User Reviews
Gardyne Castle was built by the Gardyne family, and an inscribed stone records the date 1568. The date stone also bears the arms of King James VI and the motto 'God save the King'. Together with the distinctive style of some of the architectural features, such as the conical-roofed bartizans, this suggests an attempt to link the building with Royal Stewart architecture, and with the new king, as opposed to his predecessor the deposed Mary, Queen of Scots.
The Gardynes held a long-running feud with the Guthries of nearby Guthrie Castle, leading the Crown to confiscate the lands of both families in 1632. The Gardynes subsequently moved to a nearby residence, and Gardyne Castle became the property of the Lyell family of Dysart.
A large extension was added in 1740, which forms the central part of the current building. A further addition was made in 1910 when Harold Tarbolton was the architect. The building was renovated in the early 21st century.
The castle was remodelled and modernised (adding electricity) in 1910 by the Edinburgh architect Harold Tarbolton.
References:The Château du Lude is one of the many great châteaux of the Loire Valley in France. Le Lude is the most northerly château of the Loire Valley and one of the last important historic castles in France, still inhabited by the same family for the last 260 years. The château is testimony to four centuries of French architecture, as a stronghold transformed into an elegant house during the Renaissance and the 18th century. The monument is located in the valley of Le Loir. Its gardens have evolved throughout the centuries.
