Castle Stalker

Castle Stalker (Scottish Gaelic: Caisteal an Stalcaire) is a four-storey tower house or keep picturesquely set on a tidal islet on Loch Laich, an inlet off Loch Linnhe. It is about 1 1⁄2 miles (2.5 kilometres) north-east of Port Appin, Argyll, Scotland, and is visible from the A828 road about midway between Oban and Glen Coe. The islet is accessible (with difficulty) from the shore at low tide. The name "Stalker" comes from the Gaelic Stalcaire, meaning "hunter" or "falconer". The island castle is one of the best-preserved medieval tower-houses to survive in western Scotland[1] and is a Category A listed building.[2] It stands in the Lynn of Lorn National Scenic Area, one of forty such areas in Scotland.[3]

Castle Stalker with the Lynn of Lorne and Lismore beyond
Geographical location of Castle Stalker

In recent times, the castle was brought to fame by the Monty Python team, appearing in their film Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

History

The original castle was a small fort, built around 1320 by Clan MacDougall who were then Lords of Lorn.[4] Around 1388 the Stewarts took over the Lordship of Lorn, and it is believed that they built the castle in its present form around the 1440s. The Stewart's relative King James IV of Scotland visited the castle, and a drunken bet around 1620 resulted in the castle passing to Clan Campbell. After the castle changed hands between these clans a couple of times, the Campbells finally abandoned it about 1840 when it lost its roof. In 1908 the castle was bought by Charles Stewart of Achara, who carried out basic conservation work. In 1965 Lt. Col. D. R. Stewart Allward acquired the castle and over about ten years fully restored it. Castle Stalker remains in private ownership and is open to the public at selected times during the summer.

For the 2011 census the island on which the castle stands was classified by the National Records of Scotland as an inhabited island that "had no usual residents at the time of either the 2001 or 2011 censuses."[5]

  • View of Loch Laich and Castle Stalker with Ardnamurchan mountains in background

While most castle scenes in the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) were filmed in and around Doune Castle, Castle Stalker appears in the final scene as "The Castle of Aaaaarrrrrrggghhh". First the castle is seen from a distance; next, a French castle guard (John Cleese) taunts King Arthur (Graham Chapman) in a French accent from its battlements; finally, a massive attack is launched against the castle, after which police officers who were investigating the death of a famous historian earlier in the film arrive and are in the process of arresting Arthur and the other knights for killing him when one officer places his hand over the camera's lens and ends the film's visuals.

The castle also makes a brief appearance in the film Highlander: Endgame.[6]

Castle Stalker is the inspiration for "Castle Keep" in the children's book The Boggart.[7]

References
  1. "Visit Fort William".
  2. Historic Environment Scotland. "Castle Stalker  (Category A) (LB12345)". Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  3. "National Scenic Areas" Archived 2017-03-11 at the Wayback Machine. SNH. Retrieved 30 Mar 2011.
  4. A Brief History of Castle Stalker CastleStalker.com
  5. National Records of Scotland (15 August 2013) (pdf) Statistical Bulletin: 2011 Census: First Results on Population and Household Estimates for Scotland - Release 1C (Part Two). "Appendix 2: Population and households on Scotland’s inhabited islands". Retrieved 17 August 2013.
  6. "Highlander: Endgame - Castle Stalker". Scotland the Movie. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  7. "Susan Cooper on Writing the Boggart".

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