Ardclach Bell Tower near Cawdor, Nairn Moray. SCO 5522
A remarkable little fortified bell tower built in 1655 on the hill above the parish church of Ardclach. A detached tower, two storeys high and gabled, with a chimney on one gable and a belfry on the other. It is 14' square and bears the date 1655. Built in restless country, its primary function was that of watch tower and local prison. When the parish kirk was built in a hollow below the knoll (NH94NE 3: Built 1626 rebuilt 1762), permission was obtained to erect the kirk belfry on the tower. (G Hay 1932) Ritchie maintains that the tower was built 'long before' 1655, in which case that might be the date of the addition of the belfry. It is said to have been last used as a prison in 1676. Harled and well-maintained, the tower is locally known and sign-posted as 'Ardclach Bell tower' Ardclach Bell Tower seems to have been built by the local laird, Alexander Brodie of Lethen, presumably in 1655. He was a Covenanter, a man whose religious beliefs had a decade earlier made him, in the eyes of many, a traitor to King Charles I.
Size: 3732px × 5619px
Location: Ardclach Bell Tower, Cawdor, Nairn, Moray, Scotland
Photo credit: © David Gowans / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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