Clan Rising
Aldourie Castle today

Scotland · Restored

Aldourie Castle

Aldourie Castle is a Scottish baronial house on the southern shore of Loch Ness, transformed in the 1860s and expanded again in 1902–04. It sits on a level terrace above the loch with surrounding parkland and formal gardens and is now a restored, inhabitable castle used for private stays.

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Photograph via Wikimedia Commons

First raised

1626

Its prime

1904

Today

Restored

As it stood in 1904

What Aldourie Castle looked like in its prime.

A compact, rectangular main block set on a level terrace above Loch Ness, punctuated by multiple round towers and turrets: a small original round tower at the south‑west corner and a larger balustraded round tower added in the 19th century. Pale harled stone walls with reddish sandstone dressings, oriel windows, scroll‑sided steep dormers, rope‑moulded stringcourses, corbels, visible gunloops, steep conical slate roofs and tall chimneys define a varied roofline; the house faces a wide lawn with woodland behind.

Its story

The story of Aldourie Castle.

A Laird's House on Strath Dores, 1625

Aldourie enters the record in 1625 as a laird's house, a property of Mackintosh of Kyllachy in Nairnside, set on a level terrace above the southern shore of Loch Ness where the glen climbs towards Drumashie Moor. The house of that date was a plain thing beside the castle that grew out of it: a rectangular main block with a single round tower at the south-west corner. It kept broadly that shape for two centuries, gaining a two-storey wing to the west only in 1839.

William Fraser-Tytler's Baronial Rebuilding, 1860s

The transformation came in the 1860s, when William Fraser-Tytler commissioned Mackenzie & Matthews to extend the house in all directions. What they gave him was a parade of the full repertoire of early 17th-century baronialism: a balustraded round tower cribbed from Castle Fraser in Grampian, oriel windows, scroll-sided and steeply pedimented dormers, candle-snuffered turrets, corbelling, rope-moulded stringcourses and gunloops. Sir Robert Lorimer added a further wing at the south-east in 1902–04.

The Lovat Scouts, Reputedly Raised at Aldourie in 1893

Aldourie's one claim on military history rests on repute rather than record. The Lovat Scouts are said to have been founded at the castle in 1893 by Lord Lovat and Edward Fraser-Tytler.

Restoration and the Povlsen Purchase, 1971–2017

Aldourie was listed category A in 1971. Under the ownership of Roger Tempest it underwent extensive restoration between 2002 and 2010, the work concentrating on specialist paintwork, murals and metalwork fixtures throughout the building.

In 2015 the Danish billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen bought the castle for £15 million, one of twelve Scottish estates in a portfolio that makes him the largest landowner in Scotland. An estate conservation project followed from 2017, reviving the original walled Victorian kitchen garden and the grounds around it with the landscape architect Tom Stuart Smith and students from the National Trust for Scotland, while Ptolemy Dean Architects led new building including a boathouse and the repair of the historic steadings. The parkland of 38.9 hectares, unchanged in extent since the mid-19th century, is entered with the gardens on the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland; the castle itself is let for private stays.

Step inside

8 places to explore in 1904.

The record describes 8 distinct spots at Aldourie Castle, including 1 interior: interior: muralled reception room with metalwork fixtures. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.

Main lawn and terrace facing Loch NessBalustraded round tower (Victorian addition)Original south‑west round towerFaçade detail: oriel windows and scroll‑sided dormersSouth‑east wing by Sir Robert LorimerWalled Victorian kitchen gardenHistoric steadings courtyardInterior: muralled reception room with metalwork fixtures

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Whose castle

Clans who held Aldourie Castle.

The families that held Aldourie Castle for a decade or more across its history, follow a name to its clan.

  • Fraser-Tytler

    Held by the Fraser-Tytlers, who extended the castle in the 1860s; the Lovat Scouts were reputedly founded here in 1893.

Questions about Aldourie Castle

What is the history of Aldourie Castle?

Aldourie Castle has a 17th-century history as a laird’s house on the southern shore of Loch Ness. The original rectangular block had a round tower at the south-west corner, and it was extended westwards in 1839. William Fraser-Tytler transformed it in the 1860s, with further additions by Sir Robert Lorimer in 1902–04. The castle was restored between 2002 and 2010 and again in 2017.

What is inside Aldourie Castle?

Inside Aldourie Castle is a muralled reception room with metalwork fixtures. Extensive restoration between 2002 and 2010 restored specialist paintwork, murals and metalwork fixtures throughout the castle.

When was Aldourie Castle built?

Aldourie Castle was first recorded in the 17th century, with the site’s first-raised date given as 1626. The house was already recorded as a laird’s house in 1625, so its documented origins fall within the same century. It was built in phases, including an extension to the west in 1839 and major expansions in the 1860s and 1902–04.

Which family or clan held Aldourie Castle?

Aldourie Castle was held by the Fraser-Tytlers, who extended it in the 1860s. In 1893, the Lovat Scouts army unit was reputedly founded there by Lord Lovat and Edward Fraser-Tytler.

What did Aldourie Castle look like in its prime?

In its prime, Aldourie Castle was a Scottish baronial house with a compact rectangular block, several round towers and turrets, and a varied roofline. Its pale harled stone walls have reddish sandstone dressings, oriel windows, steep scroll-sided dormers, rope-moulded stringcourses, corbels and visible gunloops. Steep conical slate roofs and tall chimneys rise above a terrace overlooking Loch Ness.

Is Aldourie Castle still standing?

Aldourie Castle is still standing and is restored rather than a ruin. It underwent extensive restoration between 2002 and 2010 and again in 2017, when the original walled Victorian kitchen garden and surrounding grounds were revived. The restored castle is inhabitable and used for private stays.

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