It traces an unbroken Fraser connection from the fourteenth century through ruin and restoration back into family hands, a rare continuity among Aberdeenshire's medieval tower houses.
Cairnbulg Castle stands beside the River Philorth in the north-east corner of Aberdeenshire, its origins reaching back to the early fourteenth century. An early fortification here was destroyed in the winter of 1308–1309, during the Wars of Independence, and the estate remained with the Comyn family until 1375, when it passed to the Earls of Ross. The tower was rebuilt around 1380, after a marriage joined the Ross line to Sir Alexander Fraser of Cowie — beginning a long Fraser association with the place. In 1545 a second round tower, courtyard and outbuildings were added to the original square keep, giving the castle its Z-plan form, with pepperpot turrets crowning the rounded towers. The Frasers of Philorth sold the property in 1613, and by 1775 it had passed to George Gordon, third Earl of Aberdeen, who stripped its valuables; the building was abandoned by 1799. It was rescued in 1896, when the architects Jenkins & Marr restored the towers and rebuilt the central range for Sir John Duthie. In 1934 Lord Saltoun bought it back into Fraser hands, and it remains a private family home, open to visitors only by appointment.
What follows is drawn from published sources, with each claim labelled by how firmly it is established.
What to look for
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The Z-plan layout, with rounded towers capped by pepperpot turrets set against the original square keep
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The 1545 additions — a second round tower, courtyard and outbuildings that enlarged the medieval keep
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Evidence of the 1896 Jenkins & Marr restoration, which rebuilt the central range after nearly a century of abandonment
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Its setting beside the River Philorth, the estate once known as Philorth
Plan your visit
- Location
- General area near Aberdeenshire, Aberdeenshire
This is a sensitive or fragile site, so we show only its general area. Please check official heritage sources for access before visiting, and take care not to disturb it.
Nearby places
Minor monument · Medieval
Market Cross, Saltoun Square, Fraserburgh
Aberdeenshire
Mercat cross with HES-listed pre-1800 evidence (1736).
- Easy path
Building or ruin · Medieval
Deer Abbey
Aberdeenshire
A rare surviving medieval Cistercian ruin in Buchan, carrying the name recorded in the margins of the celebrated Book of Deer.
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