Brochel Castle sits on the northeastern shore of Raasay, overlooking the start of Calum’s Road, which winds for two miles towards Arnish. There’s ample parking nearby, along with paths that circle the castle’s base and lead down to the shore. The castle itself is fenced off, with access discouraged due to its advanced and hazardous state of disrepair.
With limited information on the development and history of Brochel, it is easy to dismiss it as just another tumbledown ruin among the numerous castles and duns along the west coast—an interesting but otherwise unremarkable fortification in the backwaters of Clan MacLeod territory. However, this assumption would be misleading, as the construction and design of Brochel exhibits a high level of ingenuity in its design and that makes it notable and unique. The castle is an ingenious fusion of natural rock and masonry, intricate brickwork, and lime mortar that once rose sheer from a stack-like volcanic plug, commanding a striking position over the coastline. Brochel Castle would have been an imposing sight to anyone passing by or approaching from land or sea, with its near-impregnable structure and defensive advantages. The fact that such a complex could be built to integrate every irregularity of the rock and use the stepped plateau it rests on to form this formidable stronghold is a true feat of engineering.
Mysterious Origins
The origins of Brochel Castle’s construction and ownership are a matter of some debate. Early history is often steeped in myth and folklore, and while there’s little concrete evidence, local legend holds that Raasay was originally owned by the MacSweens. Known for their skill in castle building, the MacSweens had a hand in several early castles along the west coast. By 1841, 56 MacSweens still lived on Raasay, and one was said to be a direct descendant of the last MacSween to own the island. Although the exact date of Brochel’s construction remains unclear, it’s possible that an earlier fortification once stood in the area. It’s estimated that the current castle was built between the late 15th and early 16th century and was occupied until around 1671. Brochel Castle was likely built by Raasay’s first MacLeod chief, Calum Garbh (later known as Calum MacGilleChaluim), who inherited the islands of Raasay and Rona from his father, Calum MacLeod, the 9th Chief of Lewis.
When MacGilleChaluim became chief in 1518, Borchel served as his primary residence on the island. Far from the quiet, uninhabited spot that Brochel is today, it was once a vital vantage point for guarding the valuable sea routes that made the islands and coastlines so strategically important. Early descriptions of Rona and Raasay mention the coastlines and bays being a haven for pirates and raiders. With a sheltered natural harbour allowing boats to be pulled ashore, Brochel would have provided a strategic base from which the MacLeods could control their mainland possessions, such as Trotternish, Vaternish, and Assynt.
Brochel is first mentioned by Dean Munro in 1549, and referred to as one of ‘twa castellis’ on the island, the other being what would eventually become the chief’s residence at Raasay House in Clachan.
“Twa myle off fea fra the ile of Scalpay forfaid, lyes ane ile callit Raarfay, feiven myle lange from the fouthe to the northe, bot ane myle of fea from Tronternefle, and twa myle of breid, with pairt of birkin woodis, maney deires, pairt of profitable landes, inhabit and manurit, with twa caftles, to witt, the caftle of Killmorocht, and the caftle of Brolokit, with twa fair orchards at the faids twa caftells, with ane paroche kirke, callit Killmolowocke,”
The impressive position and construction of Brochel were noted in a military survey conducted between 1577 and 1595, which describes it as “ane strong little castell in this ile, biggit on the hied of ane heich craig, and is callit Prokill.” Martin Martin, who toured the Hebrides in the 1690s, also mentions a “Castle Vreokle,” which he describes as “an Artificial Fort, three Stories high.” The origin of the name “Brochel” is unclear, although it may derive from the Norse, meaning “fort hill” or “fort field.”
Layout
The castle complex comprised four towers, each varying in shape and size to fit the rock. Each was connected by short sections of outer wall or by the rock face itself, with access from the coastal side through a deep-set and well-guarded gatehouse. This entrance featured a sentry post, still visible in the courtyard today, and possibly a projection over the gate that would allow for a formidable defence to be mounted. Upon entering, the castle opened into a small courtyard, flanked on one side by bedrock and on the other by the curtain wall, rising at least two storeys high. This confined, almost claustrophobic space provided access to the kitchen tower on the southwest side and the sea-facing tower to the southeast. It may also have served as a defensible “trap” for any attackers who breached the gatehouse.
Looking up from the courtyard, one would see the tallest tower on the north-western side. While only an outline remains on the highest rock plateau today, early 19th-century illustrations show this three-storey tower still intact, complete with battlements, crenellations, and windows. The final tower, also on the north-western side, is now the tallest and most intact structure on the rock. This tower was referred to as the “nursery,” possibly housing a room on the second floor. Evidence of a privy, or garderobe (toilet), can be seen built into the lowest part of the tower.
Munro mentions in his description that Brochel contained a “fair orchard.” Like Clachan, this would have been a garden for growing produce rather than trees, though its exact location is unclear. A 1964 Ordnance Survey map also notes a chapel to the north, which would have been a common feature of many castles. An archaeological survey has uncovered a ruin in this area, surrounded by a turf dyke. Could this have served both as the chapel and the site of the walled garden?
Aside from mentions by Munro and the military survey, there are few other references to Brochel during its period of occupation. Its exposed position and cramped interiors probably made it uncomfortable as a residence. Nonetheless, it seems the MacLeods still occupied Brochel during the time of the seventh chief, Iain Garbh (1627–1671). When Iain Garbh’s sister, Margaret, married in the mid-1600s, a celebration song mentions Brochel:
Doilleir dorch’ air oidhche reòta
Chaidh do bhat thar Rubha Rònaidh
Dol troimh na caoil a-null a Bhròchaill
Dh’ amharc air maighdeann an òr fhuilt
Dim and dark on a frosty night
Your boat went past Rona Point
Going through the Kyles over to Brochel
To see the gold haired maiden
By the time Martin Martin visited in around 1695, the Macleods had relocated to a more modern and comfortable residence in Clachan. Martin still mentions Brochel in his account, as well as the MacLeods new seat which would eventually evolve into Raasay House:
The other lies on the side, is an Artificial Fort, three Stories high, and is called Castle Vreokle… the Proprietor of the Ifle is Mr. MackLeod, a Cadet of the Family of that Name; his Seat is in the village Clachan. The Inhabitants have as great veneration for him, as any Subjects can have for their King.
