Beldorney Castle is a

Z-plan castle Z-plan is a form of castle design common in England and Scotland. The Z-plan castle has a strong central rectangular tower with smaller towers attached at diagonally opposite corners. Prominent examples of the Z-plan include Brodie Castle in ...

dating from the mid-16th century, about two miles south of

Glass Glass is a non-crystalline, often transparent, amorphous solid that has widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in, for example, window panes, tableware, and optics. Glass is most often formed by rapid cooling (quenching) of ...

, in hilly country in the valley of the

Deveron The River Deveron ( gd, Uisge Dubh Èireann), known anciently as the Dovern, is a river in the north east of Scotland. The river has a length of , and has a reputation for its Atlantic salmon, sea trout and brown trout fishing. In its upper rea ...

, in

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially differe ...

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 ...

.Lindsay, Maurice (1986) ''The Castles of Scotland''. Constable. p78 Alternative names are Beldornie, Beldornay and Beldorny.

History

The property, one of the earliest Z-plan castles in the North-East, has been owned by members of the Ogilvy,

Gordon Gordon may refer to: People * Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters * Gordon (surname), the surname * Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War * Clan Gordon, ...

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...

Buchan Buchan is an area of north-east Scotland, historically one of the original provinces of the Kingdom of Alba. It is now one of the six committee areas and administrative areas of Aberdeenshire Council, Scotland. These areas were created by th ...

and

Grant Grant or Grants may refer to: Places *Grant County (disambiguation) Australia * Grant, Queensland, a locality in the Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia United Kingdom *Castle Grant United States * Grant, Alabama *Grant, Inyo County, C ...

families. In 1545 George Gordon purchased the land from the

Earl of Huntly Marquess of Huntly (traditionally spelled Marquis in Scotland; Scottish Gaelic: ''Coileach Strath Bhalgaidh'') is a title in the Peerage of Scotland that was created on 17 April 1599 for George Gordon, 6th Earl of Huntly. It is the oldest existing ...

, and the castle was built before he died in 1575. Two wings were built to the west in 1679, while the original entrance was replaced. The castle was acquired by Alexander Gordon in 1713, and he remodelled it, including first-floor rooms formed from the hall, which have since been removed. An interesting wall painting of a woman playing the lute was among paintings discovered during this restoration. The work included introducing

bolection A bolection is a decorative moulding which projects beyond the face of a panel or frame in raised panel walls, doors, and fireplaces. It is commonly used when the meeting surfaces are at different levels, especially to hold floating panels in pl ...

-moulded chimney pieces and coved ceilings. Thomas Buchan of Auchmacoy bought the Beldorney estate in 1807 from Charles Gordon of Wardhouse, the last of the line of Gordons of Beldorney. Buchan sold the castle and estate to

Sir William Grant Sir William Grant (13 October 1752 – 23 May 1832) was a British lawyer, Member of Parliament from 1790–1812 and Master of the Rolls from 1801–1817. He was born at Elchies, Moray, Scotland. His father, James Grant, was a tenant farmer, ...

, Master of the Rolls and MP for

Banffshire Banffshire ; sco, Coontie o Banffshire; gd, Siorrachd Bhanbh) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. The county town is Banff, although the largest settlement is Buckie to the west. It borders the Moray ...

. On his death it passed to his brother, Major John Grant of Dawlish, Devon. In 1830 a north wing was added. Subsequently, there has been restoration work in 1890, remodelling other floors under the supervision of

Alexander Marshall Mackenzie Alexander Marshall MacKenzie (1 January 1848 – 4 May 1933) was a Scottish architect responsible for prestigious projects including the headquarters of the Isle of Man Banking Company in Douglas, and Australia House and the Waldorf Hotel in L ...

, and in the early 1980s.

Structure

The main block of the castle lies north to south. At the north-west angle is a smaller square tower, which contains the main stair, named the Dog Tower, and having a dog

finial A finial (from '' la, finis'', end) or hip-knob is an element marking the top or end of some object, often formed to be a decorative feature. In architecture, it is a small decorative device, employed to emphasize the Apex (geometry), apex of a d ...

. At the south-east angle is a large drum tower, which has a rounded gable. The original entry was in the re-entrant angle with the square tower. The basement, which contains a kitchen and two cellars, is vaulted. From one of the cellars – the wine cellar – a mural stair led to the hall. Fragments of the painting of the Hall ceiling survive. It appears that the second floor also had a hall and a tower room. There is a mural stair in the turret in the re-entrant angle of the south gable; this gave access to the second floor room and the third-floor watch room. The two 1679 wings to the west enclose a courtyard, the entrance to which is an arched gateway, marked with the initials of John Gordon and Anne, and the date, on the inner side. It has renaissance detail, a semicircular tympanum above

entablature An entablature (; nativization of Italian , from "in" and "table") is the superstructure of moldings and bands which lies horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and ...

with ball finials. The south wing is a single-storey high. The replacement entrance, decorated with an ogee-headed panel containing a winged angel's head, is in the centre of the west face. It is a category A listed building.

References

{{Authority control Castles in Aberdeenshire Category A listed buildings in Aberdeenshire Listed castles in Scotland