Bishop's Castle, Glasgow facts for kids

A view of Glasgow in 1693, showing the Bishop's Castle next to the Cathedral.

The Bishop's Castle was a strong medieval castle in Glasgow, Scotland. People also called it Glasgow Castle or the Bishop's Palace. It was located west of Glasgow Cathedral, where Cathedral Square is today.

This castle was the home of the Archbishops of Glasgow until 1689. After a big change in power called the Glorious Revolution, the castle became owned by the King or Queen. Over time, it started to fall apart. From 1755, people even used its stones to build other things. Finally, in 1789, the castle was completely removed to make space for the Glasgow Royal Infirmary, a hospital.

History of the Bishop's Castle

How the Castle Began

The castle looked like this in 1778, just before it was taken down.

We don't know exactly when the Bishop's Castle was first built. It probably started in the 1100s. The first official mention of it was in records from 1258.

By the time of the Wars of Scottish Independence, it was already a home for the bishops. During these wars, William Wallace took the castle back from the English in 1296. Later, in 1301, King Edward I of England put his own soldiers there again.

Building and Battles

In the 1400s, Bishop Cameron added a tall, five-story tower called a keep. Later bishops made the castle even stronger with more walls and buildings. Archbishop Beaton built a large corner tower. He also put a strong stone wall around the whole area. This wall had battlements and reinforced towers.

Archbishop Dunbar added a round gatehouse between 1524 and 1547. The main tower, the keep, was where the bishops and archbishops lived. It was surrounded by a ditch and had a drawbridge to get in.

The castle was very important in the many political fights of the 1500s. This included a long struggle between those who supported Mary, Queen of Scots, and her enemies. The castle changed hands six times between 1513 and 1570. At one point, French soldiers even occupied it. In 1544, the castle was defended against Regent Arran. In 1560, it was defended for Arran.

The Castle's End

The Bishop's Castle started to fall apart in the 1600s. Even though Archbishop Ross tried to fix it in the 1680s, it kept getting worse. People slowly took it apart to use its stones for other buildings.

The castle was completely taken down in 1789. This was to make way for the new Glasgow Royal Infirmary hospital. In the 1980s, during digging for the St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art, parts of the castle's foundations were found. The museum building was even designed to look a bit like the old Bishop's Castle. Today, a stone from the castle with a modern plaque marks where the main tower once stood in Cathedral Square.