Malcolm Canmore's Tower

A much ruined castle located on a promontory above a meander in the Tower Burn within Pittencrieff Park in the centre of Dunfermline (Fife). Little remains of Malcolm Canmore's Tower but an L-shaped section of the lower walls which date from the second half of the 11th century and are still 3m (10 feet) in thickness. The first structure here was probably built of wood, but later replaced by a three-storey rectangular tower measuring 15.8m (52 feet) by 14.6m (48 feet). It was from here that Malcolm III (or Canmore, c.1031 - 1093) ruled his kingdom. Despite its effective defensive location, the fortress was destroyed by the English King Edward I in 1304. Thereafter it was replaced by the Royal Palace, to the east.

The tower features in the Arms of Dunfermline.


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