Scottish castle that once held infamous Nazi now reclaimed by nature
The historic Stirlingshire castle has fallen into ruin.
New photographs show a Scottish castle that once housed an infamous, high-ranking Nazi. As seen in the images, the castle has been reclaimed by the surrounding nature.
Situated near Drymen in Stirlingshire, Buchanan Castle was constructed in the 1850s. It acted as the home of the Montrose family until 1925.
The castle was then sold, before opening as a hotel in 1930—with plans to implement a golf course. However, once World War Two broke out, these plans were abandoned and Buchanan Castle was repurposed as a hospital.
On May 10, 1941, Rudolf Hess flew to the UK in a self-described mission to negotiate peace. However, the plane carrying the Deputy Führer to Adolf Hitler ran out of fuel and he parachuted to the ground.
Hess was taken to Buchanan Castle and treated. He was then transported to the Tower of London, before being relocated to Mytchett Place in Surrey.
Following a suicide attempt, Hess was moved to Maindiff Court Hospital. He then surrendered, and was moved to Nuremberg to face trial for war crimes in May 1945.
After the war, Buchanan Castle briefly acted as the Army School of Education. However, after the roof was removed and parts of the castle were demolished in 1954, it began to fall into ruin.
Proposals were put forth in 2002 and 2004 to convert the castle into apartment accommodation, but these were both denied. Today, while Buchanan Castle remains a B-listed building, signs around the site warn visitors not to enter for their own safety.
The abandoned building has now been reclaimed by nature. The ruins have become overgrown by trees and vines in the years since its heyday. Read on for a collection of photos of Buchanan Castle as it appears today.
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