Castles in Perth and Kinross

Ardblair Castle

Ardblair Castle is an L-plan castle dating from the 16th century, around 0.75 miles west of Blairgowrie. It is thought that the original castle was built by the Blairs during the Norman period, on the site of a fort, with the tower at the north west being built on the foundation of part of the earlier castle. Ardblair Castle is one of the few castles which still has its courtyard. The castle was once almost surrounded by a loch, which is now largely drained. In 1399 the property was acquired by the Blairs of Balthavock; this was by a grant by David II. Patrick Blair of Ardblair was beheaded for the murder of George Drummond of Ledcrieff and his son, after a trial in 1554. Through marriage the property passed to the Oliphants of Gask in 1792, and the house remains the property of the Blair Oliphant family. Many Jacobite relics were brought to the property from Gask during the 20th century. The castle is said to be haunted by a ‘green lady’, who is dressed in green silk, and who searches the chambers of the castle. It is supposed that this is Lady Jean Drummond of Newton, who died of a broken heart having fallen in love with one of the Blairs, despite the feuds between the families. She drowned in a local marsh.

Arnott Tower (Arnott Castle)

The surname Arnot/Arnott comes from the place name where people began to settle in the early 12th century. A tower was built in the early 1400s though earlier fortifications may have occupied the site. The building seen today was probably built in 1507 at a time when a charter was granted making the lands a barony for the Arnot family of that ilk. There was a spiral staircase running from a vaulted cellar in the south-east corner (now collapsed) and there was a hall above and two upper storeys. The Arnots abandoned their tower around 1700 and it subsequently became a ruin. Nowadays, the castle and the adjoining gardens are used to host weddings and other functions. As a ruin, Arnot Tower seems to have provided an inspiration for poets and painters. In 1760, Michael Bruce (1746 – 1767) wrote a poem about the love affair between two members of the Arnot and Balfour families (the latter based at Burleigh Castle ) who were in the middle of a bitter feud – quite similar to that of Romeo and Juliet.

Ashintully Castle

Ashintully Castle, located near Kirkmichael, north of Blairgowrie, , was built in 1583 as a fortified tower house by the Spalding family; the Feudal Barons of Ashintully. The Spalding Barons were chiefs of the Spalding Clan and followers of the Duke of Atholl, the Chief of the Murray Clan. The Spaldings of Ashintully and their cadet branches were Jacobites, or followers of the House of Stuart. The castle is reached from the B950 road to the Northeast of Kirkmichael. The name Ashintully is an anglicized spelling of the Gaelic Eas an Tulaich and means “cascade of the hillock”. The castle is reputed to have numerous ghosts, one of whom being a figure dressed in green known as ‘Green Jean’, who is thought to be the spirit of a young woman murdered by her uncle. It is said that her footsteps can still be heard as she walks the castle in sadness. In some tales she was murdered in a green dress, and then stuffed unceremoniously up the chimney by a servant. She is also said to wander the family burial ground. Green Ladies are common ghosts in Scottish castles, with a surprising number of them called Jean or Jeanie, suggesting a supplanted tradition. The castle is also thought to be haunted by the ghost of a tinker, hanged for trespassing by one of the Spalding Barons. He cursed the family, warning that the family line would soon come to an end, the prophecy being fulfilled a short time after his death. He is said to haunt the spot near where he was hanged, by an avenue of tall trees. The Spalding family must have had something of a reputation for cruelty, as the other ghost said to haunt the grounds is that of a misshapen servant, murdered by another member of the family. He is known as ‘Crooked Davie’ on the account of his hunched back. The castle also has a Ley tunnel legend, a tradition often found associated with ancient residences. This tunnel was said to link up with the now ruined Whitefield Castle.

