The ring that survives
McCaig’s Tower is built directly onto the rock of Battery Hill. Historic Environment Scotland describes a carefully worked granite exterior and rougher internal masonry. Its 94 pointed openings are usually counted as 44 in the lower tier and 50 above.
The broad circular plan evokes a Roman arena, which explains the frequent comparison with the Colosseum. The pointed arches, crenellations and proposed central tower use a Gothic or “old English” architectural language. It is the combination, rather than a literal copy of one ancient building, that makes the design distinctive.
The unbuilt centre
An 1895 newspaper description reported a tower about 95 feet high, standing on a 20-foot platform. It was to contain a zig-zag stair and a public viewing platform. Plans also contemplated a choir chapel, museum, art gallery and groined connecting arcades.
McCaig’s later will proposed statues of family members. None of those statues or central buildings was realised.
Reading the evidence carefully
Surviving drawings and historic descriptions do not always answer every architectural question. Two sketches associated with the scheme are held locally, but academic analysis cautions that their authorship is not certain.
Likewise, the familiar word “tower” can mislead modern visitors. What exists today is principally an open circular screen. The vertical tower that would have made the name literal remained part of the unrealised design.
Explore the dimensions and construction in the architecture guide.
Sources and references
- Historic Environment Scotland: Battery Hill, McCaig Monument (LB38814)Official designation record
- Trove / National Record of the Historic Environment: Oban, McCaig’s TowerNational heritage record
- Johnny Rodger, ‘McCaig’s Tower and a Scottish Monumental Tradition’Peer-reviewed academic article
- Oban War & Peace MuseumAccredited local museum