Greenan Castle

NS31NW 146 c. 312 193

(Location cited as NS 312 193). Greanan [Greenan] Castle: there are certain indeterminate remains on the sandy foreshore immediately below Greenan Castle (NS31NW 1), at the base of the steeply-rising bluff that forms the castle's site. All that can be seen today is a broken -down piece of walling 21ft [6.4m] long and up to 5ft [1.5m] high, built of very large squared blocks and backed against the base of the bluff; this latter in turn is faced by a stretch of roughly built masonry about 15ft [4.6m] wide and showing some signs of reconstruction. The ground above this facing isa a flattish grassy platform from which a steep rocky bank rises to the castle; and a connection between the castle and the structure on the shore is suggested by occasional much-worn steps cut here in the rock. The remains at the base of the bluff extend into the sandy beach, and end about 30ft [9.1m] short of the marks left by ordinary high tides, but the size and solidity of the blocks that form the wall suggest that the structure was liable to be beaten by violent waves, if only perhaps under exceptional conditions of weather. The remains could thus be interpreted as one face of a jetty projecting from the face of the bluff, its other face and core having been washed away. The distance of the site from the present high-tide line could well be due to an accumulation of invading sand.

A Graham 1984.

These indeterminate remains may be connected with the documentarily-recorded saltworks (NS31NW 26), for which a location at NS c. 311 193 is suggested. They are not indicated on the current edition of the OS (GIS) AIB.

Information from RCAHMS (RJCM), 28 June 2006.