Balhousie Castle

Balhousie Castle dates back to 1631, though its origins are believed to go back a further three hundred years. It originally served as the seat of the Earls of Kinnoull, and stood within a walled enclosure containing subsidiary buildings, orchards etc., on a terrace overlooking the North Inch. After falling into neglect in the early 19th century, the Castle was ‘restored’ (in fact, virtually rebuilt), and extensively remodelled on a larger scale in 1862-63 in the Baronial style by the architect David Smart. No original features survive except for parts of the original rubble walls on the east side. In 1962, the Castle became the Regimental Headquarters and Museum of The Black Watch. The latter displays the history of the regiment from 1739 to the present. The Black Watch Heritage Appeal was launched in September 2009 to raise in excess of £3.2 million to develop Balhousie Castle to provide a permanent home for the museum and archive of The Black Watch. The Regimental Trustees bought Balhousie Castle in January 2009.

Balvaird Castle

Balvaird is Baile a’ Bhàird, ‘Township of the Bard’ in Gaelic. This is a medieval Scottish tower house, built around the year 1500 for Sir Andrew Murray, a younger son of the family of Murray of Tullibardine. He acquired the lands of Balvaird through marriage to the heiress Margaret Barclay, a member of a wealthy family. It is likely that Balvaird Castle was built on the site of an earlier Barclay family castle. Substantial remnants of earthwork fortifications around the Castle may survive from earlier defences. The family continued to live at Balvaird until they inherited the Earldom of Mansfield and in 1658 moved to the rather more comfortable Scone Palace, near Perth. Thereafter the Castle continued to be inhabited, though not by the family itself. In its later days, it probably accommodated farm workers. Balvaird is notable among Scottish castles of its date for its refined architectural detail. Features include corbels in the form of carved heads supporting the corner-roundels of the wall-walk, an unusually elaborate aumbry (wall-cupboard) in the first-floor hall and a cap-house above the stair in the form of a miniature tower-house. It has been suggested that some or all of these carved stone features may have been brought to Balvaird for re-use from an ecclesiastical building. The Castle was restored and partially excavated in recent years by Historic Scotland, by whom it is maintained.

Blackcraig Castle

Patrick Allan Fraser of Hospitalfield, Arbroath bought the esate of Blackcrig from the trustees of Robert Rattray in 1847. The lands at Blackcraig comprised of 8 crofts. Fraser proceeded to build Blackcraig Castle which he altered and extended until the late 1880’s when due to ill health the shootings were let. After Fraser’s death in 1890 Blackcraig became part of the Hospitalfield Arts Trust. The trustees later sold Blackcraig to concemtrate on the Trust’s main centre at Hospitalfield, Arbraoth. It was then run as a guest house for a number of years. The RCAHMS survey has shown that there is no evidence of an earlier tower house on the site as suggested in various publications. Patrick Allan Fraser was responsible for the entire building, its complexity being the result of its development over apprpoximately 40 years

Blair Castle

Blair Castle stands in its grounds near the village of Blair Atholl. It is the ancestral home of the Clan Murray, and was historically the seat of their chief, the Duke of Atholl, though the current (12th) Duke, Bruce Murray, lives in South Africa. The castle commands a strategic position on the main route through the central Scottish Highlands. Blair Castle is said to have been started in 1269 by John I Comyn, Lord of Badenoch (died c. 1275), a northern neighbour of David I Strathbogie, Earl of Atholl (died 1270). During the Wars of the Three Kingdoms of the 17th century, the Murrays supported the Royalist cause, which led to Blair Castle being taken by Oliver Cromwell’s army following his invasion of 1650. The restored Charles II created the title Marquess of Atholl for John Murray, 2nd Earl of Atholl (1631–1703). The title Duke of Atholl was granted to the 2nd Marquess in 1703. The castle also provides the garrison for the Atholl Highlanders, the private army of the Duke of Atholl, noted as the only legal private army in Europe.

