Situated in a North-Eastern
Scottish fishing village called
Cruden Bay, this castle has been a
ruin since
1925, when the roof was
removed by means of
avoiding taxes. Shortly after this, an attempt was made at
demolition, but the castle proved too great, and so it exists as it is today.
It is built on cliffs, with literally a sheer drop on two sides. These cliffs have had more than their fair share of suicides, and as I type this, there is a burnt-out wreckage of a car at the bottom of one such cliff.
It was originally owned by the Earl of Errol and his descendants, but is now owned by various parties, including Cruden Bay Golf Club.
Slains Castle is famous in that it claims to be the inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula. Allegedly, Mr. Stoker first stayed at the Kilmarnock Arms Hotel in Cruden Bay in 1893, where he wrote "The Mystery of the Sea" in which Archie Hunter has a ghastly vision of wraiths coming ashore at the bay. Mr. Stoker returned to the hotel for the next two years, and in 1895, "Dracula" was written with Slains Castle in mind.
There is also much speculation to the idea that there are secret tunnels in the castle, which come out all over the village.