Midmar Castle is a 16th-century castle 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, located west of Westhill and west of

Echt Echt may refer to: * Echt, Aberdeenshire, a village in Scotland * Echt-Susteren, a municipality in the Netherlands ** Echt, Netherlands Echt (; ) is a city in the Dutch municipality of Echt-Susteren in the province of Limburg, Netherlands. ...

. The castle was built for George Gordon of Midmar and Abergeldie between 1565 and 1575, and was constructed by the stonemason and architect George Bell. The castle is protected as a category A

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

History

The present structure was erected on the site of an earlier tower, destroyed by forces loyal to

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legitimate child of James V of Scot ...

, during her punitive expedition against 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 ...

in 1562. This expedition culminated in the

Battle of Corrichie The Battle of Corrichie, also known as the Battle of Corrichy was a battle fought near Meikle Tap, near Aberdeen, Scotland, on 28 October 1562. It was fought between the forces of George Gordon, 4th Earl of Huntly, chief of Clan Gordon, agains ...

at which George Gordon of Midmar fought. He was subsequently deprived of his lands, though they were restored in 1565, after which he employed George Bell to build a new castle. In 1594 the castle was attacked after the Battle of Glenlivet. Alexander Grant purchased Midmar in 1728 and renamed it Grantsfield. From 1730 the castle was remodelled inside and outside, and most of the present interiors date from this time. Repairs were carried out in 1840. From 1842 until 1977 the castle was uninhabited, though maintained, preserving the 18th-century rooms. Restoration began in 1977 and the castle has been a private residence since. It was sold in July 2011 to Tom Cross, former chief executive of

Dana Petroleum Dana Petroleum plc is an oil and gas exploration and production company based in Aberdeen, Scotland. Its activities are focused on the North Sea, Africa and The Middle East. It is a subsidiary of the Korea National Oil Corporation and is a forme ...

, for £2.8 million. The 16th- or 17th-century walled garden, with

bee bole A bee bole is a cavity or alcove in a wall (the Scots word ''bole'' means a recess in a wall). A skep is placed in the bee bole. Before the development of modern bee hives (such as the design published by Lorenzo Langstroth in 1853), the use of ...

s in the walls, is also a category A listed building, along with the 18th-century sundial.

References

External links

* {{coord, 57.1372, N, 2.4896, W, region:GB_type:landmark, display=title Castles in Aberdeenshire Category A listed buildings in Aberdeenshire Listed castles in Scotland Houses completed in 1575