Burleigh Castle

The remains of Burleigh Castle are located just outside the village of Milnathort. The castle dates from the 15th and 16th centuries. The lands of Burleigh were held by the Balfours from 1446, when they were granted by James II to John Balfour of Balgarvie, and a tower house was erected in the late 15th or early 16th century. Sir James Balfour of Pittendreich extended the castle in the late 16th century, adding a curtain wall with a corner tower, and other outbuildings. In 1607 his son Sir Michael Balfour was raised to the peerage as Lord Balfour of Burleigh. Legend tells how Robert Balfour, before his accession as 5th Lord, narrowly escaped death when, in 1707, he was sentenced to beheading for the murder of the schoolmaster of Inverkeithing, who had the misfortune to have married Balfour’s childhood sweetheart. Escaping from Edinburgh tolbooth, Balfour joined the Jacobitecause, proclaiming the ‘Old Pretender’ James Stuart king at Lochmaben, and fighting in the 1715 rising. Following the defeat of the Jacobites, Balfour was attainted, dying in France in 1757. The castle was forfeit to the Irwins, then passed to the Grahams of Kinross.

Black Castle of Moulin

The Black Castle of Moulin (Scottish Gaelic: Caisteal Dubh Mhaothlinne, also known as An Sean Chaisteal), is a ruined castle located in Moulin near Pitlochry. The castle was built about 1326 by Sir John Campbell of Lochawe on an island, or crannog, in a loch, now drained. The castle was torched in 1512, due to a fear of plague, and fell into ruins.

Castle Cluggy

Castle Cluggy is in the parish of Monzievaird and Strowan. The castle may have been built as early as the 12th Century sometime after the Battle of Monzievaird in 1005. This battle was fought between Malcolm II and the usurper to the throne Kenneth IV (the Grim) who was slain there. The castle is situated on a little peninsula (which once was an island) called the “Dry Isle.” Originally thought to have been one of the possessions of Bruce’s great rival, the “Red Comyn”, it was classified in 1467 under a charter of confirmation as being “Antiquum Fortalicium”, a very old place. It was an early centre of dispute between the two families. It had been the home of Earl Malise, Earl of Strathearn, and the first recorded Murray to occupy it was Patrick Moray, third son of Sir David Moray of Gask and Tullibardine. The name changed to Murray through William, the third baronet. Castle Cluggy, at that time was in the possession of the Drummonds. It was a square-shaped structure, seventeen by twenty feet within its walls with at least two or more floors. Eventually was in the possession of the Murrays and was still complete with its fosse and drawbridge when Cromwell’s troopers came to visit it two hundred years later.

Castle Huntly

Castle Huntly is a castle in Scotland, now used as a prison under the name HMP Castle Huntly. It is located approximately 7 miles west of Dundee in the Carse of Gowrie. Castle Huntly was built around 1452 by Baron Gray of Fowlis under licence from James II of Scotland. The castle changed hands in 1614 when it was acquired by the then Earl of Strathmore who changed its name to Castle Lyon. In the 1770s, the castle was sold by the widow of the 7th Earl of Strathmore to George Paterson of the East India Company who also changed the name back to Castle Huntly. The castle left the hands of the Paterson family in 1946 after the death of Colonel Adrian Gordon Paterson when his wife sold the castle to the government. In 1947, the castle was refurbished and became a borstal, then a young offenders’ institution before becoming an open prison for adult male prisoners. It is now known as HMP Castle Huntly and is the only open prison in Scotland. Most prisoners at the establishment are low risk ones serving short sentences of up to two years although some are long sentence prisoners approaching the end of their sentences. The castle is said to be haunted by a White Lady, a young woman dressed in flowing white robes. There are various stories concerning her history, one of which is that she was a daughter of the Lyon family who occupied the castle in the 17th century. She allegedly began an affair with a manservant at the castle, and when their relationship was discovered, was banished to a bedroom high up in the tower overlooking the battlements. Unable to endure her suffering, she threw herself (or was she pushed?) to her death from the tower. The ghost of the White Lady has been seen a number of times over the years, often in the grounds surrounding the castle at night. She has also been seen in the bedroom in which she was imprisoned. The families that claim to have seen her report that she does not seem to cause fear and appears harmless. A second ghost who is claimed to haunt the castle is that of a young boy dressed in a double-breasted sailing jacket. He has been seen in the room from which the White Lady is said to have jumped and there is speculation that he may be the son of Colonel Adrian Gordon Paterson. The Colonel’s only son Richard drowned in 1939 in a yachting accident on the River Tay. It is interesting that he should appear in the room occupied by the White Lady and it has been suggested that the presence of her ghost has somehow “tempered” the room so that other spirits can more easily appear there.

