Castle Shuna

Castle Shuna is a ruined 16th century tower on the island of Shuna.

The castle stands in a prominent position with panoramic views on the southern tip of Shuna, and together with Castle Stalker controls access to the south end of the Sound of Shuna between the island and the mainland.

Thought to have been built by the Stewarts of Appin, possibly John Stewart or his son Duncan Stewart, it was originally rectangular in plan measuring around 11.6m north-east by south-west by around 7.4m across, with walls some 1.1m thick.

The vaulted ground floor comprised of a cellar to the south-west and a kitchen to the north-east, with a doorway into the kitchen at the north-east end of the south-east wall. A spiral staircase within the thickness of the west corner of the tower leads up to the great hall above, which took up all of the first floor, and terminates there with a corbelled roof.

In the 17th century a circular stair tower was added to the south-east wall, covering the original entrance and providing a more generous spiral staircase. The doorway at first floor level, directly above its ground floor counterpart, is thought to have originally been an external entrance with a now-removed forestair probably giving access.

Corbels in the hall show that there was originally a second floor, access to which may have been via a spiral staircase within the north corner of the tower although this having fallen it is no longer clear.

To the south-east of the tower are the grass-covered footings of a second rectangular building of a similar size, measuring around 20.0m north-east to south-west by around 7.4m across with walls around 1.2m thick.