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:

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Castles and fortifications in United Kingdom

User Reviews

Diane Nichols (5 months ago)
Amazing full day. The grounds are beautiful & lovely to walk around, especially the lake. Nice lunch in the cafe before a guided tour around the castle. So beautifully maintained & the guide made the tour interesting & fun.

Karen Horn (5 months ago)
A spontaneous visit and so glad we did! A beautiful castle, the playful garden is an excuse to be a child for a few minutes! Alan our tour guide was so informative and patient and kept our tour entertaining from start to visit - very good value for money - highly recommended

Garry Howell (5 months ago)
This was a stunning place to visit, the guided tour was very good and well explained by the guide. The gardens were equally good with some suprises along the way. We really enjoyed this visit and will certainly be back.

Peter Pickering (7 months ago)
This is an absolute fantastic place to visit both inside and out. This time I had the dogs with me and walked to the castle from the station lodge via the well kept path that is bounded by trees and fields. On exiting the path you are greeted by the fabulous castle which in my view is very pretty and the centre piece of beautiful grounds. We stayed outside on this visit which was most enjoyable and provided numerous advantage points to view the castle. I have a guide book that I purchased on a previous visit which is full of interesting facts and picture which is a very useful document that covers the history of the castle and recommended as a keepsake. National Trust for Scotland are to be commended for the presentation of this attraction and I fully recommend it for a visit.

Alex Watson (7 months ago)
Fantastic visit to Brodie Castle. Very interesting history going back 400 years. Guided tour only the guide Lesley was fantastic great detail and on point delivery the tour is just over an hour. Many stairs on the tour, so make sure you have the right footwear. The play area cafe and reception area was a short walk from both Castle and car park. The cafe at 1.30 pm hadn't much in the way of hot food or sandwiches ? although I did notice soup. The cappuccino and the muffin were OK, although the price point was a bit high. Overall, it was a good visit. As usual, the staff were welcoming, friendly, and helpful.

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