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Craigievar Castle

Castle

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History

Built by the Mortimers of Craigievar between c1575–95, Craigievar Castle in its original form would have looked a little different: rather than the iconic turrets, the uppermost level of the castle was likely much plainer and less soaring in height. The late 16th-century castle is everything below the carved stone corbel, decorated with projecting stone cannons that wraps around the castle walls. Due to the skill of the architect-masons who worked on Craigievar, it’s not immediately apparent that Craigievar is actually the result of two building phases!

The castle as it appears now was completed by William Forbes around 1626. He purchased the lands in 1610 and, keen to express the status his wealth (gained from working as a merchant through the Baltic trade) had brought him, he replaced the plain uppermost parts of the castle with the array of turrets and balustraded viewing platform we see today.

The Forbes family resided here for over 300 years before placing it in the care of the National Trust for Scotland in the 1960s.

An exterior view of the recently repainted pink walls of Craigievar Castle, looking up from beside the barmkin wall.

Guided tours

Craigievar is one of the best-preserved examples of a tower house and inside are stunning 17th-century plaster ceilings and original collections.

No artificial light is used in the castle, allowing visitors on our daily tours to share the experience of eight generations of the Forbes family and view the castle interiors and collections as the family did for 300 years.

Access to the castle is via guided tour only. People from all around the world have enthused about these castle tours, which are available on a first-come, first-served basis and have limited ticket numbers each day.

Please note there is no pre-booking available, so at busy times there may be a wait before starting a tour.

A flight of granite steps rise up a passage and disappear round a corner. Alongside the stairs are spears mounted on the wall, a pair of open nail-studded wooden doors, a wooden pillar carved with the likeness of a man, and granite-edged doorways which lead off into rooms. The great hall in Craigievar Castle, showing the restored white plaster ceiling. A grand wooden table stands in the middle of the room, which has a blue tartan carpet. Three high-backed dining chairs with tartan seats sits against a wood-panelled wall. The wood is carved and features columns as well as detailing along the top. At the corner of the room, the wood continues along the next wall. A mum, dad and little girl stand in a wood-panelled bedroom in a castle, looking at a portrait of a young girl hanging above a bed.
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