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Crombie Castle (also known as Crommey Castle) was originally a three and a half storey L-plan towerhouse erected in circa 1542 by John Innes of Crombie. The castle was extended in early part of 17th century and converted to form a U-plan structure with later additions and modifications in the late 1930s when restoration began which is currently incomplete. The tower preserves important evidence for an extensive remodelling, possibly of 17th century date, involving major modification of the roof structure and reduction and reordering of the original wallheads. The original tower is 3-storey on a rectangular-plan, with corbelled angle bartizans to the south and crowstepped gables and rubble stacks, harled with chamfered granite ashlar margins. There are later, lower gabled additions of circa 1570, 1820, 1860 and 1910. The east elevation is a 1570 addition forming an L-plan. The round arched piend, circa 1910, leads to the entrance in 1570 wing. The north elevation has a gable end of 1542 tower without additions, with a window to each floor and a wide mouthed gunloop below the first floor window. The west elevation has two windows and gunloop at first floor, and three piended dormerheads breaking eaves at the second floor. The south elevation to the 1542 tower has additions at ground level and the first floor. The window to gablehead is flanked by truncated corner bartizans. The additions to the original tower in circa 1570 are: the 3-storey wing to the east at right angles to earlier tower, the later piend to the doorway in the re-entrant angle, single windows to second and third floors, corbel course at second floor which probably carried a bartizan, and the link wall of 1910. Later additions, circa 1820, are: wing projecting from the south gable, single storey and attic addition, and window at each floor to each elevation. Additions in circa 1860 are: single storey, gabled wing at right angles to the west later raised to single storey and attic, a door in re-entrant angle to south, and a wooden gabled dormer to attic. Additions in circa 1910: 2-storey wing of two bays extending to the east parallel with circa 1570 wing, a window at ground level to the east gable, round headed doorway to the south with window at each floor to right, and breaking eaves at first floor in crowstepped gabled dormerhead with finial. Addyman Archaeology carried out a programme of building recording at Crombie Castle in June 2011 and June-July 2012 ahead of proposed repair and refurbishment works to the old tower. Floor plans were surveyed at each level along with a systematic photographic survey. Following removal of the harl, the stripped exterior was surveyed in 2012, which enabled the 17th century alterations to the upper works to be better defined.
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Historic Environment Records (HER)