The Legacy of the Monty Python Castle

Many British castles earn their maintenance costs by flaunting their ancient history. If a king once lived there, or a famous battle took place there, the more tourists that a castle will draw, even if it is in ruins. However, there is one castle that doesn't rely all that much on its ancient origins to draw tourists. Doune Castle in Scotland was built in the 13th and 14th centuries, but what keeps it attracting tourists is the fact that Monty Python and the Holy Grail was filmed there.

You see, when the movie was filmed in 1974 (it is celebrating its 50th anniversary this week), many different castles were scouted, but they were governed by agencies, and the National Trust for Scotland withdrew permission for any castle to be used as a film set, especially since it was Monty Python asking. But Doune Castle was in private hands and said yes. In fact, Doune Castle was the actual setting for several of the castles in the story, filmed from different angles. That decision paid off well, since people are still visiting just because their favorite Monty Python movie was filmed there. Read more about the ancient history of Doune Castle at Wikipedia and its pop culture legacy at Cracked.

(Image credit: Wikifan75)