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Invercauld Castle is a country house which grounds are included in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland.
The Farquharson family settled in the area in the 14th century, and constructed a tower house in the 16th century. A vaulted basement within the present building dates from this time, although the tower house was remodelled in the late 17th century. Further alterations were made through the 18th and 19th centuries, and in 1875 the castle was extensively remodelled by John Thomas Wimperis in the Scots Baronial style. The house retains many Victorian furnishing and paintings.
The castle estate comprises approximately 520 km2, set within the Cairngorm National Park, including a length of the River Dee. The tenth laird, James Farquharson, planted significant portions of the estate to woodland to supply the shipyards of nearby Aberdeen. Invercauld's sporting estate and location near the royal highland home of Balmoral Castle made it a favourite resort of Queen Victoria.
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.
