Brodie Castle

Forres, United Kingdom

Brodie Castle is a well-preserved Z plan castle located about 5.5 kilometres west of Forres, in Moray. The original Z-plan castle was built in 1567 by Clan Brodie but was destroyed by fire in 1645 by Lewis Gordon of Clan Gordon, the 3rd Marquis of Huntly. In 1824, architect William Burn was commissioned to convert it into a large mansion house in the Scots Baronial style, but these additions were never completed and were later remodelled by James Wylson (c. 1845).

The Brodie family called the castle home until the early 21st century. It is widely accepted that the Brodies have been associated with the land on which the castle is built since around 1160, when it is believed that King Malcolm IV gave the land to the family.

Architecturally, the castle has a very well-preserved 16th-century central keep with two 5-storey towers on opposing corners. The interior of the castle is also well preserved, containing fine antique furniture, oriental artifacts and painted ceilings, largely dating from the 17th–19th centuries.

Today the castle and surrounding policies, including a national daffodil collection, are owned by the National Trust for Scotland and are open to the public to visit throughout the year. The castle may be hired for weddings and indoor or outdoor events. An ancient Pictish monument known as Rodney's Stone can be seen in the castle grounds.

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Address

Forres, United Kingdom
See all sites in Forres

Details

Founded: 16th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in United Kingdom

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Bhoy 68 (7 months ago)
Visited the Castle for the Brodie Illuminated event. Weather was perfect, luckily, which made all the difference. Had a good time and the dogs enjoyed themselves too.
Colin McGee (9 months ago)
Castle is amazing..our tour guide was so knowledgeable. Grounds are a must see...do walk around the grounds and view the different exotic to Scotland plant life
Andrew Wright (10 months ago)
Amazing place you could spend all day here so long as the weather holds out. Staff are friendly and knowledgeable. Try to get booked on the castle tour as it is highly worth it and extra thanks to the tour guide (Jamie maybe I wasn't sure) and the team at the welcome centre on 11 August 2022. Well done thanks. Also be aware that you can book the tour online but do it in advance as there seems to be a cut off time for the next day ,don't leave it too late.
Philip Bedingfield (11 months ago)
Full disclosure - we didn't go inside the castle. Instead we made the most of the weather and completed the woodland walk, and then enjoyed a drink with some snacks from the refreshment area. The grounds are immaculately kept, and during our visit we saw many workers tending the lawns, weeding, repairing the harling (like render). We loved our time here and enjoyed nature, both wild and tended.
Tess Nowell (12 months ago)
Lovely grounds. The cafe was good. Didn't go in the castle. The Playful Garden is delightful and would be a fun place to take children.
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