Fyvie Castle, Turriff, United Kingdom

The earliest parts of Fyvie Castle date from the 13th century – some sources claim it was built in 1211 by William the Lion. Fyvie was the site of an open-air court held by Robert the Bruce, and Charles I lived there as a child.

Following the Battle of Otterburn in 1390, it ceased to be a royal stronghold and instead fell into the possession of five successive families, each of whom added a new tower to the castle. The oldest of these, the Preston tower (located on the far right as one faces the main facade of Fyvie), dates to between 1390 and 1433. The impressive Seton tower forms the entrance, and was erected in 1599 by Alexander Seton; Seton also commissioned the great processional staircase several years later. The Gordon tower followed in 1778 , and the Leith in 1890.

Inside, the castle stronghold features a great wheel stair, a display of original arms and armour, and a collection of portraits.

Manus O'Cahan and Montrose fought a successful minor battle against the Covenant Army at Fyvie Castle on October 28, 1644.

Following Victorian trends, the grounds and adjoining Loch Fyvie were landscaped in the 19th century. The Scottish industrialist Alexander Leith (later Baron Leith of Fyvie) bought the castle in 1885. It was sold to the National Trust for Scotland in 1984 by his descendants. Today the castle is open to the public.

The castle (like many places in Scotland) is said to be haunted. A story is told that in 1920 during renovation work the skeleton of a woman was discovered behind a bedroom wall. On the day the remains were laid to rest in Fyvie cemetery, the castle residents started to be plagued by strange noises and unexplained happenings.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

TaF (14 months ago)
Lovely castle and grounds. The guide who showed us the library was particularly good. However as often with castles you get to see very little of it which is quite frustrating.

Thomas Davidson (15 months ago)
Great Castle to visit plenty of history to learn and the tour guides are full of information. The grounds are very pristine all in all you wont be disappointed if you decide to visit.

Janet Mahrla (15 months ago)
Fabulous grounds with walled garden. Castle interior amazing. Helpful guides in most rooms. Lovely cafe with outdoor seating. Very enjoyable

Christine L (17 months ago)
Fascinating place, 2 great guides (we had Ronan) who was very informative. A number of families and Royalty have lived or stayed there. It's allegedly haunted and it was interesting to hear about the story. Beautiful rooms with original period furniture. Well worth a visit.

Jillian Pooler (17 months ago)
Very enjoyable visit. Staff very informative about the history of the castle and all the artifacts. The walled garden is a wonderful and the walk around the lake peaceful. Highly recommended.

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With 8,000 pipes, the organ is reputed to be the largest pipe organ in France, surpassing the organs of Saint Sulpice and Notre Dame de Paris. The organ originally constructed by P.-A. Ducroquet was powerful enough for the premiere of Hector Berlioz" titanic Te Deum to be performed at St-Eustache in 1855.

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