Building record MAB32099 - ABERGELDIE CASTLE

Castle, in residential use, dating from circa 1550, of pink harled granite rubble.

Castle, in residential use, dating from circa 1550, of pink harled granite rubble. The plan and architectural detail point to a mid 16th century date and analogies with the Castle of Balfluig at Alford (1556) suggest design by the same man. It is said that the castle was moated but no remains of it exist. The castle is shown on the Blaeu map (1654) as a high status house named ‘Abirgeldie’. The castle contains four storeys with vaulted basement with gun-loops. The original part consists of a tall tower-house with a round flat roofed stair tower at its southwest corner corbelled out to square cap house at top which opens out to viewing platform with iron railing. Early 19th century additions include an ogee roofed belfry in the stair tower (added by the Gordons in the early nineteenth century, having seen examples in Italy), a Venetian window to the south elevation and an arched granite doorway to the ground. The main tower has rounded angles and crow-stepped gables with a corbelled tower diagonally opposite to the stair tower. Underneath the foot of the stair is a small pit or prison. The arched door is in the re-entrant angle of the main building. A long low building was added in the 18th century. Now fully restored to its original state. Internally the ground floor is vaulted with a large fireplace (circa 20 m), with great hall and further rooms above. There are also traces still of the 17th to 19th century designed landscape around the building. This includes a single storey square structure of harled granite rubble with pyramidal roof and bell cast eaves, on the east side is a 2-leaf timber door and long slit windows with mesh coverings to all sides, identified as a game larder, though may be a dairy. There is a lodge to the east (NO29NE0069). To the west of the castle is a detached row of cottages, single storey with attic, the attic storey breaking the wallhead, and with predominantly gabled dormers with skew putts. The castle has been in the possession of the Gordon family since 1482. It was leased to the Royal Family from 1848 to 1970 and was greatly extended by James Henderson in the nineteenth century and subsequently during the years of royal occupation. Early twentieth century photographs of the castle show a sequence of buildings to the west. All of these additions were removed in the 1969 to leave only the tower house. A local legend suggests that Katy Rankin, tried as a witch, was kept chained up here in the pit dungeon below the stairs before being hanged on the nearby hill.

Period Notes
A Gordon castle since 1482; most recent building late 16thC; early 19thC extensions; rented by royal family later 19thC; Listed 24/11/1972.

LEITH-HAY, A, 1849, CASTELLATED ARCHITECTURE OF ABERDEENSHIRE, pp91-3 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1052.

McCONNACHIE, AL, 1898, THE ROYAL DEE, 75-9 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1136.

SIMPSON, WD, 1953, ARCH JOURNAL 110,125-34, 125-33 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1685.

TRANTER, N, 1977, FORTIFIED HOUSE IN SCOT VOL 4, 13-4 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1950.

GRAHAM, C, 1981, GRAMPIAN: THE CASTLE COUNTRY (2ND ED), 9 (Bibliographic reference). SAB598.

SCOTTISH MONUMENTS SURVEY, 1990, JAMES GILES - ABERDEENSHIRE CASTLES, P.3 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1738.

BOGDAN, N, 2008, EARLY CASTLES OF ABERDEENSHIRE (Bibliographic reference). SAB3811.

CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY, 2013, HISTORIC DESIGNED LANDSCAPES PROJECT SITE RESEARCH REPORT 01 ABERGELDIE CASTLE (Bibliographic reference). SAB8678.

Jan 26 1999 , AAS/99/02/CT80, AAS/99/02/CT80 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB17167.

SDD, n.d., BLDS OF ARCH & HIST INTEREST, CRATHIE & BRAEMAR 23 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1827.

Record last edited

Feb 2 2026 1:40PM