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Latitude: 56.1198 / 56°7'11"N
Longitude: -3.1422 / 3°8'31"W
OS Eastings: 329080
OS Northings: 692486
OS Grid: NT290924
Mapcode National: GBR 2B.LG06
Mapcode Global: WH6RV.PFXT
Entry Name: Ravenscraig Castle
Scheduled Date: 30 September 1935
Last Amended: 28 April 1999
Source: Historic Environment Scotland
Source ID: SM90244
Schedule Class: Cultural
Category: Secular: castle
Location: Kirkcaldy and Dysart
County: Fife
Electoral Ward: Kirkcaldy East
Traditional County: Fife
The monument comprises the remains of Ravenscraig Castle, built across the neck of a narrow promontory to the S of Dysart in the mid 15th century. Protected on the S, E and W by steep rocky cliffs and on the landward side by a wide ditch, Ravenscraig is believed to be the first castle in Scotland to be systematically planned for fire-arm defence.
The castle consists of a keep at the NW angle presenting a rounded front to the landward side. A curtain wall extends eastwards to join a projecting round tower at the NE angle which is similar in outline to the keep but not so high. It rises, however, from a lower level and contains the same number of floors. The entrance lies in the centre of the curtain wall and leads through a vaulted entrance passage to a courtyard. The considerable foundations of ancillary buildings extend seaward along the narrow top of the promontory.
The castle itself has been scheduled since 1935, but this rescheduling clarifies the extent of the protected area. The area now to be scheduled is irregular in shape with maximum dimensions of 130m from its northernmost point to its southernmost point by 75m from its easternmost point to its westermost point, to include the castle and an area around it within which associated remains are expected to survive. From the NW-most corner of the scheduled area the boundary runs in a clockwise direction along the line of a boundary wall, which is itself excluded from this scheduling, for a distance of 60m. It then runs for 50m in a direction S of SSE to meet the top of the coastal cliffs. The boundary then follows the line of the clifftop around the headland for 230m before turning NNE for 10m to meet the starting point. The area is marked in red on the accompanying map extract.
Source: Historic Environment Scotland
Bibliography
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Historic Environment Scotland Properties
Ravenscraig Castle
https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/ravenscraig-castle
Find out more
Related Designations
DYSART HOUSE AND RAVENSCRAIG PARKGDL00167
Designation TypeGarden & Designed LandscapeStatusDesignated
Source: Historic Environment Scotland
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