Lismore, Castle Coeffin. General view from South-East.

Description Lismore, Castle Coeffin. General view from South-East.

Date 29/7/1882

Collection Papers of Erskine Beveridge, antiquarian, Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland

Catalogue Number SC 743168

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of AG 1392

Scope and Content Castle Coeffin, Lismore, Argyll & Bute, from the south-east The ruins of Castle Coeffin, strategically sited on a small limestone promontory on the north-west coast of the island of Lismore, command extensive views over Loch Linnhe to the Sound of Mull. The castle, built in the 13th century for the MacDougalls of Lorn, was photographed in 1882 by the Victorian photographer, Erskine Beveridge. The remains of the castle comprise an oblong hall-house on the summit of the promontory, and an irregularly-shaped bailey, an enclosure defended by a ditch, surrounding the main entrance approach on the north-east side. The house, built of local rubble and beach boulders, appears to have had two main storeys, with three entrances on the ground floor, and a large single apartment occupying all of the first floor. The bailey, built of the same masonry as the house, dates from late medieval times. The site of the castle is one of great natural strength, well placed for seaborne communication, and with a convenient anchorage and landing-place in the gently shelving bay to the south-east. Local tradition holds that the name 'Coeffin' derives from the legendary Norse prince, Caifan, and that the castle was built on the site of a Viking fortress. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/743168

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap