Moy Castle

An abandoned but rather complete tower-house in a picturesque situation on the south coast of Mull, Moy Castle lies at the head of Loch Buie, close to Lochbuie House and 10 miles / 16 km southwest of Craignure. This imposing tower stands on a low rock platform with commanding view over loch and surrounding area. Around 1360, the lands here became the property of Hector MacLean, brother of Maclean of Duart and the progenitor of the MacLaines of Lochbuie who built Moy Castle in the earlier 15th C. as their home. Comprising a three-storey keep with a garret, the walls rise to a crenellated parapet which connects two round towers that are corbelled-out from the northeastern wall, a cap-house on the stair and a gabled watch-chamber looking out to sea. The entrance leads to a cross barrel-vaulted level, which has a 1.8-m / 6-foot deep well in the middle of the floor. The floor above is similarly vaulted, although in the opposite direction, and together these vaulted spaces make Moy Castle unique. There is also a bottle dungeon, some 3.3 m / 11 feet in depth. The castle was taken by the Campbells in 1674 but was soon returned to the MacLaines. It was abandoned as a residence in 1752 when Old Lochbuie House was built. In 1922, the MacLaines sold Lochbuie House and Estate to industrialist Sir Richard Garton (1857 - 1934), in whose family it remains. Moy Castle featured in the classic Powell and Pressburger film I Know Where I'm Going (1945). A project to stabilise its stonework was undertaken between 2006 and 2013 directed by the Mull Historical and Archaeological Society.


Use the tabs on the right of this page to see other parts of this entry arrow

If you have found this information useful please consider making
a donation to help maintain and improve this resource. More info...

By using our site you agree to accept cookies, which help us serve you better