Plean Tower comprises a small oblong tower house probably dating from the 15th century, and an adjoining 16th-century manor house.

Robert Bruce granted the barony of Plean, or Plane, to John d’Erth soon after 1314. The castle was probably built by Lord Somerville, who acquired the lands of Plean in 1449, through marriage.

An adjoining manor house was built in about 1528. In 1643 James Somervell, 8th Lord of Plane, sold the barony and lands to meet debts. It passed to the Nicholsons and the Elphinstones, but both the tower and the manor fell into disrepair. During the 1745 rebellion the Jacobite troops used the property.

Sir David Menzies restored the buildings in 1908, but by the 1930s they were again no longer in use. It was rebuilt from ruins by Nancy and John Patrick Wright and their sons in 1991-1997 to form a home and holiday accommodation.

Plean Castle originally had three stories and a garret, with parapet corbelling. In its rebuilt 1990s form there is a great hall in the tower with painted ceiling beams and a large fireplace. The adjoining modern 'manor house' is connected to the tower by a wooden walkway and is built over a vaulted basement surviving from the 1528 manor house.

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Details

Founded: 15th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in United Kingdom

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

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4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Joanna Mitchell (7 months ago)
Didn't stay. So can't review accommodation. Looks good. A bit remote unless you are a cycling/walking enthusiast
Joseph Eddy (jceddy) (2 years ago)
We were married here in 2006 when it had a previous owner (John Wright, who was lovely and also officiated the wedding). We and all the guests had a wonderful time. While in Scotland again with our two boys we arranged with the current owner to come by to show them the castle and take a quick peek at the garden. Upon arrival, we were treated quite rudely by a man I assume was staff who chased us off brusquely. I am leaving a middling review to reflect the five stars I would have left in 2006 as well as the fact that current management seems unfortunately more uptight. Edit: If there were guests there that we might have been disturbing, then we had a misunderstanding, that is not what we were told (we were told the castle was being prepared for the next guests). I understand that we were not paying customers so the current owner is not really beholden to us in any way, but as someone in the hospitality business, they should know that a little bit of understanding (as opposed to gaslighting, insults, and extraneous punctuation) would go a long way. If there is, in fact, a guest that our presence disturbed, then I wish I could extend them our sincere apologies.
Roslyn Bell (2 years ago)
We had our wedding at Plane Castle in December, with 50 guests. The atmosphere was amazing and we loved every minute. This castle is local to us and so many of our guests had never even heard of it - and were blown away. It’s a stunning castle, full of history and so picturesque! A huge thanks to all the staff for being so great, and a special thanks to Eliese for organising everything & ensuring the day ran smoothly. Everything ran like clockwork - from the turnaround from ceremony set up to the meal, to our first dance. We were so impressed with how smoothly this all went. The food was lovely and Eliese catered for all our needs (even when we were being so particular about what we wanted!!). We are already thinking about booking for future events! We would highly recommend Plane Castle for any event!
geir olafsson (3 years ago)
We booked Plane Castle for our wedding a few months ago, and still now people are talking about how good it was! From the very first time we went to check the place out the people there couldn't do enough for us, were so friendly and accommodating, and they made it very clear that they wanted help us to do whatever we wanted. Initially we spoke to Sonja and she explained that what they do best is host brilliant parties! From the start they were so professional and well organised and the communication in the lead up to the wedding was very good and I felt like there was never any need to worry about anything at all. On the day Eliese had the whole thing running like a military operation! The staff in general were fantastic, and couldn't do enough to help us. They all made an extra effort to look after us, and kept checking if we needed anything or wanted a drink or extra food. Eliese in particular went out of her way to make sure everything was perfect and as easy for us as possible. We even forgot something and Eliese drove about an hour out to Penicuik to drop it off, which just shows the kind of dedication and effort she puts into making your day as good as it can be. Eliese also went out of her way with our vendors organising everyone as they arrived and sorting out our wedding cake, putting flowers and ribbons around it. The transformation of the place was incredible from all the different parts of the day, we had the ceremony in the main hall, and it went from fully decked out for the ceremony, to setup for dinner to then set up for dancing without anyone even really noticing! The food was also brilliant, I went back for quite a few helpings and our guests all said the same. Overall I can't thank the staff and Eliese enough, I think if you are thinking about Plane Castle as a wedding venue, just go for it, you wont regret it! Reading some of the reviews around basically everyone bar one group gives this place 5 stars and for good reason. We had already stayed at Plane Castle once in the past and will definitely be back for future events.
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