Neidpath Castle is an L-plan rubble-built tower house, overlooking the River Tweed near Peebles in the Borders of Scotland. An early castle was probably built here by Simon Fraser of Oliver Castle between 1263 and 1266. Sir William de Haya probably built the present castle in the late 14th century. It was held by them until the 17th century.

During Oliver Cromwell's invasion of Scotland in 1650, Neidpath was attacked. During the 1660s, the 2nd Earl of Tweeddale remodelled the castle, and constructed outbuildings. Later Neidpath castle suffered neglect and by 1790 the upper storeys of the wing had collapsed.

The castle is today both a wedding venue and filming location and can be viewed by appointment.

Architecture

Neidpath Castle is a tall L-plan tower house, one leg of the L being very short. It has rounded corners. The battlements are roofed and the sentry walk is a balustraded balcony. There are few windows, and two still have their iron bar protection. Inside, the basement and the first-floor hall are vaulted, and the hall is further divided by a wooden floor into two storeys. Other features include a pit dungeon, and some small exhibitions of artifacts found in the locale. There are remains of a partly walled garden. The archway is decorated with both the goats head emblem of the Hays and the strawberries of the Frasers.

References:

Comments

Your name



Details

Founded: 14th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in United Kingdom

Rating

5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Wieskirche

The Pilgrimage Church of Wies (Wieskirche) is an oval rococo church, designed in the late 1740s by Dominikus Zimmermann. It is located in the foothills of the Alps in the municipality of Steingaden.

The sanctuary of Wies is a pilgrimage church extraordinarily well-preserved in the beautiful setting of an Alpine valley, and is a perfect masterpiece of Rococo art and creative genius, as well as an exceptional testimony to a civilization that has disappeared.

The hamlet of Wies, in 1738, is said to have been the setting of a miracle in which tears were seen on a simple wooden figure of Christ mounted on a column that was no longer venerated by the Premonstratensian monks of the Abbey. A wooden chapel constructed in the fields housed the miraculous statue for some time. However, pilgrims from Germany, Austria, Bohemia, and even Italy became so numerous that the Abbot of the Premonstratensians of Steingaden decided to construct a splendid sanctuary.