From the end of the last ice age to the early Coralean era...

After the last ice age, the sea level began to rise and the area of ground in what later became Dingwall and Castle Leod was flooded. By the time the Vikings and the local Picts had settled in this area, the only low-lying dry ground was in the areas of the Moot Hill in Dingwall and the mound that Castle Leod would be later built on. 

The Viking, Thorfinn II, had based himself in the area having won the Battle of Torfness (c:1030) which took place on the slopes beneath Knockfarrel in which MacBeth slew King Duncan and subsequently took the throne of Scotland.

The former Pictish fort on the mound was replaced by the Norse Earls with a stone built keep in the 11th century. This would have been the work of Liotr or Leod or by his kinsman, Jarl Olaf. Both the hill behind the Castle (Knock Aulaidh or Olaf’s Hill) and the current golf course (Ulladale or Olaf’s Dale) are reminders of the Norse presence.

It is not known what further building work was carried out over the centuries except that by the late 15th century it looked much like it does today. Further alterations were carried out by the famous ‘Tutor of Kintail’, Sir Rory Mackenzie, when the pitched roof and the current front door was added between 1605 and 1616. We think there was a lower storey to the old tower that was filled in by Sir Rory who raised the level of the mound to its current level.

The walls are in places 2.4 metres thick and taper toward the top. Gun loops and arrow slits line the walls, especially to the south, and traces of a curved lower wall on the west are probably the remains of battering ram defences. Assuming a now-buried lower story, the original front door was on the current first floor with access by a ladder and the gun loops and arrow slits would have then been much higher above the ground. Today, they are more suitable for firing at people’s ankles!

Some of the small early windows have iron ‘yetts’: a criss-cross of bars so arranged that they are impossible to remove easily.

The larger windows are largely 18th century, with two in the east elevation dating back much earlier and supposedly have the earliest sash-and-case windows in the Highlands and, possibly, Scotland. Battlements and ornate corbelling extend around three sides of the tower and above these is the Ballachulish slated roof which was entirely replaced in 1991. To the north of the old tower are Victorian and Edwardian additions and, unlike so many other castles, the old tower represents an unaltered structure, the newer additions being neatly tucked behind it.

In the present day, we seek to preserve rather than alter or make additions: we love Castle Leod just as it is and hope many more generations of the Mackenzie line will be able to call it home.

A patchwork of architectural features that reflect the changing times...

Upon entry, a grand stone stairwell leads up past deer hide-covered doors into the Great Hall, a rectangular room which is decorated in the Regency Period yet possesses many older features: the fireplace, which includes a painted mantel stone dating from 1550, and the fire basket, which dates from before 1740, are still in use today. Leading off the Great Hall is an 18th century wood-panelled dining room containing early sash windows with fine views to the south and east. It has a hidden stair that reputedly descends to below the front lawn and provided an escape from the tower in more troubled times. Careful counting of the smaller windows shows that there are more than can be attributed to the rooms!

Close to the Great Hall is the Billiard Room, an Edwardian fantasy containing a full-sized table with its original green baize and cues. Also on display are relics from a bygone era including a stag's head on the wall, a stuffed golden eagle and an elephant’s foot that was used as an umbrella stand.

On the ground floor, the front door leads to a passage with servants' bells and speaking tubes off which is a dungeon. Near the exit door to the east is a fine old vaulted kitchen complete with a kitchen range and other artefacts including graffiti dating back to 1580 and showing the symbol of Clan Mackenzie - a stag’s head.

Above the first floor lie three further stories. All are currently empty as they suffered extensive water damage before the roof was replaced in 1991. It is hoped that these will eventually be re-instated to create a letting apartment. With help from The Clan Mackenzie Charitable Trust and Guardians of the Castle, the work of restoring all of the rooms is ongoing.

Support our ongoing restoration...