Craighall Castle

Craighall Castle towers above a gorge on the River Erich, near Blairgowrie. The castle was built in the 17th century for the Rattray family – The Rattrays of Craighall. This has been home to 20 generations of clan chiefs of Clan Rattray Some parts of the structure of Craighall evidently belong to an early date, having been built by Sir William Scott of Balweary, who was in possession when the property was acquired by the Rattray family in the early 16th c. The greater portion of the present building, however, was constructed and re-arranged c. 1825, when carved memorial stones from historic buildings of Edinburgh were built into the house by James Clerk-Rattray. These stones do not, as is commonly thought, form part of the ancient house of Craighall.

Dalnagar Castle

Dalnaglar Castle dates back to the 16th century in the heart of Glenshee, which translates as ‘The Valley of Peace’ and is known locally as ‘the fairy glen’. The more modern castle was originally an 18th century hunting lodge, Dalnaglar Castle was commissioned by Lord Clyde, Queen Victoria’s banker, and designed by Her Majesty’s architect from Balmoral.

Drummond Castle

The castle is situated in Muthill parish, 4 kilometres south of Crieff. The castle comprises a tower house built in the late 15th century, and a 17th-century mansion, both of which were rebuilt in Victorian times. The lands of Drummond were the property of the Drummond family from the 14th century, and the original tower house was built over several years by John Drummond, 1st Lord Drummond of Cargill, from about 1490. In 1605 the 4th Lord Drummond was created Earl of Perth, and added to the castle. John Drummond, 2nd Earl of Perth, laid out the first terraced garden around the castle in the 1630s. The castle was sacked by the army of Oliver Cromwell in 1653, during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. James Drummond, 4th Earl of Perth was Lord Chancellor of Scotland under King James VII. He began the mansion house in 1689, before being imprisoned following the deposition of King James by William of Orange. He later fled to the exiled Jacobite court in France. The Drummonds continued to support the Jacobite cause in the uprisings of 1715 and 1745. The family retained control of the estate until 1750 when the Drummond properties were declared forfeit and seized by the state. The estate was managed by the Commissioners for Forfeited Estates until 1784, when it was sold to Captain James Drummond. He began a number of improvements that were continued by his daughter Sarah and her husband Peter Drummond-Burrell, 22nd Baron Willoughby de Eresby (1782–1865). These included the formal gardens and terraces in the 1830s. Queen Victoria visited the gardens in 1842. Drummond Castle passed to Clementina Drummond-Willoughby, 24th Baroness Willoughby de Eresby (1809–1888), and then to her son, Gilbert Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby, 1st Earl of Ancaster (1830–1910). The upper stories of the tower house were rebuilt and heightened in pseudo-medieval style in 1842–53. The mansion was renovated in 1878, to designs by George Turnbull Ewing. The 3rd Earl of Ancaster and his wife, Nancy Astor, replanted the gardens in the 1950s. The castle is now the seat of the 28th Baroness Willoughby de Eresby.

Dupplin Castle

Dupplin Castle, a noble mansion of Lower Strathearn, in Aberdalgie parish, Perthshire, 1¾ mile NE of Forteviot station, and 5¾ miles SW of Perth. Standing within a half mile of the Earn’s left bank, amidst a large and finely-wooded park, it succeeded a previous edifice, destroyed by fire in 1827; and, built during 1828-32 at a cost of £30,000, is a splendid Tudor structure, commanding a view of nearly all Strathearn, and containing a library famous for rare editions of the classics. It is the seat of George Hay, eleventh Earl of Kinnoull (cre. 1633) and Viscount Dupplin (1627), who, born in 1827, succeeded his father in 1866, and owns 12,577 acres in the shire, valued at £14,8l4 per annum. On 6 Sept. 1842 Dupplin Castle was honoured by a passing visit from the Queen and Prince Albert. In its vicinity, on the night of 12 Aug. 1332, was fought the Battle of Dupplin, when Edward Balliol and the ‘ disinherited barons, ‘ to the number of 500 horse and 3000 foot, surprised and routed a host of 30,000 under Mar, the new Regent of Scotland, who himself was slain with 13,000 of his followers. A stone cross, quite entire, stands on the face of an acclivity, on the opposite bank of the Earn, almost in the line of the ford by which Baliol’s army passed the river; and a large tumulus, ½ mile to the N, was found to contain some stone-formed graves, with many fragments of bones The castle is now demolished

