| Slains Castle |
(click
on images for enlargements)
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 Slains
Castle is set on the dramatic clifftops overlooking the North
Sea near Cruden Bay in Aberdeenshire.
The Castle was built in 1597 by Francis Hay, the 9th Earl
of Errol on the site of the former 16th century stone tower
house of Bowness to replace the earlier Old Slains Castle,
which was located 10 km to the
southwest and had been destroyed in 1594 by James VI (after
the Hays participated in the 1594 rebellion).
During the years (new) Slains Castle has seen many reconstructions
and alterations until 1837. In 1916 the 20th Earl was forced
to sell the castle and from then on it unfortunately fell
into disrepair.
Due to safety reasons the roof was removed in 1925.
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| All that is left now is a huge ruin, very impressive though
with the breathtaking location being one of the main attractions
to the site. |
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Besides, Slains Castle is most famous for its association
with Bram Stoker. The author would often spend his holidays
at Cruden Bay and stayed at the Castle when the 19th Earl of
Erroll used to entertain many celebrities there. It is said
that Bram Stoker started work on his most famous book "Dracula"
while staying in Cruden Bay in 1895 and was inspired by the
spectacular scenery and of course Slains Castle itself when
he created Count Dracula's home in Transylvania.
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Due to the many alterations during a
long period of time, the castle consists of diverse building
material such as granite, red brick and sandstone. |
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If you are going to explore Slains Castle please be careful.
The ruin itself is not well-kept and in a tumble-down condition
and the location itself, beautiful as it is, can be dangerous
too. Beware of the steep cliffs.
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The
memorial plague at the site tells:
These
cliffs are very dangerous
Please remember
Nicolas French, our son
who fell to his death
near Sugar Loaf Rock
3 March 1991
aged 7 years |
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useful links:
map
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