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List of Historic Environment Scotland properties facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Historic Environment Scotland (HES) is like a special team that looks after over 300 amazing old buildings and places across Scotland. They are responsible for finding out about, taking care of, and sharing Scotland's history. These places include ancient castles, grand houses, old abbeys, and even underground passages! More than 3 million people visit them every year to learn about Scotland's past.

Historic Treasures Across Scotland

Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire: Ancient Stones and Castles

  • St Machar's Cathedral Transepts
    • These are the ruined parts of a very old cathedral in Aberdeen.
  • Brandsbutt Symbol Stone
    • This is an early stone carved by the Picts, an ancient people of Scotland.
  • Corgarff Castle
    • A tall tower house surrounded by a cool star-shaped wall from the 1700s.
  • Cullerlie Stone Circle
    • A circle made of eight stones, a mystery from long ago.
  • Culsh Earth House
    • A really well-preserved underground passage, like a secret tunnel!
  • Deer Abbey
    • The remains of an old Cistercian monastery.
  • Duff House
    • A grand mansion designed by a famous architect, William Adam.
  • Easter Aquhorthies Stone Circle
    • A stone circle that is about 4,000 years old!
  • Glenbuchat Castle
    • A Z-plan tower house, which means it's shaped like the letter 'Z'.
  • Huntly Castle
    • The ruins of a large, fancy old home.
  • Kildrummy Castle
    • A castle built in the 1200s.
  • Kinnaird Head Castle Lighthouse And Museum
    • A 1500s castle that was turned into Scotland's first lighthouse!
  • Maiden Stone
    • A Pictish cross slab from the 800s AD, with cool carvings.
  • Tolquhon Castle
    • A castle built in the late 1500s by William Forbes.
  • Tomnaverie Stone Circle
    • Another stone circle that is about 4,000 years old.

Angus: Abbeys and Pictish Art

Argyll and Bute: Island History and Ancient Forts

Ayrshire: Castles and Stone Circles

Clackmannanshire: Hilltop Fortresses

Dumfries and Galloway: Castles, Cairns, and Crosses

  • Barsalloch Fort
    • An Iron Age fort defended by a deep ditch.
  • Caerlaverock Castle
    • A castle with a moat, two towers, and impressive battlements.
  • Cairn Holy Chambered Cairns
    • Two Neolithic burial mounds, typical of this area.
  • Cardoness Castle
    • A well-preserved six-storey tower house from the 1400s.
  • Carsluith Castle
    • The well-preserved ruins of a 1500s tower house.
  • Drumtroddan Cup And Ring Marked Rocks
    • Ancient cup and ring carvings on rocks, probably from the Bronze Age.
  • Drumtroddan standing stones
    • Three prehistoric standing stones in a line.
  • Dundrennan Abbey
    • A Cistercian abbey built in the late 1100s.
  • Glenluce Abbey
    • An abbey founded around 1192.
  • Kirkmadrine Early Christian Stones
    • Three of the earliest Christian memorial stones in Britain.
  • Lincluden Collegiate Church
    • The remains of a church and living quarters for its canons, founded in 1389.
  • MacLellan's Castle
    • A grand home from the late 1500s.
  • New Abbey Corn Mill
    • A fully restored mill that uses water power to grind corn.
  • Ruthwell Cross
    • An ancient cross from the late 600s.
  • St Ninian's Cave
    • A cave traditionally linked to St Ninian.
  • Sweetheart Abbey
    • An abbey founded by Lady Dervorgilla of Galloway in memory of her husband.
  • Threave Castle
    • A 1300s tower built on an island in the River Dee.
  • Torhouse Stone Circle
    • A Bronze Age stone circle with 19 large boulders.
  • Whithorn Priory
    • Known as the birthplace of Christianity in Scotland.

Dunbartonshire: Roman Walls and Mighty Castles

Dundee: Coastal Forts

Edinburgh: Famous Landmarks and Royal History

  • Craigmillar Castle
    • A well-preserved medieval castle with a tower house, courtyard, and gardens.
  • Edinburgh Castle
    • A world-famous castle that stands high above Edinburgh.
  • Holyrood Abbey
    • The ruined part of a 12th and 13th-century abbey church.
  • Holyrood Palace
    • A 1500s home for the Scottish royal family.
  • Holyrood Park
    • A historic park in the city with dramatic hills and cliffs.
  • Trinity House
    • Home to a collection of items related to the sea.

Falkirk: Roman Frontiers and Strongholds

  • Antonine Wall: Rough Castle
    • This part of the Antonine Wall has the best-preserved rampart and ditch.
  • Blackness Castle
    • A castle built by the Crichtons, one of Scotland's most powerful families.
  • Kinneil House
    • A 1400s tower that was updated by the Earl of Arran.

