and nothing ventured, knocked at the B&B to ask if it would be alright to go and have a poke about.

The woman that answered was quite happy to let me go up but warned against actually going inside as the tops of the walls are REALLY unstable (read: big stones basically balanced on top of each other.

Wiki tells me that its a Cat A listed monument and a scheduled ancient monument.
Started in 1578 as a retirement 'palace' for James Douglas it was never completed owing to his execution by James VI.

Of note is it's unique "Double Tenement" design where a central corridor runs the entire length of each floor with rooms off each side.

Perhaps not exactly a usual type of place to report on, it is a bit off the beaten track and it doesn't look as though it gets many visitors at all.
Excuse my pictures too. It was a first outing with a new camera (to me) and very much on the start of the learning curve...

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You can kind of see just how precarious some of the top of the walls are. Good thing I hadn't seen that first but I was still very jumpy inside, especially the racket the the birds made having been disturbed.
 
Great to see a new location rather than the tourist trail.
You'll soon get into the swing of the camera...built like tanks and a good choice for 'urbexing'.
What was on the lens?
 
Very nice images. Glad you found the 'tags' of Messer's Linton and Swan - cold steel leaves a much nicer reminder over time than the spray can. Much more decrepit than in 1965, there was much more of the elevated circular corner 'tower' extension still in situ and far less 'greenery' inside. When I first saw it, the phrase 'double tenement' was not being bandied about as a design explanation. It always appeared to my uneducated eye, that the structural shape came about because an already complete or nearly complete building had been extended in the most cost effective and easiest way. Thanks for giving the memory a jolt!
 
Glad it was of some interest. It was actually a consolation prize for another couple of spots I had my eye on...

Cheers Druid, it's just a kit 18-105 that came with it. Not the sharpest but it'll do till theres some spare cash. It was more getting to grips with all the options and getting a decent WB/shutterspeed/ISO balance.
Getting there.
 

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