Blackcraig Castle is a Baronial mansion house close to the towns of Ballintuim and Blairgowrie on the banks of the River Ardle. It was built in 1856 by Patrick Allan Fraser, a prominent Scottish artist and architect, and is designated as a Class B-listed building, with its walled garden A-listed. It has undergone extensive renovations/modernisation in recent years to return it to its full former glory and remains one of the finest examples of Baronial architecture in Scotland.
Surveys suggest that, originally occupying the site of Blackcraig Castle was a 16th-century tower house thought to be the property of the Maxwells’, who were in possession of the barony of Ballmacreuchy by 1550.
The current owners have been renovating Blackcraig and its policies since 2013 with a view to returning it to its former splendour. Two tasteful self-contained holiday apartments have also been incorporated and are available to rent. Although the castle and its policies are private, there are plans to open them to the public for events in the future.
References:House of the Blackheads (Melngalvju nams) is a building situated in the old town of Riga. The original building was erected during the first third of the 14th century for the Brotherhood of Blackheads, a guild for unmarried German merchants in Riga. Major works were done in the years 1580 and 1886, adding most of the ornaments.
The structure was bombed to a ruin by the Germans June 28, 1941 and the remains demolished by the Soviets in 1948. The current reconstruction was erected from 1995 to 1999. Today the House of Blackheads serves as a museum and sometimes concert hall.