Fife: Abbeys, Castles, and Royal Connections

Glasgow: Historic Castles and Cathedrals

Highland: Brochs, Cairns, and Loch Ness Views

  • Ardclach Bell Tower
    • A fortified bell tower built in 1655.
  • Beauly Priory
    • The ruined church of a priory founded in 1230.
  • Cairn o'Get
    • An ancient burial mound with a horned shape.
  • Castle of Old Wick
    • The best-preserved Norse castle in Scotland.
  • Clava Cairns
    • A well-preserved Bronze Age cemetery.
  • Dun Beag
    • A great example of a Hebridean broch (an ancient round tower).
  • Fort George
    • The biggest artillery fortification in Britain.
  • Fortrose Cathedral
    • A beautiful cathedral made of red sandstone.
  • Glenelg Brochs: Dun Telve and Dun Troddan
    • Two ancient broch towers.
  • Grey Cairns of Camster
    • Two Neolithic burial mounds.
  • Hill O' Many Stanes
    • More than 22 rows of low stone slabs.
  • Inverlochy Castle
    • One of Scotland's earliest stone castles.
  • Ruthven Barracks
    • Army barracks built in 1719 after a Jacobite uprising.
  • Urquhart Castle
    • Once one of Scotland's largest castles, right on the banks of Loch Ness.

Inverclyde: Riverside Strongholds

Lanarkshire: Roman Walls and Medieval Castles

  • Antonine Wall: Croy Hill
    • Part of the Antonine Wall, which was Rome's northwest border.
  • Biggar Gasworks Museum
    • The only surviving town coal-gas works in Scotland.
  • Bothwell Castle
    • Scotland's largest and finest 13th-century castle.
  • Cadzow Castle
    • A ruined castle hidden in the woods of Hamilton.
  • Craignethan Castle
    • An early fort designed for cannons, with a residential tower.

Lothian: Hill Forts and Historic Churches

  • Chesters Hill Fort
    • One of the best-preserved Iron Age hill forts in Scotland.
  • Dirleton Castle
    • A medieval fortified home with a garden.
  • Dunglass Collegiate Church
    • A church founded in 1450.
  • Hailes Castle
    • A ruin that includes a fortified manor from the 1200s.
  • Preston Market Cross
    • The only market cross of its kind still standing in its original spot.
  • Seton Collegiate Church
    • An old church set in wooded surroundings.
  • Tantallon Castle
    • The home of the Douglas Earls of Angus, a very powerful family.
  • Cairnpapple Hill
    • An ancient burial site dating back to 3,000 BC.
  • Linlithgow Palace
    • The ruins of a palace set in a park next to a loch.
  • Torphichen Preceptory
    • The tower and transepts of a church built by the Knights Hospitaller.

Moray: Cathedrals and Ancient Wells

Orkney Islands: Neolithic Villages and Viking Sites

Outer Hebrides: Traditional Homes and Ancient Stones

Perth and Kinross: Towers, Cathedrals, and Roman Sites

  • Abernethy Round Tower
    • One of only two Irish-style round towers left in Scotland, from the late 1000s.
  • Ardunie Roman Signal Station
    • The site of a Roman watch tower from the first century.
  • Balvaird Castle
    • A late 1400s tower house.
  • Burleigh Castle
    • The complete ruins of a tower house from about 1500.
  • Dunfallandy Stone
    • A well-preserved Pictish cross-slab.
  • Dunkeld Cathedral
    • A cathedral that holds a fine statue of King Robert III's brother.
  • Elcho Castle
    • A complete fortified mansion from the 1500s.
  • Huntingtower Castle
    • This castle has a beautiful painted ceiling.
  • Lochleven Castle
    • This castle was the setting for a very important year in the life of Mary Queen of Scots.
  • Meigle Sculptured Stone Museum
    • A museum with a collection of carved stones from the late 700s to late 900s.
  • Stanley Mills
    • A unique group of cotton mills powered by water from the River Tay.
  • Tullibardine Chapel
    • One of the most complete and unchanged small medieval churches in Scotland.

Renfrewshire: Ancient Crosses and Churches

  • Barochan Cross
    • A free-standing cross from early medieval times.
  • Castle Semple Collegiate Church
    • A church built in the late Gothic style.

Scottish Borders: Abbeys, Castles, and Roman Roads

Shetland: Brochs, Forts, and Ancient Settlements

  • Clickimin Broch
    • An Iron Age broch tower.
  • Fort Charlotte
    • A five-sided fort with bastions (projecting parts) for cannons.
  • Jarlshof
    • An ancient settlement with remains dating from 2500 BC all the way up to the 1600s AD.
  • Mousa Broch
    • A very well-preserved Iron Age broch tower.
  • Muness Castle
    • A late 1500s tower house.
  • Scalloway Castle
    • A castle-like mansion.
  • Staneydale Temple
    • A Neolithic hall.

Stirling: Royal Castles and Historic Bridges

  • Cambuskenneth Abbey
    • Home to the tomb of King James III and Queen Margaret.
  • Doune Castle
    • A courtyard castle from the late 1300s.
  • Doune Roman Fort
    • A Roman fort from the 1st century.
  • Dunblane Cathedral
    • A medieval church with parts from the 1200s.
  • Inchmahome Priory
    • A monastery from 1238 on an island in the Lake of Menteith.
  • Stirling Castle
    • One of Scotland's grandest castles because of its impressive location and architecture.
  • Stirling: Argyll's Lodging
    • A great example of a 17th-century townhouse.
  • Stirling: King's Knot
    • The earthworks of a formal garden.
  • Stirling: Old Bridge
    • A bridge built in the 1400s or early 1500s.

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List of Historic Environment Scotland properties Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.