Rosyth Castle facts for kids
Rosyth Castle is an old, ruined castle from the 1400s. It's a type of building called a tower house and is located near the Rosyth Naval Dockyard in Fife, Scotland.
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What is Rosyth Castle?
Rosyth Castle was built around 1450. It was first built on a small island in the Firth of Forth. This island could only be reached when the tide was low. Sir David Stewart, who was given the land of Rosyth in 1428, built it as a safe home for his family.
How the Castle Grew
The original tower house was about 58 feet (17.7 meters) tall. Over time, in the 1500s and early 1600s, more parts were added to make it bigger.
A Look at the Castle's History
Rosyth Castle has seen some exciting times!
Attacks and Occupations
In 1572, men from Blackness Castle, which is on the other side of the Firth of Forth, attacked Rosyth Castle. Later, in 1651, the army of Oliver Cromwell took over the castle after a battle nearby called the Battle of Inverkeithing.
Changing Owners and Decline
The Stewart family owned Rosyth Castle for a long time. But in the late 1600s, they sold it to David Drummond. Eventually, the castle ended up belonging to the Earl of Hopetoun. From the 1700s onwards, no one lived in the castle.
Over many years, parts of the castle's stone were taken and used to build other things. The buildings around the main tower almost completely disappeared. Only the main tower and a part of the north courtyard wall remained standing tall.
The Castle and the Dockyard
In 1903, the castle became property of the British Admiralty, which is like the navy's government department. As the land around it was filled in to create the dockyard, the castle lost its spot by the water. It became surrounded by the dockyard instead of being on an island.
There were plans to fix up the castle and use it, but these plans never happened. The building was made safe so it wouldn't fall apart. Later, when parts of the dockyard were sold, the castle went into private ownership.
The Old Dovecot
About half a mile north of the castle, there's a well-preserved building called a dovecote. This dovecot is from the 1500s. It has a special roof called a crow-stepped gable roof, and you can see carved heads on two of its corners. Inside, it has a rounded ceiling, like a barrel.
Images for kids
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Rosyth Castle from the south
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18th Century engraving of Rosyth Castle
