Old Castle Toward in Argyll was the ancestral stronghold of Clan Lamont, whose hold on the south end of the Cowal peninsula had been established by the 15th century and strengthened through later royal favour. By the mid-16th century the Lamonts were prominent local landholders, and in 1535 Sir John Lamont had acquired further lands at Toward from James V, helping to place the family close to the centre of royal politics in the region. Mary, Queen of Scots is recorded as having dined and stayed the night at the castle in 1563. That visit fits the wider pattern of her reign, in which she used elite Scottish households as part of her progress through the kingdom, rewarding loyalty and reinforcing allegiance. For the Lamonts, such hospitality signalled high standing at court and in the royal political network. These reconstruction drawings and a digital 3D computer model were commissioned by David M. Lamb and show what the castle might have looked like around the time of Queen Mary's visit.
Old Castle Toward later became caught up in the bitter Campbell-Lamont feud, leading to its surrender and subsequent dereliction following a siege in 1646. Around a hundred clansmen, women and children were massacred, and the Lamont strongholds of Toward and Ascog were looted, burnt, and reduced to ruins.
How this image was made
Software and tools used: Blender 3D. Project rendered using the Cycles 3D render engine and treated in Adobe Photoshop.
Notes: The reconstructions were made with the open-source 3D modelling software Blender, using data and plan drawings from the last known archaeological survey conducted in the 1970s. Due to the extensive decay of the castle ruins and excessive vegetation growth, it was deemed impractical to commission a modern geospatial or photogrammetric survey. Archival photographs show the castle without vegetation obscuring it, which were useful for identifying the locations of fenestration and dressed masonry. Two drawings made in the eighteenth century by David MacGibbon and Thomas Ross (The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland - Vol IV, p. 231) record in detail the decorative billets and rope-moulding details on the gate archway in the remains of the North Range. This is the only surviving part of the castle that has been authentically reconstructed. The other areas of the castle in these reconstruction views are conjectural.
About the images in my portfolio
You may notice subtle shapes and patterns in some of the images in my online portfolio, affecting their visual quality. I am experimenting with free tools developed by researchers at the University of Chicago to help artists protect their work from unauthorised AI training. It subtly alters images in ways that are almost invisible to people but can confuse AI models, making it much harder for them to learn and reproduce an artist's distinctive style.
Commissioned Work
Artist:
Bob Marshall. 2026
Project consultants:
Simon Forder
Client:
David M. Lamb, BS, MA, FSAScot
Image rights owner:
© David M. Lamb, BS, MA, FSAScot
Please seek the permission of the owner to use or display this image elsewhere.
My 3D models cannot be shared or licensed for other use due to contractual agreements with my clients and, in some cases, other stakeholders. More information can be found on my Licensing information page.
Like most Americans of Scottish descent, I have always been fascinated by my ancestral connection to the great Clan Lamont of Argyll. I was, of course, drawn to the ruins of Castle Toward, which had been the seat of my family for over three hundred years. Seeing it in ruins only fueled my desire to know more about what it once looked like. Fate, or providence, or maybe just dumb luck, put Bob Marshall in my sights a couple of years ago, and once I contacted him about bringing his enormous gifts to bear on the matter, he produced nothing shy of a miracle in the digital resurrection of that imposing old pile of stones. I could absolutely not be more pleased with what he has produced. Generations of Lamonts will all benefit from this man’s enormous talents.
David M. Lamb, BS, MA, FSAScot. Johnston, Iowa, USA
