Aberdeenshire HER - NO59SW0001 - BIRSE CASTLE

Print site NO59SW0001 Feedback on site NO59SW0001

Main Details

Primary ReferenceNO59SW0001
NameBIRSE CASTLE
NRHE Card No.NO59SW1
NRHE Numlink 35321
HES SM No. NULL
HES LB No. 3097
Site Form Standing Structure
Site Condition Complete 2
Details Castle, originally a square, rubble-built tower house with turrets, and at the southeast angle a circular tower corbelled to square. It was built in the late 16th - early 17th century for the Gordons of Cluny, who owned the surrounding Forest of Birse. By 1887 it was a fragmentary ruin, but it was restored in 1905 by George Bennett Mitchell to its original form except that the circular tower was altered in shape. In 1930 a 3-storey east wing and southeast angle turret was added by Dr William Kelly. From sketches available at the castle it appears that the original castle has been heavily restored. Built of pink granite rubble finely finished to the margins, with long and short dressings, key corbelling to angle turret, roll moulded eaves course to the turrets, crowstepped gables and grey slate roofs with stone ridges. The building is occupied and is the property of Viscount Cowdray, Dunecht House. A farmstead stood to the west of the castle, with three buildings and enclosures that are depicted on the OS map of 1865. These were demolished during the restoration of the castle. Kennels built 1905, designed by George Bennett Mitchell, mini turreted castle: it is a single storey 5-bay rectangular plan kennels with run to the south, built of pink granite rubble with long and short dressings and crowstepped gables. . Battered granite rubble boundary walls to north, south and east, decorative angle bastions to south wall, stone steps to south and east.
Last Update15/10/2020
Updated Bycpalmer
Compiler 
Date of Compilation 

Google Map for NO59SW0001

National Grid Reference: NO 5201 9055



Event Details


Excavations and Surveys


Artefact and Ecofact

Ecofact

Samples
Palynology
Ecofact Notes

Monument Types

Monument Type 1Monument Type 2Monument Type 3OrderProbability
CASTLES RESTOREDA100
TURRETS  B100
TOWERSCIRCULAR C100
GABLES CROW-STEPPEDD100
FARMSTEADS SITE OFE100