SPYNIE PALACE

This is one of my favourite places just a couple of miles from home, I have visited many times.

Spynie Palace was for five centuries the residence of the Bishops of Moray. During this time it stood on the edge of Spynie Loch, a sea-loch giving safe anchorage for fishing boats and merchant vessels . A thriving settlement grew up around it. Today, nothing remains to be seen of the medieval town, but the gaunt ruin of Spynie Palace represents one of the largest Surviving medieval bishop's houses in Scotland. The earliest buildings have not survived, the earliest surviving masonry dating from the 14th century. In the 15th century the great tower house known as David's tower after Bishop David Stewart. was built. The picture below shows the great tower.

Click on pictures to enlarge them.

David's tower seen through the trees from the road leading to the Palace.
Due to land drainage over the years this is now all that remains of Spynie Loch. I took this shot from the top of the tower.

A fireplace inside the tower. There were six floors in the tower.

Another view of the inside of the tower.

This is the water gate where goods were unloaded from boats in the loch.

A view from the top of the tower of part of the great hall and the well which would have been in a small well room.

An arch leading into a small chamber in David's tower

The east gate which had a portcullis and two murder holes.

The north range.

South range

The courtyard and part of what once was a chapel