Kinnaird Head ( gd, An Ceann Àrd, "high headland") is a headland projecting into the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the ...

, within the town of

Fraserburgh Fraserburgh (; sco, The Broch or ; gd, A' Bhruaich) is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland with a population recorded in the 2011 Census at 13,100. It lies at the far northeast corner of Aberdeenshire, about north of Aberdeen, and north of ...

, Aberdeenshire, on the east coast of Scotland. The 16th-century Kinnaird Castle was converted in 1787 for use as the

Kinnaird Head Lighthouse There are two lighthouses located on Kinnaird Head, in Fraserburgh, Scotland: an historical one built in a converted castle; and its modern replacement, built in 1991. The original lighthouse now forms part of the Museum of Scottish Lighthouses. ...

, 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 Category, plural categories, may refer to: Philosophy and general uses *Categorization, categories in cognitive science, information science and generally *Category of being * ''Categories'' (Aristotle) *Category (Kant) * Categories (Peirce) * ...

. and the Wine Tower (perhaps from ''Wynd Tower''). is a

scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...

. The buildings around the base of the lighthouse are the work of Robert Stevenson.

Kinnaird Castle

, also known as Fraserburgh Castle and Kinnairdshead Castle, was begun in March 1570. The builder was Sir Alexander Fraser, 8th laird of Philorth, (c.1536–1623), who also transformed the fishing village of Faithlie into the burgh of Fraserburgh in the 1590s. However, the building of the castle led to such expense that he was forced to sell Philorth Castle, the family home. Alexander, 10th of Philorth, fought for the king at the

Battle of Worcester The Battle of Worcester took place on 3 September 1651 in and around the city of Worcester, England and was the last major battle of the 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Three Kingdoms. A Parliamentarian army of around 28,000 under Oliver Cromwell d ...

(1651). Despite being badly wounded, he survived to live into his eighties. In 1669 he inherited the title of

Lord Saltoun Lord Saltoun, of Abernethy, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1445 for Sir Lawrence Abernethy. The title remained in the Abernethy family until the death in 1669 of his descendant the tenth Lady Saltoun. She was succeeded ...

, and in later years he had apartments at Kinnaird Castle The last people to reside in the castle were Henrietta Fraser (1698-1751), daughter of the 12th Lord Saltoun, and her husband John Gordon of Kinellar (1684-1764). In 1787 it was leased to the Trustees of the Northern lights, who turned it into

. Designed by Thomas Smith, the lamp was first lit on 1 December. The structure was rebuilt in the 1820s, and superseded by a new lighthouse in 1991. It now houses the Museum of Scottish Lighthouses, which incorporates the original lighthouse and a modern building housing collections of lenses and other artefacts from many lighthouses across Scotland.

Wine tower

The wine tower is a small three-storey tower located approximately from Kinnaird Head Lighthouse. The tower has been dated to the 16th century, and may have gained its name through use as a store associated with the castle. The tower is accessed via the second floor, and contains elaborate carved stone pendants, reputedly the result of its use as a covert chapel for the Catholic wife of Protestant Alexander Fraser. It is reputed that in the cave below, one of the Fraser family imprisoned his daughter's boyfriend, leaving him to drown there. The daughter then jumped from the roof of the tower. There is red paint on the rocks below to illustrate her blood. According to local tradition, the tower is said to be haunted.

Footnotes

External links

*
Museum of Scottish Lighthouses web site
*Historic Environment Scotland
Visitor guide
(Castle Lighthouse) {{Scottish Museums and Art Galleries Headlands of Scotland Banff and Buchan Fraserburgh Landforms of Aberdeenshire Castles in Aberdeenshire Category A listed buildings in Aberdeenshire Reportedly haunted locations in Scotland