Scotland · Demolished
Banff Castle
Banff Castle began as a 12th-century motte-and-bailey fortress near the town of Banff in Aberdeenshire. The medieval castle was later demolished; its earthwork remains are a scheduled monument while an 18th-century mansion now occupies the site.
Its prime
1296
Today
Demolished
As it stood in 1296
What Banff Castle looked like in its prime.
A compact motte-and-bailey ensemble: a pronounced earthen motte (a high circular mound) topped by a raised timber keep platform and encircled by a stout palisade, with an adjacent lower bailey enclosed by an earthwork bank and palisade containing a cluster of timber domestic and service buildings. A ditch surrounds the outer bank, and the whole complex presents a simple silhouette of mound, palisade and low timber roofs against the skyline.
Its story
The story of Banff Castle.
Banff Castle began as a motte-and-bailey fortress in the 12th century, a royal castle near the town of Banff in Aberdeenshire held by the Comyns, Earls of Buchan.
The castle later came into the possession of the Sharps, was sold to Lord Ogilvy of Deskford in 1722, and then passed into the hands of the Russells. The medieval castle itself was demolished, an 18th-century mansion now occupies the site, while its earthwork remains are protected as a scheduled monument.
Step inside
6 places to explore in 1296.
The record describes 6 distinct spots at Banff Castle, including the full exterior approach. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.
Build Your Own Castle
Recreate Banff Castle with AI to explore it.
The artist rebuilds it as it stood in 1296, a photoreal reconstruction that belongs to you alone. Pay with coins, no subscription needed.
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Clans who held Banff Castle.
The families that held Banff Castle for a decade or more across its history, follow a name to its clan.
