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.

References:

Wikipedia

Castles and fortifications in United Kingdom

User Reviews

Jenni B (11 months ago)
Worth visiting for the Playful Garden alone. Lovely place with beautiful castle and gardens. Fab staff and great tearoom to boot.

Iain Spencer (12 months ago)
Interesting spot, the gardens were lovely and the staff were knowledgeable and interesting. The ice-cream was fabulous. I had chocolate, which was one of the best ice-cream I'd eaten, and I must say I've eaten a lot!

Simon Hepple (12 months ago)
The playful garden is a really great place to visit. The kids love it. Beautifully maintained grounds. I would recommend to anyone looking for something to do with the kids.

Damien Vanhille (12 months ago)
Castle fully booked for today, but impossible to book online. Are you suppose to come at 8am to visit at 3pm? No thanks, I've got better to do. Like all National Trust properties, is it lovely, but they do not know how to manage things properly. That's probably why I will not renew my membership with them, sadly...

Drew Mackenzie (13 months ago)
The grounds are amazing for kids to run around in and the castle is a nice visit although once you've done it once there's not much need to go back. The walled garden and the AR attraction is OK too but, the playpark outside of the wall is as good if not better for the kids.

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The Castle of Gruyères is one of the most famous in Switzerland. It was built between 1270 and 1282, following the typical square plan of the fortifications in Savoy. It was the property of the Counts of Gruyères until the bankruptcy of the Count Michel in 1554. His creditors the cantons of Fribourg and Bern shared his earldom. From 1555 to 1798 the castle became residence to the bailiffs and then to the prefects sent by Fribourg.

In 1849 the castle was sold to the Bovy and Balland families, who used the castle as their summer residency and restored it. The castle was then bought back by the canton of Fribourg in 1938, made into a museum and opened to the public. Since 1993, a foundation ensures the conservation as well as the highlighting of the building and the art collection.

The castle is the home of three capes of the Order of the Golden Fleece. They were part of the war booty captured by the Swiss Confederates (which included troops from Gruyères) at the Battle of Morat against Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy in 1476. As Charles the Bold was celebrating the anniversary of his father's death, one of the capes is a black velvet sacerdotal vestment with Philip the Good's emblem sewn into it.

A collection of landscapes by 19th century artists Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Barthélemy Menn and others are on display in the castle.

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