One of the best-preserved and most admired tower houses in Scotland, Craigievar is a refined expression of the Scottish Baronial style and has stood largely unaltered since the 1620s.
Craigievar Castle stands in the Aberdeenshire hills as one of Scotland’s most complete tower houses, its harled walls famously washed a soft pink. The building had been left unfinished by the Mortimer family, from whom the Aberdeen merchant William Forbes bought it in 1610. Forbes had grown wealthy trading with the Baltic port of Danzig, which earned him the nickname “Danzig Willy”, and he saw the work completed around 1625. He was a brother of Patrick Forbes, Bishop of Aberdeen.
Rising seven storeys on an L-plan, the castle is a showpiece of the Scottish Baronial style, its plain lower walls giving way to a crown of turrets, corbelling and gables. Inside are elaborate plaster ceilings depicting the Nine Worthies and family emblems, a Great Hall bearing the Stuart arms above the fireplace, a musicians’ gallery and a concealed stair. A single round tower survives from the original walled courtyard, and an iron yett guards the entrance.
The Forbes family held Craigievar for some 350 years before the 19th Lord Sempill passed it to the National Trust for Scotland in 1963. Following restoration of its lime harling, the castle reopened to visitors in May 2024.
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 distinctive pink lime-harled exterior, restored and reopened in 2024
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The upper crown of turrets, corbelling and gables rising above plainer lower walls
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Ornate plaster ceilings depicting the Nine Worthies and family emblems
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The Great Hall with the Stuart arms over the fireplace and a musicians' gallery
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The iron yett at the entrance and the surviving round tower of the original courtyard
Plan your visit
- Location
- 57.1742°N · 2.7181°W
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