Southwest tower of Drumtochty Castle - geograph

Drumtochty Castle is a

neo-gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

style

castellated A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (i.e., a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at interva ...

mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word '' manse'' originally defined a property l ...

erected in 1812 approximately three kilometres north-west of

Auchenblae Auchenblae (, gd, Achadh nam Blàth) (historically known as Auchinblae) is a village in the Kincardine and Mearns area of Aberdeenshire, formerly in Kincardineshire, Scotland. The village was known for its weavers, a whisky distillery and the ann ...

Kincardineshire Kincardineshire, also known as the Mearns (from the Scottish Gaelic meaning "the Stewartry"), is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area on the coast of northeast Scotland. It is bounded by Aberdeenshire on the north and w ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. This building stands on the southern edge of

Drumtochty Forest Drumtochty Forest is a coniferous woodland in Kincardineshire, Scotland. In earlier times this forest was associated with Drumtochty Castle. Other notable buildings in this part of the Mearns include Fasque House, Fetteresso Castle, and Muchal ...

. It was built to the designs of

James Gillespie Graham James Gillespie Graham (11 June 1776 – 11 March 1855) was a Scottish architect, prominent in the early 19th century. Life Graham was born in Dunblane on 11 June 1776. He was the son of Malcolm Gillespie, a solicitor. He was christened as J ...

with further extensions c. 1815. Although the design for the extensions was again commissioned from Gillespie Graham, the work was undertaken by the Aberdeen City Architect John Smith. Miller speculates Gillespie Graham could have had a dispute with George Drummond, the owner, but considers Smith’s closer proximity to the site is a more plausible scenario. Gillespie Graham was involved with further additions c. 1839. During the Second World War, Drumtochty Castle was bought by the

Norwegian government-in-exile __NOTOC__ Nygaardsvold's Cabinet (later becoming the Norwegian government-in-exile, Norwegian: ''Norsk eksilregjering'') was appointed on 20 March 1935, the second Labour cabinet in Norway. It brought to an end the non-socialist minority Governm ...

and used as a boarding school for Norwegian children who were refugees from the

German occupation of Norway The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany during the Second World War began on 9 April 1940 after Operation Weserübung. Conventional armed resistance to the German invasion ended on 10 June 1940, and Nazi Germany controlled Norway until the ...

.NRK "Da norske barn var flyktninger (When Norwegian children were refugees)" ''(Norwegian)''
/ref> On 1 May 1947, Robert and Elizabeth Langlands, opened a boys’ preparatory school at the Castle, having bought Drumtochty from the Norwegian government. The school closed in 1971.

Historic Scotland Historic Scotland ( gd, Alba Aosmhor) was an executive agency of the Scottish Office and later the Scottish Government from 1991 to 2015, responsible for safeguarding Scotland's built heritage, and promoting its understanding and enjoyment. ...

included the castle on the list of category A listed buildings in August 1972.

School alumni

Elspeth Barker Elspeth Barker (16 November 1940 – 21 April 2022) was a Scottish novelist and journalist. Born as Elspeth Langlands, she was raised in Drumtochty Castle, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, where her parents ran a prep school for boys. From 1958, she ...

(1940–2022), novelist and journalist. (One of five Langlands children) *

Ross Leckie Peter Ross Leckie (born 6 May 1957) is a Scottish writer of historical novels, best known for his ''Carthage'' trilogy. Biography Leckie attended Drumtochty Castle Preparatory School and Fettes College. He studied classics at Corpus Christi C ...

(born 1957), writer. * David MacLennan (1948–2014), actor, writer and producer. *

Allan Massie Allan Johnstone Massie (born 16 October 1938) is a Scottish journalist, columnist, sports writer and novelist. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. He has lived in the Scottish Borders for the last 25 years, and now lives in Se ...

(born 1938), novelist, sports writer and journalist. * Douglas Young (born 1948), solicitor.

References

{{authority control Castles in Aberdeenshire Houses in Aberdeenshire Kincardine and Mearns Category A listed buildings in Aberdeenshire Norway in World War II Norway–United Kingdom relations Defunct schools in Aberdeenshire Defunct independent schools in Scotland Defunct preparatory schools in Scotland Defunct boarding schools in Scotland Defunct boys' schools in Scotland