Martin’s description comes only a few decades after Brochel had been vacated, and it’s possible that it was still in use or held in reserve should the need for a strong defensive structure arise. If the traditions of the MacLeods seizing Raasay by force are true, it’s plausible that after taking Brochel and the northern part of Raasay from the MacSweens, the MacLeods then used the castle as a base to gradually assert control over the entire island.
Donald Munro, who became the vicar of Raasay and Snizort in 1526, notes in his account Description of the Western Isles of Scotland that Raasay “pertained to M’Gyllychallan of Raasay (Calum Garbh) by the sword, and to the Bishop of the Isles by heritage.” The church had long been based in Clachan and had ties to the MacSweens, who may have been granted areas of Raasay by the church. This perhaps indicates a tension between the new arrivals to Raasay—the MacLeods—and the historical church lands that had existed on the island for hundreds of years. Whatever transpired, the MacLeods ultimately prevailed, eventually establishing their seat right in the very heart of the former church boundaries of Clachan.
Despite the MacLeod chiefs eventually leaving Brochel, the area was not abandoned. The village and houses surrounding Brochel, along with its valuable, fertile lands, remained inhabited long after the castle itself fell out of use. In the decades and centuries that followed, Brochel gradually fell into the disrepair and ruin that most sources describe today.
Ruined
The two main sources of information on Brochel’s layout and appearance come from painter William Daniell and writer James Boswell. Daniell created his now-famous depiction of Brochel during a visit to Raasay in 1819. Though long since abandoned, the impressive battlements and main tower were still relatively intact, and Daniell’s illustration reveals just how much architectural detail has been lost in the intervening years. Forty-six years earlier, Dr. Johnson and James Boswell had also visited Raasay and Brochel as part of their tour of the Hebrides. Boswell’s description offers a precious and fascinating glimpse of the castle, which had most likely only been fully abandoned by the MacLeods a few decades prior. Boswell writes:
The old castle is situated upon a rock very near the sea. The rock is not only one mass of stone, but a concretion of pebbles and earth; but so firm that it does not appear to have mouldered. I perceived no pieces of it fallen off. The entry was by steep stair from the quarter next to the sea, of which stair only three or four steps are remaining, all at the top of it. Above them the castle projects, and there is an openng in the wall from which hot water or stones could be thrown upon an invader. Upon entering the gate or door, there was what I never saw before: a sentry box or alcove in the wall on your right hand. The man placed there could only watch in case of noise. He could see nothing. The next advance was to a court or close as it was called, in the centre of four towers, and open above just like any other court of an old castle in the square form. Only that this seemed extraordinary, as you came to it after ascending a stair and entering a gate; but as Mr Johnson observed, it was just an ordinary court, with the difference that the rock here was as the ground in others. The court here was very small. There was a fine well just a spring in the rock but it was now filled up with rubbish. One could distinguish tolerably that there has been four towers, but time and storms had left little but ruinous fragments: pieces of wall, pieces of stairs, a part of the battlement in the sea.
There was one small room in the one of the towers quite entire. It was a little confined triangular place, vaulted as in the ancient manner. In a corner of it was a square freestone in which was cut an exact circular opening such as in every temple of Cloacina, and from it there appears a clear communication to the bottom. They call this room the nursery, and say the hole was for the children. But I take it to have been the necessary-house of the castle. It was much to find such a convenience in an old tower. I did not imagine that the invention has been introduced into Scotland till in very modern days, from our connexion with England. But it seems we have forgotten something of civilized life that out ancestors knew.
The Journal of a Tour of the Hebrides with Samuel Johnson 1936 edition
By the time we reach the present day, Brochel’s once-imposing shape has been greatly diminished by the effects of time, erosion, and weather. Nothing remains of the tallest tower, nor much of the impressive gatehouse or the stairway that once led into the courtyard. The site now has a gentler slope on the sea-facing side, partly due to the accumulation of rocks and masonry that have fallen from the walls. Similarly, the interior courtyard and lower towers have become heavily filled with debris and fallen brickwork, to the extent that the original floor level is far below what it is today. When the newly formed Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) surveyed the castle in 1921, a sea-facing wall still stood, as can be seen in photographs taken at the time, but this has since collapsed.
While the remnants of Brochel Castle cling to their impressive volcanic perch, the remains of this ancient MacLeod seat are nonetheless in an advanced state of ruin. The structure and craftsmanship are still worthy of admiration and the ruins hold intriguing mysteries: Daniell’s illustration, for example, seems to depict a window on the lower levels of the kitchen tower, along with what appears to be a ramp leading up to it. This window is no longer present, but did it ever exist? It certainly seems that areas of the brickwork have been altered, and what could be the outline of a bricked-up window is still visible on this west-facing wall. Could it be that a room remains, trapped beneath the debris and ruin of the courtyard and kitchen tower? Perhaps one day a more extensive excavation or preservation effort will yield answers and shed light on this incredible fortification.
WARNING: Moreso than any other building on Raasay, Brochel castle is in an extremely precarious and dangerous state of dereliction. It is highly advised, for both your own safety and for the continued preservation of such a unique structure, not to enter under any circumstances.
