Inveraray Castle

James V stayed at the old castle of Inveraray in September 1533. A new lute was bought for him in Glasgow and carried to Inveraray by his servant Troilus. The present castle was built in the Gothic Revival style. Improvements on the estate began in 1743 by Archibald Campbell, Earl of Ilay, soon to become 3rd Duke of Argyll. The foundation stone of the new castle was laid in October 1746, and it replaced an earlier 15th-century castle. These are among the rooms open to the public. James Lees-Milne was not impressed by the house when he visited it in 1943, noting the "ugly" grey stone and calling it "grim and forbidding".

The castle has featured in a number of media productions including: Downton Abbey (2012); Great Estates Scotland (2014); and Susan Calman's Secret Scotland (2020). The "Best of the West" festival, organised by the Duchess, was held at the castle each September until 2018. Other productions included An American Aristocrat's Guide to Great Estates, the BBC miniseries A Very British Scandal, and The Diplomat (2024). The castle is reputedly haunted.