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CHAS’ & RUBY’S 2006 UK TOUR

The Afternoon of
Wednesday,
May 31st:
CHAS
VISITS
DOUNE CASTLE

Doune Castle was built in the 1400’s, and is “special” for several reasons.

“Exceptionally at Doune we have a castle that was planned in a single episode [by a single designer/owner; Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany]. Almost all other great castles surviving to this day are the work of many hands over several centuries.”

[My pic o’ the Front View of Doune Castle]

FURTHERMORE! Although it isn’t as well known (or as frequently visited) as other castles, fans of Monty Python’s Flying Circus have been making pilgrimages to DOUNE CASTLE since 1975, when it was used in the film "Monty Python and the Holy Grail."(Doune Castle was also used many years earlier in the film "Ivanhoe." But, apparently, that movie never engendered pilgrimaging “fans”! LOL)

[Scanned pic of a Bird’s Eye View of Doune Castle – to give you an idea of its size.]

Two weeks before MP’s Holy Grail location shooting was scheduled to begin, the Scottish Department of the Environment withdrew permission for the Pythons to shoot within their castles, saying that the film's script would be "incompatible with the history and fabric" of the castles they were responsible for. (In other words: they didn’t like the idea of Zany Types filming Silly Stuff within their precious Castles!)
Doune Castle was privately owned back then. So, MP gained permission to film THERE. Since they didn’t have several castles to film at, they used Doune for almost ALL the “castle locations” needed for the movie.
EXTERIOR scenes of Castle Camelot, Swamp Castle, Castle Anthrax, the French Castle, and the opening castle were all shot at Doune. Various rooms at Doune were redecorated and reused many times, for multiple different castle INTERIOR scenes.

Since I’m a FAN of MP’s Holy Grail, I began by photographing
exterior “locations” that were familiar to me.

Once home, I snagged FILM PIX (from Internet sites) to compare to my pix!

Here is a FILM PIC of same location as shown in my photo, above!

The Trojan Bunny being wheeled up to the Castle Gate.

Ooooh! I got this one EXACTLY RIGHT!
My pic of where the COW and Trojan Bunny were catapulted from the castle.

FILM PIX of the same location!

YEAH! I thought the accuracy of my shot was pretty amazing, too!

NOW! To enter Doune Castle … you walk through the Great Gate,

and enter a
passageway
beneath the
Gatehouse Tower.

The Gift Shoppe
(where you pay
the entrance fee)
is located within that
passageway …
housed in
what probably was
a Guard Room
– or the like.

[Since I was alone, one of the Gift Shoppe employees
was kind enough to demonstrate the shell technique!]

While in the Gift Shoppe,
you can purchase
any of SEVERAL
Monty Python
and the Holy Grail
PRODUCTS!!!
(Such as Holy Grail ALE!)

ALSO! You can BORROW
one of the two sets of
COCONUT SHELLS
they have on hand for visitors!

[Alas! They don’t SELL sets
of COCONUT SHELLS
emblazoned with the
Doune Crest. Tres Bummer!]

If you don’t know what the COCONUT SHELLS are for …

Well … that’s just SAD! LOL

Just outside of the
INTERIOR exit
from the
GATEHOUSE
TOWER
PASSAGEWAY,
along the bottom level
of the
GREAT HALL
are entrances to
THREE
VAULTED
CELLARS.

The first one houses a little display dedicated to MP’s Holy Grail Movie!

Doune is now owned and operated by “HISTORIC SCOTLAND”
– an organization that clearly recognizes how the Zany MP Movie
is responsible for MOST of the visitors to Doune!

Had The Scottish Department
of the Environment
allowed Monty Python to
film in SEVERAL castles,
each of those
OTHER castles
would have gained
MANY additional visitors,
due to the
Python Pilgrims!

Silly Scottish Persons!!!

Anyway …
When you exit from that cellar,
you return to the castle’s
Grand Courtyard.