Dunbar Castle and Harbour

by Yvonne Johnstone

Title

Dunbar Castle and Harbour

Artist

Yvonne Johnstone

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Photograph - Photograph

Description

View of Dunbar Castle from the Victoria Harbour, Dunbar, Scotland.
A town of three harbours, Dunbar was once a major herring and whaling port. Its old harbour dates from 1710.
In 1567, following the Battle of Carberry Hill, the castle was destroyed by an Act of Parliament, and has been a ruin ever since.
When John Muir was growing up in Dunbar, one of the largest and most exciting developments in the town’s history began. The long awaited Victoria Harbour, built in the shelter of the castle ruins, was opened in 1842 and spelled the final death knell for most of the remains of Dunbar Castle.
At the east end of the harbour is an 18th century fort and battery, built to protect the harbour from privateers who were particularly active at the time of the American War of Independence. The building of the fort, and of the new harbour, probably hastened the decline of the castle.
The castle’s walls, severely weathered by the salty sea winds, now make convenient nesting sites for kittiwakes. In spring and summer Dunbar Harbour hosts the most accessible colony in Britain with more than 600 pairs of kittiwakes nesting in the old Dunbar Castle ruins.

Uploaded

August 23rd, 2011

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