| Banff Castle | |
|---|---|
 The modern mansion house known as Banff Castle | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Location | Aberdeenshire |
| Town or city | Banff |
| Country | Scotland |
| Completed | 12th century |
Banff Castle is a ruined former royal castle near Banff, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. [1]
Built as a motte and bailey castle in the 12th century and held by the Comyns, Earl of Buchan. The castle was visited by King Edward I of England in 1296 and also in 1298 after defeating William Wallace at the Battle of Falkirk during the Wars of Scottish Independence. The castle was garrisoned with English troops until being captured by the Scots in 1310. It came into the possession of the Sharps, before being sold to Lord Ogilvy of Deskford in 1722. The castle then passed into the hands of the Russells.
The old castle was demolished and a mansion house designed by architect John Adam was built in 1750. The remains of the old castle are a scheduled ancient monument. [2]
The current house is a Category A listed building. [3] It serves as a community and arts venue for the town of Banff and the surrounding areas.
Kinnaird Head is a headland projecting into the North Sea, within the town of Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, on the east coast of Scotland. The 16th-century Kinnaird Castle was converted in 1787 for use as the Kinnaird Head Lighthouse, the first lighthouse in Scotland to be lit by the Commissioners of Northern Lights. Kinnaird Castle and the nearby Wine Tower were described by W. Douglas Simpson as two of the nine castles of the Knuckle, referring to the rocky headland of north-east Aberdeenshire. The lighthouse is a category A listed building. and the Wine Tower. is a scheduled monument. The buildings around the base of the lighthouse are the work of Robert Stevenson.
Balloch Castle is an early 19th-century country house situated at the southern tip of Loch Lomond, in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. Balloch was a property of the Lennox family from the 11th century, and the old castle was built in the 13th century. In the 19th century the estate was purchased by John Buchanan of Ardoch, who demolished the ruins of the old castle and erected the present building. The Tudor Gothic architecture is the work of Robert Lugar. In 1915 Balloch was bought by Glasgow City Corporation, and has been leased by West Dunbartonshire Council since 1975. The estate was designated as a country park in 1980, and since 2002 has been part of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. Although the house has been periodically used for visitor facilities and council offices, it is now included on the Buildings at Risk Register. Balloch Castle is a category A listed building, and the estate is included on the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland.
Castle Leod is the seat of the Clan Mackenzie. It is a category A listed building, and the grounds are listed in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes of Scotland, the national listing of significant gardens. It is located near Strathpeffer in the east of Ross-shire in the Scottish Highlands.
Moniack Castle is a 16th-century tower house located 7 miles (11 km) west of Inverness, and just south of Beauly in Highland, Scotland. The castle was built in 1580 by members of the Clan Fraser. The castle is protected as a category B listed building.
Scolpaig Tower is a Georgian folly located near the village of Scolpaig on the island of North Uist in the Outer Hebrides. The name probably derives from the Old Norse scolpvik, or 'Scolp Bay'.
The Castle of Fiddes is a 16th-century tower house in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, located around 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) south-west of Stonehaven. It is dated 1592 on a window lintel, with a later date of 1673 on the east wall suggesting a renovation at this time. It was the property of the Arbuthnott family, who sold it in the later 17th century to the Thomson family of Arduthie. It was modernised around 1930 and remains occupied. It is a category A listed building.
Dundarg Castle is a ruined castle about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) north-northeast of New Aberdour, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, built within the ramparts of an earlier Iron Age promontory fort. It was described by W. Douglas Simpson as one of the nine castles of the Knuckle, referring to the rocky headland of North-East Aberdeenshire, and by Charles McKean as "Scotland's answer to Tintagel". It became a small Celtic monastery for a period.
Knock Castle is a private residence on the outskirts of Largs, on the west coast of Scotland. It was built by the boat-building Steele family in 1851, with a further wing added in the early twentieth century. The restored seventeenth century Knock Old Castle is within the grounds.
Castle Forbes is a 19th-century country house in the Scottish baronial architecture style near Alford in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
Redcastle, historically known as Edirdovar and Ederdour, is a medieval castle in Killearnan on the Black Isle, northern Scotland. It is so named from the colour of the stone of which it is built. The castle is now in a state of ruinous disrepair, although it is protected as a category B listed building.
Blanerne Castle is the remains of a 16th-century fortified house, located in the grounds of Blanerne House, an 18th-century country house between Chirnside and Preston in the Scottish Borders. The house and castle sit on the north bank of the Whiteadder Water, around 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) north-east of Duns.
Calgary Castle, also known as Calgary House, is a 19th-century castellated Gothic mansion at Calgary on the Isle of Mull, Scotland. The mansion faces Calgary Bay on the west coast of the island, around 13 kilometres from Tobermory. It is a category B listed building.
Breachacha Castle is either of two structures on the shore of Loch Breachacha, on the Inner Hebridean island of Coll, Scotland. The earlier is a 15th-century tower house that was a stronghold of the Macleans of Coll, the island having been granted to John Maclean in 1431. This castle was superseded by a new dwelling in 1750 but continued to be occupied for a time. It fell into a ruinous state only in the mid-19th century.
Tarbat House is a Category A listed building in the Highland council area of northern Scotland. A three-story stone mansion in the neoclassical style, it was built in 1787 by the Edinburgh architect James McLeran for John Mackenzie, Lord MacLeod. The house is located approximately 500m from the village of Milton near Invergordon.
Arnage Castle is a country house, incorporating a Z-plan tower house, located around 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Ellon, in Aberdeenshire, north-east Scotland. The tower house dates from the late 16th century, and was extended in subsequent centuries.
Westhall Castle, also known as Westhall House, is a country house located to the north of Oyne, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The house includes a 16th-century L-plan tower house, which was substantially extended in the 17th and 19th century. The house is a category A listed building.
Pittulie Castle is an oblong tower house probably dating from 1596, half a mile from Pitsligo Castle, Rosehearty, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is a scheduled monument. Built by the Frasers of Philorth, it was described by W. Douglas Simpson as one of the nine castles of the Knuckle, referring to the rocky headland of north-east Aberdeenshire.
Hatton Castle is almost three miles (4.8 km) south-east of Turriff, Aberdeenshire in the north-east of Scotland. Formerly known as Balquholly Castle, sometimes spelt as Balquollie, it was renamed in 1814. The 17,994 square feet (1,671.7 m2) mansion was designated a category A listed building in 1972; the gardens are included in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland.
Boyne Castle is a 16th-century quadrangular castle about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) east of Portsoy, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, 0.5 miles (0.8 km) south of Boyne Bay.
Midmar is a historic settlement in Aberdeenshire, lying north of Banchory and southwest of Inverurie. It is noted for its three stone circles and various standing stones. Midmar and Sunhoney are both recumbent stone circles.
