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Megginch Castle [Overview]

N of Errol, Megginch Castle, Perthshire.

Tunnel / Icehouse?

The Megginch owners had always boasted that the castle had a secret underground passage, but no one had been shown it, nor could it be located. No one believed it. In later times there was a fire at the castle and one of the fire-engines, manoeuvring into position outside, fell into the underground tunnel. [Castles of Britain]

The tunnel is separate to the ice house (derelict). The tunnel does exist, it was a small bricked escape tunnel from the castle to a nearby field, and it is mostly still intact despite the fire truck collapsing a section, but it is not accessible, nor open to the public. It goes from the east of the castle in a mostly north eastern direction towards the orchard. [Drummond-Herdman]

Alternative Names: Megginch Castle Caves

Notes: As the castle stands on a low rise surrounded by clay carselands, this cannot be a natural cave. It might be some sort of tunnel connected with the Castle as Tranter suggest, but I suspect the most likely explanation is an unreported souterrain. [Oldham]

If brick as mentioned by Bertie Drummond-Herdman then not a souterrain [John Crae]

Might also be a reference to the Megginch Castle ice house at [NO 24075 24720]. This 18th century structure, constructed from rubble with a brick dome, was probably built for Robert Drummond, c. 1800. Its location is shown on the 1901 OS 25" map.

Hydrographic Feeds: None

Hydrographic Resurgences: None