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Blackcraig Castle today

Scotland · Restored

Blackcraig Castle

Blackcraig Castle is a 19th-century Scottish Baronial mansion built from and around an earlier 16th-century tower house, designed and extended by Patrick Allan Fraser from the 1850s through the 1880s. It stands on the banks of the River Ardle near Blairgowrie and includes a separate listed bridgehouse and a walled garden.

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Photograph via Wikimedia Commons

Its prime

1880

Today

Restored

As it stood in 1880

What Blackcraig Castle looked like in its prime.

A multi-storey Baronial mansion combining an older three-storey rubble tower and larger 19th-century extensions in grey lime-mortared stone; steep pitched slate roofs punctuated by tall chimneys, a small corner turret with a conical roof, gabled roofline and stone dressings. The house sits low among mature trees on the banks of a river, approached across open pasture, with a separate stone bridgehouse nearby and a walled formal garden within the estate.

Its story

The story of Blackcraig Castle.

Blackcraig Castle is a Baronial mansion of 1856 on the banks of the River Ardle in Perthshire, close to Ballintuim and Blairgowrie, built from and around an earlier 16th-century tower house. Its builder was Patrick Allan Fraser, a prominent Scottish artist and architect, who designed and extended the house from the 1850s through the 1880s.

After Fraser's death in 1890 the castle became part of the Hospitalfield Arts Trust, and was later sold and run for a number of years as a guest house. A Class B-listed building with an A-listed walled garden and a separate listed bridgehouse, it has undergone extensive renovation and modernisation in recent years.

Step inside

8 places to explore in 1880.

The record describes 8 distinct spots at Blackcraig Castle, including 1 interior: interior of a converted apartment. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.

Approach from the pastureRiverbank beside the River ArdleOriginal tower-house façadeJunction of tower and hunting lodgeGatehouse and entrance driveBlackcraig bridgehouse (exterior)Walled garden exteriorInterior of a converted apartment

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Whose castle

Clans who held Blackcraig Castle.

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

  • Fraser

    Built and held by the artist-architect Patrick Allan Fraser from 1856 until his death in 1890.

Nearby

Landmarks within reach of Blackcraig Castle.

Tannadice Park, ScotlandStadiumTannadice Park37 km away

Questions about Blackcraig Castle

What is the history of Blackcraig Castle?

Blackcraig Castle is a 19th-century Baronial mansion built around an earlier 16th-century tower house. Patrick Allan Fraser purchased the estate in 1847 and began renovating the tower and constructing an adjoining hunting lodge in 1851, along with a bridgehouse and gatehouse. He continued altering and extending the castle until the 1880s. After his death in 1890, it became part of the Hospitalfield Arts Trust and was later run as a guest house.

What is inside Blackcraig Castle?

Blackcraig Castle contains two self-contained holiday apartments incorporated into the building. The documented interior is that of a converted apartment; the supplied description does not identify other specific rooms. The castle also includes a separate bridgehouse and a walled formal garden, though these are exterior features.

Where is Blackcraig Castle?

Blackcraig Castle is near Ballintuim and Blairgowrie, on the banks of the River Ardle in Perthshire. It is in the administrative area of Perth and Kinross. The house stands among mature trees and is approached across open pasture.

When was Blackcraig Castle built?

Blackcraig Castle dates from the 19th century, with the present Baronial mansion built in 1856 around an earlier 16th-century tower house. Patrick Allan Fraser continued to alter and extend it from the 1850s through the 1880s. The original tower house was three storeys high.

Which family or clan held Blackcraig Castle?

Blackcraig Castle was built and held by the artist-architect Patrick Allan Fraser from 1856 until his death in 1890. Fraser had purchased the Blackcraig estate in 1847 and continued to alter and extend the house for several decades.

What did Blackcraig Castle look like in its prime?

Blackcraig Castle is a multi-storey Baronial mansion combining an older three-storey rubble tower with larger 19th-century extensions. It is built in grey lime-mortared stone, with steep pitched slate roofs, tall chimneys, a small conical-roofed corner turret, gables and stone dressings. A separate stone bridgehouse stands nearby, with a walled formal garden within the estate.

Is Blackcraig Castle still standing or is it a ruin?

Blackcraig Castle is still standing and has been restored. It has undergone extensive renovation and modernisation in recent years, while the original three-storey tower-house masonry remains distinguishable from the 19th-century extensions. The main building is Class B listed, and its walled garden is A listed.

Who built Blackcraig Castle?

Blackcraig Castle was built by Patrick Allan Fraser, a prominent Scottish artist and architect. He began renovating the earlier tower house and constructing the adjoining hunting lodge in 1851, then continued designing and extending the castle until the 1880s.

Can you visit Blackcraig Castle?

Blackcraig Castle is private rather than generally open to the public. The castle and its policies are private, although there are plans to open them for events in the future. Two self-contained holiday apartments have been incorporated into the building and are available to rent.

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