Leslie Castle
| Leslie Castle | |
|---|---|
 Leslie Castle (1989) | |
| Type | Castle |
| Location | Leslie, Aberdeenshire |
| Coordinates | 57°18′45″N 2°39′59″W / 57.3125°N 2.666389°W |
| Built | Around 1661 |
| Built for | William Forbes of Monymusk |
| Restored | 1989 |
| Current use | Operates as a Guesthouse |
Former Listed Building – Category B | |
| Official name | LESLIE CASTLE |
| Designated | 24 November 1972 |
| Delisted | 4 September 1989 |
| Reference no. | LB9239 |
  Location of Leslie Castle in Aberdeenshire | |
Leslie Castle is a castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, the historical seat of Clan Leslie, located just to the west of Auchleven, or about 45 kilometres (28 mi) northwest of Aberdeen.
History
[edit]It was an L-plan castle and featured a unique staircase in the square tower which made use of lamps in a central column with openings into the stairwell itself for illumination. The lamps could be raised and lowered by a chain.[1] The castle was three storeys with a garret.[2] The basement was vaulted, and it also had a drawbridge with gatehouse.[3]
It was built for William Forbes of Monymusk on the site of a former castle (probably a wooden motte and bailey) around 1661[4][1][5][6] as "the last fortified house in Scotland".[7] There is an inscription on the wall dated 17 June 1661.[8][9]
Following the death of Forbes in 1670 it fell into the possession of Leiths of Leith Hall.[2]
By 1820 the last resident of the castle, Captain Stewart, had died and the castle itself had lost its roof and became a ruin.[8][5]
20th and 21st century
[edit]It became a category B listed building on 24 November 1972, when it was recorded it was ruinous, the interior filled with debris, and the floors gone.[2]
In 1980, the castle and estate were purchased for about $25,000[citation needed] and restored by the City of Aberdeen architect David Carnegie Leslie at a cost of about $1 million.[citation needed] The castle's walls had collapsed and there were piles of rubble up to 8 feet (2.4 m) high, and tons of carved stone had been stolen over the years. A full-sized tree had also grown inside a collapsed parapet. The castle was restored using stone from 300-year-old cottages on a neighbouring estate that had also collapsed.[10] In July 1989, it was opened as a hotel with five bedrooms.[11] It was delisted in September 1989.[2]
In 1995, a Leslie Clan Gathering was held at Leslie Castle.[5]
In 2016 the castle opened again as Leslie Castle B&B and was listed for sale in 2017 when it was described by The Scotsman as a "fairytale castle" with 1.9 acres of land. The original kitchen was being used as a breakfast room with a large fire place, the second and third floor were the guest bedrooms, whilst the owner's rooms were on the fourth floor.[12]
Since 2018, the castle has been operating as a guesthouse run by John Andrea, but is also available for exclusive hire for events.[5][13]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Leslie Castles". Clan Leslie Society International. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
- ^ a b c d "LESLIE CASTLE (LB9239)". Historic Environment Scotland.
- ^ "Aberdeenshire Council Historic Environment Record – LESLIE CASTLE". Aberdeenshire Council. NJ52SE0001. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
- ^ "Recording Your Heritage Online | Canmore". canmore.org.uk.
- ^ a b c d "A Brief History of Leslie Castle". leslie-castle.com.
- ^ Somerset Fry, Plantagenet (2008). Castles : England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland : the definitive guide to the most impressive buildings and intriguing sites. Newton Abbot [England]: David & Charles. p. 154. ISBN 9780715326923.
- ^ Devine, T. M. (2012). The Scottish Nation: A Modern History. London: Penguin. ISBN 978-0718193201.
- ^ a b Forbes, Bart (15 June 2020). "Clan Feud: Leslie". ClanForbesSociety.
- ^ "Leslie Castle Foundation in 1661". leslie-castle.com. 5 December 2018.
- ^ "The Man Who Saved Leslie Castle". leslie-castle.com. 29 May 2019.
- ^ Prial, Frank J. (4 November 1990). "Staying with a Baron At a Scottish Castle". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
- ^ "Fairytale castle for sale in Aberdeenshire". www.scotsman.com. 29 August 2017.
- ^ "Digital training boosted bookings at Leslie Castle". leslie-castle.com. 4 September 2019.
Further reading
[edit]- Leslie, Charles Joseph (1869). Historical Records of the Family of Leslie from 1067 to 1868–9. Vol. 1. Edinburgh: Edmonston and Douglas. pp. 129–131 – via archive.org.
- MacGibbon, David; Ross, Thomas (1887). The castellated and domestic architecture of Scotland (PDF). Vol. 2. Edinburgh: David Douglas. pp. 198–200 – via electricscotland.com.
- Cruden, Stewart (1960). The Scottish Castle. Nelson – via archive.org.
- Coventry, Martin (1997). The Castles of Scotland (2nd ed.). Edinburgh: Goblinshead. p. 238. ISBN 1899874100.
- Inglis, Janet (2011). Scotland's Castles rescued, rebuilt and reoccupied, 1945 - 2010 (PDF) (PhD thesis). University of Dundee.
- Dakin, Audrey; Glendinning, Miles; MacKechnie, Aonghus, eds. (2011). Scotland's Castle Culture. Edinburgh: John Donald. pp. 52, 168, 180. ISBN 978-1-906566-33-3.
External links
[edit]
- Official website
- "Leslie Castle". Canmore. Historic Environment Scotland.
- Robert Carney. "#133 Leslie Castle".
Settlements and places of interest in Garioch, Aberdeenshire | ||
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| Primary settlements |  | |
| Other settlements | ||
| Places of interest | ||