04/15/2007 | Oban - McCaig's Tower

McCaig's Tower is a prominent folly on the hillside overlooking Oban in Argyll, Scotland.
McCaig's intention was to provide a lasting monument to his family, and provide work for the local stonemasons during the winter months. McCaig was an admirer of Roman and Greek architecture, and had planned for an elaborate structure, based on the Colosseum in Rome. His plans allowed for a museum and art gallery with a central tower to be incorporated, but his death brought an end to construction with only the outer walls completed.

The empty shell of the tower dominates the Oban skyline, and is now a public garden with magnificent views to the islands of Kerrera, Lismore and Mull.

08:15 Posted in Scotland 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0)