
The Castle of St John is a unique example of a medieval tower house which has been converted into a prison.
The Castle of St John is a unique example of a medieval tower house which has been converted into a prison. It was built in 1510 for the powerful Adair family. During the Killing Times in the 1670s it was used as a base for government troops and in 1820 it became the burgh jail. Film, models and reconstruction drawings tell the story of the building and one of the cells is now a children’s activity room.
The Castle is open Tuesday to Saturday (10.00 – 13.00 and 13.30 – 16.30) from 1st June to 29th September 2012. There is wheel chair access to the ground floor. The rest of the building is reached via a steep spiral staircase.
To ensure there has been no change to the opening times or details on this page, please check with the museum directly before visiting.