Elcho Castle

Elcho Castle is located a short distance above the south bank of the River Tay approximately four miles south-east of Perth, Scotland. It consists of a Z-plan tower house, with fragments of a surrounding wall with corner towers. The Castle was built on the site of an older structure about 1560, and is one of the best surviving examples of its date in Scotland. A large portion of the Castle is accessible, although floors in some rooms have fallen, and much of the building can be walked through. The wall-walk is accessible at two points. The property is still owned by the family of the original builders, the Wemyss family (the style of the heir to the Earl of Wemyss is Lord Elcho), though it has not been inhabited for some 200 years. It has nevertheless been kept in good repair – one of the earliest examples in Scotland of a building being preserved purely for its historical interest. It is managed by Historic Scotland and is open to visitors throughout the summer. There is an entrance charge. An apple- and pear-tree orchard adjoining the Castle has been replanted in recent years, and a 16th-century ‘beehive’ doo’cot (Scots for dovecote) survives nearby.

Finlarig Castle

Finlarig Castle is an early 17th-century castle standing on a mound on a peninsula between the River Lochay and Loch Tay, roughly 1 kilometre north of Killin in highland Perthshire, Scotland. Built in 1629 by ‘Black’ Duncan Campbell (Donnchadh Dubh) of Glenorchy, the castle is an L-plan tower-house, formerly protected by an outer enclosure or barmekin, which is now in a dangerously ruinous condition. It was one of many strongholds built in Argyll and Perthshire by the Campbells of Breadalbane. The castle was visited by Rob Roy MacGregor in 1713. Near the Castle’s north wall is a stone-lined pit which, legend has it, was used for beheading prisoners of noble blood. Commoners were hanged on a nearby oak tree. Near the Castle are the remnants of the Breadalbane Mausoleum, a mock-Tudor chapel erected in 1829 on the site of an earlier chapel and burial place founded in 1523 by an ancestor of the Earls of Breadalbane, Sir Colin Campbell. Allowed to decay over many years, this brick-built building has almost completely collapsed.

Forter Castle

Forter Castle was built by the Ogilvys of Airlie as a fortified house or ‘Fortalice’ in 1560. The principal reason for construction was to fortify and protect the entrance to the Balloch Pass to Glenshee and the important Moneca Pass to Braemar and the North. At the time of construction, marauding bands of catarans threatened the settled folk in this area and the clan feuds, stoked by religious differences, as the Protestantism came in to supplant the old Catholic religion, made it necessary to build a new fortalice for the house of Ogilvy. A commanding position and natural barriers, such as the approach to Glenshee, which was surrounded by lofty mountains, made it very difficult for marauders to negotiate. Forter Castle, situated on sloping terrain with good drainage and sufficiently elevated yet not totally exposed to the elements at the top of high ground, made it hard to take Forter by surprise. Forter was also equipped with the best defenses known at the time and, when put to the test, faired extremely well; it was only as a result of a force of some five thousand men with heavy artillery to back them up, that in the year 1640, Forter eventually fell. The personal feud which led to the bringing down of these castles began when the Abbot of Coupar Angus, Donald Campbell, sold the lands that Forter was to be built on to the Ogilvys. James Ogilvy, the 5th Lord, was married to Dame Katerine, Donald Campbell of Argyll’s niece and, because of this fact, the Abbot showed the Ogilvys preference in selling the lands. Destroyed by the Duke of Argyll in 1640, Forter Castle has been completely restored using traditional materials.

