Castles

Everyone loves a castle. This is Eilean Donan in Scotland, one of the most photographed castles in the world. And rightly so. Castles evoke memories of the knights and kings living there hundreds of years ago and we pretty much accept them as historical remnants of that past. But the fact is that most of castles we see today have been rebuilt (and often restyled) during a much more contemporary time frame to conform to the romantic visions of a time far removed from that of the original occupants.

By definition most castles are also a forts and over hundreds of years they have been used -- and abused -- as such. So the rebuilding, sometimes multiple times, has been an ongoing process and it becomes difficult to sort out the actual original plan. So some degree of historical license is justified in the restoration process. Eilean Donan is case in point. By the early years of the 20th century it had been in ruins for almost 200 years. Over a period of 20 years it was rebuilt into its present configuration. Though the original inhabitants might not recognise it now it is certainly a lovely interpretation of times long past.