Fyvie Castle preserves five centuries of Scottish baronial building in a single structure, each of its towers raised by a different family who held the estate.
Fyvie Castle stands in the village of Fyvie, near Turriff in Aberdeenshire. Its oldest sections reach back to the 13th century, and some accounts credit its founding to William the Lion in 1211. For a time it served as a royal stronghold, passing into private hands after the Battle of Otterburn in 1388. The building that survives today grew through the contributions of five successive families, each of whom raised a tower: Preston, Meldrum, Seton, Gordon and Leith. The Preston Tower, at the far right of the main front, is the earliest of these additions, while the Seton Tower of 1599 forms the entrance and was the work of Alexander Seton, who later commissioned the castle’s celebrated wheel stair. Inside are displays of arms and armour and a collection of portraits, including works attributed to Raeburn, Batoni and Gainsborough. Alexander Leith bought the castle in 1885, and his descendants sold it to the National Trust for Scotland in 1984, which opens it to visitors from April to October. The castle carries a rich body of legend, among them the Green Lady, associated with Lilias Drummond, and a curse of weeping stones traditionally linked to the seer Thomas the Rhymer.
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 five family towers — Preston, Meldrum, Seton, Gordon and Leith — each added in turn
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The Seton Tower of 1599, forming the entrance, built by Alexander Seton
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The wheel stair commissioned by Alexander Seton
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A collection of portraits including works attributed to Raeburn, Batoni and Gainsborough, alongside displays of arms and armour
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Legends of the Green Lady (Lilias Drummond) and the weeping-stones curse linked to Thomas the Rhymer
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.
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