Huntingtower Castle (Ruthvan Castle or Palace)

Located near the village of Huntingtower , about 5km NW of the centre of Perth. Huntingtower Castle was built in stages from the 15th century by the Clan Ruthven family and was known for several hundred years as the ‘House (or ‘Place’) of Ruthven’. In the summer of 1582, the castle was occupied by the 4th Lord Ruthven, who was also the 1st Earl of Gowrie, and his family. Gowrie was involved in a plot to kidnap the young King James VI, son of Mary, Queen of Scots. During 1582 Gowrie and his associates seized the young king and held him prisoner for 10 months. This kidnapping is known as the ‘Raid of Ruthven’ and the Protestant conspirators behind it hoped to gain power through controlling the king. James eventually escaped and actually forgave Gowrie, but after a second abortive attempt by Gowrie and others to overthrow him, Gowrie was finally executed and his property (including Huntingtower) was forfeited to the crown. The Castle and lands were restored to the Ruthven family in 1586. However in 1600, the brothers John and Alexander Ruthven were implicated in another plot to kill King James VI and were executed. This time, the king was less merciful: as well as seizing the estates, he abolished the name of Ruthven and decreed that any successors would be ineligible to hold titles or lands. Thus the House of Ruthven ceased to exist and by royal proclamation the castle was renamed Huntingtower. The Castle remained in the possession of the crown until 1643 when it was given to the family of Murray of Tullibardine (from whom the Dukes of Atholl and Mansfield are descended). John Murray, 1st Duke of Atholl resided in the Castle, where his wife Lady Mary Ross bore a son 7 February 1717. The Castle began to be neglected and after Lady Mary died in 1767, it was abandoned as a place of residence except by farm labourers. The last inhabitants of the castle were the family of the castle custodian Niel Cowan. The Cowan family of Niel, Margaret, Alexander and Lorraine left in late 2002.

Kinfauns Castle

Kinfauns Castle was designed by Robert Smirke and built between 1822 and 1826 by Lord Gray on the site of a medieval stronghold. It is situated in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, and is currently occupied by Scottish businesswoman Ann Gloag. The house is protected as a category A listed building, and the grounds are included in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland. he Union-Castle Line steamer RMS Kinfauns Castle was launched in 1899 and was named after this building. The vessel was painted by Charles de Lacy. The walled garden and gardener’s cottage were designed by Francis William Deas in 1910.

Kinnaird Castle

Kinnaird (Scottish Gaelic: An Ceann Àrd, “high headland”) is a village in Gowrie, Perthshire, Scotland. Canard Castle 15th-century castle, restored heavily by then owner Mr. S. Stout in the 1960s, and beautiful early 19th century parish church. In the 18th century, it was the home of the Reverend James Adams, who contributed to the Marrow Controversy in the church of Scotland. It is also the birthplace of the philosopher James Mylne (1757-1839) who later taught moral philosophy at the University of Glasgow from 1797 to 1836 and also lectured on political economy.

Loch Leven Castle

Loch Leven Castle is a ruined castle on an island in Loch Leven. It was built in the early 1300s, possibly as a prison for the young Alexander III and was used during the Wars of Independence, when it was occupied by invading English armies. The castle was owned by the Douglas Clan and was used to imprison Mary, Queen of Scots where she was forced to abdicate. Mary escaped from the castle after winning over Douglas to her cause. In 1546 the estate was bought by Sir William Bruce, He built a house on the Loch Shore and the castle was no longer used a dwelling but remained as a focal point of the gardens in the main house. The Castle was left to ruin but conservation work began in the 1840s. It is now under the stewardship of Historic Scotland.

Meggernie Castle

Meggernie Castle is an impressive castle with mansion house extension in Glen Lyon. Its not entirely clear when the original castle was built or who for though some suggest it was John Campbell of Glenlyon in 1585. There is evidence of a thatched keep which predates this. The Castle was built as a defensive structure. In 1689 Robert Campbell sold the property to the Murrays of Athol to help pay off his debts. Robert was later to be involved in the Massacre of Gelncoe. The castle is said to be haunted; Menzies of Culdares who bought the castle mudered has wife and cut the body in half. He buried the lower half but died mysteriously before he could dispose of the top half. Visitors to the castle have been awoken by a ‘hot kiss on the cheek’ and witnessed a ghost from the waist up while the ghosts lower regions haunt the nearby graveyard.

