Building record MAB34428 - AFFLECK CASTLE
Please read our guidance about the use of Aberdeenshire Historic Environment Record data.
Summary
Tower house, built in the late 15th Century with some 16th Century additions, and inhabited until 1760, when the mansion house to the southeast was constructed.
Protected Status/Designation
- Scheduled Monument 90007
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NO 4940 3881 (21m by 22m) Centred at - Polygon: Known Site Extent |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NO43NE |
| Civil Parish | Monikie |
| Authority | Angus |
Type and Period (5)
- TOWER HOUSE (15th Century to 18th Century - 1400 AD to 1760 AD)
- PISCINA (15th Century to 16th Century - 1400 AD to 1599 AD)
- CASTLE (15th Century to 18th Century - 1400 AD to 1760 AD)
- PRIVATE CHAPEL (15th Century to 16th Century - 1400 AD to 1599 AD)
- STOUP (15th Century to 16th Century - 1400 AD to 1599 AD)
Full Description
Tower house, built in the late-15th Century with some 16th Century additions, and inhabited until 1760, when the mansion house to the southeast was constructed. It is shown on the 1st edition OS map as an L-plan building named 'Auchinlech Castle', but by the 2nd edition OS map it is named 'Affleck Castle'. The wing forming an L-plan is at the southeast corner.
It is a four-storey and attic L-plan tower house, with gun-loops to the ground floor, and an arched doorway in the re-entrant angle. Two battlemented cap-houses surmount the building. The corbelled ashlar parapet and angle turrets are 16th Century additions, as are the crow-stepped gables to the attic and the chimney stacks. Within the castle, the wing on the east elevation forming an L-plan features a turnpike stair, and the thick coursed rubble walls house a number of mural chambers. The first floor is vaulted, and the second floor houses the hall. There is a small oratory on the third floor, with a holy water stoup, a piscina, corbels for candlesticks, and an ambry.
Despite its abandonment, the tower house remains in excellent condition.
AN/4568, AN/4568 (Photograph). SAB25487.
AN/4569, AN/4569 (Photograph). SAB25774.
AN/4570/CN, AN/4570/CN (Photograph). SAB25488.
AN/4571/CN, AN/4571/CN (Photograph). SAB25677.
AN/4646, AN/4646 (Photograph). SAB25775.
MacGibbon and Ross, D and T, 1887-92, [Untitled], Vol.1, 250-5 (Bibliographic reference). SAB6102.
Simpson, W D, 1947, [Untitled] (Bibliographic reference). SAB10904.
TRNATER, N, 1962, FORTIFIED HOUSE IN SCOTLAND VOL4-ABERDEENSHIRE, Vol.4, 93-4 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1917.
Dunbar, J G, 1966, [Untitled], 63 (Bibliographic reference). SAB10464.
Walker and Ritchie, B and {J, 1987, [Untitled], 53, no. 48 (Bibliographic reference). SAB9995.
Jun 20 2002 , AAS/02/6/CT11-9, AAS/02/6/CT11-9 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB29437.
Jun 20 2002 , AAS/02/6/G15/9-15, AAS/02/6/G15/9-15 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB29436.
Other Statuses/References
- Authority: ANG;
- NMR Card Number: NO43NE 14.00;
- NRHE Numlink: 33311;
- Old Historic Environment Record Ref: NO43NE0014;
External Links (1)
- https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/SM90007 (Historic Environment Scotland Portal Link)
Sources/Archives (12)
- --- SAB10464 Bibliographic reference: Dunbar, J G. 1966. [Untitled]. 63.
- --- SAB10904 Bibliographic reference: Simpson, W D. 1947. [Untitled].
- --- SAB1917 Bibliographic reference: TRNATER, N. 1962. FORTIFIED HOUSE IN SCOTLAND VOL4-ABERDEENSHIRE. N. Vol.4, 93-4.
- --- SAB25487 Photograph: AN/4568. . AN/4568.
- --- SAB25488 Photograph: AN/4570/CN. Colour Negative. AN/4570/CN.
- --- SAB25677 Photograph: AN/4571/CN. Colour Negative. AN/4571/CN.
- --- SAB25774 Photograph: AN/4569. . AN/4569.
- --- SAB25775 Photograph: AN/4646. . AN/4646.
- --- SAB29436 Air-oblique Photograph: Jun 20 2002 . AAS/02/6/G15/9-15. Black & White. AAS/02/6/G15/9-15.
- --- SAB29437 Air-oblique Photograph: Jun 20 2002 . AAS/02/6/CT11-9. Colour Transparency. AAS/02/6/CT11-9.
- --- SAB6102 Bibliographic reference: MacGibbon and Ross, D and T. 1887-92. [Untitled]. Vol.1, 250-5.
- --- SAB9995 Bibliographic reference: Walker and Ritchie, B and {J. 1987. [Untitled]. 53, no. 48.
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (1)
Record last edited
Sep 9 2026 12:15PM
