Claypotts Castle

Claypotts Castle stands on a lawn among the houses of Broughty Ferry, off the A92 on the edge of Dundee, and Historic Scotland calls it perhaps the quirkiest castle in Scotland. It was built for John Strachan, whose family had farmed Claypotts as tenants of Lindores Abbey until the Reformation raised their fortunes; the dates 1569 and 1588 are carved on its crow-stepped gables. It is a small Z-plan tower house, a central block with round towers at opposite corners, each topped by a square attic room on corbelling unique for its type. Barely altered after nearly 500 years of occupation, it keeps its original late-medieval timber roof. Twelve gun holes ring the ground floor, more for show than for war. It was later sold to William Graham of Claverhouse, ancestor of Bonnie Dundee, who never slept there. The exterior can be seen at any time, and the interior opens free on a few summer days with volunteer guides. Park considerately on nearby streets.