Megginch Castle

Megginch Castle is located in the Carse of Cowrie. It was built for the Hay family in the 15th Century and later extended. The castle was sold to the Drummonds in 1664 and was much extended and altered over the years. Some of the remodelling work is attributed to Robert Adam. In 1969 the castle was badly damaged by fire and had to be completely renovated. It is still home to the Drummonds of Megginch (Barons Strange). The castle was used as a shooting location for the film ‘Rob Roy’, also there are several ancient yew trees in the grounds, reputed to be over 1000 years old.

Castle Menzies

Castle Menzies is the ancestral seat of Clan Menzies. This traditional Z plan tower is Located near the town of Aberfeldy. The Castle was used by Prince Charles Edward Stuart on his way to the Battle of Culloden in 1746. The Duke of Cumberland also occupied the castle four days later. By the 1950s the castle had fallen into disrepair and was little more than a ruin. The Clan Menzies society took over the castle and over the years have brought it back to its current state. An extensive clan museum and working venue. The continued preservation of the castle is maintained by a charitable trust set up in 1993.

Methven Castle

Methven Castle is a large imposing four storey house near the village of Methven. The Lands were owned by the Mowbray family who supported Balliol against Robert the Bruce. Subsequently the family forfeited the lands. The lands passed to Bruce’s daughter and subsequently had close ties with the Stewart dynasty. The current castle was built in 1664 by the mason and architect John Mylne. The castle has changed hands many times and is now a private residence that also serves as an event venue and B&B.

Murthly Castle

Murthly is a 15th century courtyard castle located a few miles west of the village of the same name. In the 19th century an ambitious replacement castle was begun by the architect James Gillespie Graham but it was never completed and was alter demolished. The original castle, the chapel of St Anthony and the 17th century walled garden are maintained by Murthly estates and are contracted out as a wedding and event venue. The grounds also hosts large public events and festivals.

Newton Castle

Newton Castle is a 17th century ‘Z plan’ house on the outskirts of Blairgowrie. A castellated manor house stood on the site from the mid 1500s but burned down in the 17th century. The castle was later rebuilt in the former style. Large irregular stones at the base of the building may be part of the original structure. The castle is said to be haunted by the ghost of Lady Jean Drummond who died after making a pact with a local witch and becoming enchanted. The castle is home to Sir William Allan MacPherson of Cluny and Blairgowrie, chief of Clan MacPherson

Perth Castle

Perth Castle was a 9th-century castle in Perth, Scotland. The Danes attacked the castle in the 9th century. A motte-and-bailey castle was built in the 12th century. The castle was once a royal residence. King Malcolm IV of Scotland was besieged at the castle in 1160 by Ferchar, Earl of Strathearn and five other earls. A flood in 1290 damaged the motte mound and required the castle to be rebuilt. King Edward I of England captured the castle in 1298 and 1303. It was captured by King Robert I of Scotland in 1312. Nothing remains above ground.

Taymouth Castle

Taymouth is a lavish 19th century Neo Gothic mansion near Kenmore. The castle sits on the site of the earlier Balloch Castle built around 1550 for Sir Colin Campbell of Glenorchy. Balloch was remodelled in 1720 by William Adam undergoing several further changes throughout the century. In 1799 the main block of the house was demolished and from 1806 the ornate gothic building was commenced with the work finishing around 1842. Queen Victoria and Price Albert stayed here on their first visit to Scotland in the same year. The Campbells sold the castle in 1922 and it had various uses as a hotel, hospital and boarding school. Plans are now underway to convert the building onto a luxury hotel.

Tullibole Castle

Tullibole Castle is a 17th Century ‘Lairds House’ built to the palace plan. Built by John Halliday in 1608 on the site of an older house owned by the Heron family. The house passed to the Moncrieffe family in 1740 and is still used as a family home.