Red alert: castle built by King William could topple after nearly 900 years

History: Experts monitoring site

The Red Castle was built overlooking Lunan Bay by King William the Lion to stop invaders gaining a foothold on the strategic beach near Montrose.

The estate was given to local nobles in 1197 and reallocated by Robert the Bruce in 1328. In 1579 James Gray was kicked out by his new wife, Lady Elizabeth Beaton. His attacks on the castle then ended its usefulness as a noble residence.

Walkers and history buffs believe the long-decaying structure is about to fall foul of a growing fissure below its foundations, a 100-foot by four-foot crack.

Jag Betty, of research website Strange Places in Scotland, said: “I reckon it’s due to the recent bad weather, the wind and the storms over the last few weeks.

“It is a fantastic structure and it will be sad to see it start to crumble.”

Montrose Society president Sandy Munro said: “In my opinion it should have been taken into the guardianship of Historic Scotland long ago... However, it would be very expensive for the landowner or anyone to take that on.”

A Historic Environment Scotland spokesman said: “We regularly monitor the situation at Red Castle and are aware of the condition of the monument and eroding cliff face. One of our field officers inspected the site just a few weeks ago where they found there had been no obvious change to the condition of the monument since our last visit in 2013.

“We are happy to work with all interested parties to ensure the sustainable management of the site and its surrounding area in the long term.”

It is a fantastic structure and it will be sad to see it start to crumble

Pictures: Dougie Nicolson. Rubeum castrum: local historian Norman Atkinson has seen the River Lunan and coastal storms take their toll on the site, saying: “There were attempts to safeguard and restore the castle in the past.”