The hidden UK town with its own Colosseum that looks like it belongs in Rome
- UK Hidden Gems
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
The Scottish town of Oban, in Argyll and Bute, is home to a unique Colosseum-style structure that stands high above the town.
This seaside town has a fascinating landmark, which is a large stone structure that looks a lot like the Roman Colosseum.
Oban sits on the west coast of Scotland and is often called the 'Gateway to the Hebrides' because it’s where you can catch ferries to both the Inner and Outer Hebrides islands.
But what really makes Oban stand out isn’t just the sea views or ferry links, it’s the Colosseum-like building that looks out over the town.
McCaig’s Tower stands proudly at the top of Battery Hill and has done since 1897, when it was designed and paid for by a wealthy banker named John Stuart McCaig.
McCaig had big plans for the building. He wanted it to include a museum and an art gallery, and he even planned to place statues of himself and his family inside a central tower.
He was a huge fan of Roman and Greek buildings, so it’s no surprise that he chose to make it look like the Colosseum. If he’d lived long enough to finish it, the tower might have looked quite different from what we see today.
The granite used to build the tower came from nearby Airds Bay, and one of McCaig’s aims was to give work to local stonemasons.
Sadly, McCaig died from heart failure on 29 June 1902, and by that time only the outer wall of the tower had been built, just like it stands today.
After his death, work on the tower stopped. Even though he had left money in his will to keep the tower going, his relatives challenged this in court and won.
Although the tower was never finished, it’s still a well-known part of the town’s history and has been a Grade B listed building since 1971.
McCaig’s Tower may not be what he originally planned, but it remains one of Oban’s most interesting and unusual landmarks.
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