Scotland · Still standing
Cortachy Castle
Cortachy Castle is a castellated mansion house at Cortachy in Angus, Scotland, with 15th-century origins and later 17th- and 19th-century alterations. It stands within parkland north of Kirriemuir and is a Category B listed building. The Ogilvie family acquired the property in the 15th century and the present appearance reflects substantial 19th-century rebuilding.
Its prime
1885
Today
Still standing
As it stood in 1885
What Cortachy Castle looked like in its prime.
A white‑harled rectangular main block with a stepped gable is flanked by two cylindrical towers capped by conical slate roofs; the towers rise slightly above a crenellated parapet band. Windows are regularly spaced rectangular sashes in the plastered walls. The principal entrance sits in the centre with a small pediment and a carved panel above the doorway. The building stands low on sweeping lawns with mature deciduous trees that partly screen the right wing and a gravel drive approaching the front.
Its story
The story of Cortachy Castle.
From the Earls of Strathearn to the Ogilvies, 1473-1696
Cortachy Castle is a castellated mansion house in Angus, some four miles north of Kirriemuir. The building that survives dates from the 15th century and was preceded by an earlier structure owned by the Earls of Strathearn. The Ogilvies acquired it in 1473, and the remodelling of 1696 was the work of Tobias Bauchop of Alloa.
Crenellations and Fire, 1820-1885
In 1820 the house was "romanticised", as was the fashion of the day, by the addition of crenellations, plus other alterations by R & R Dickson. Part of the building was damaged by fire in 1883, and Kinnear & Peddie rebuilt it extensively over the two years that followed.
Listed Status and the Drummer
Cortachy has been a Category B listed building since June 1971, and its grounds are included in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland. The castle is said to be haunted by the spirit of a drummer.
Step inside
6 places to explore in 1885.
The record describes 6 distinct spots at Cortachy 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 Cortachy Castle with AI to explore it.
The artist rebuilds it as it stood in 1885, a photoreal reconstruction that belongs to you alone. Pay with coins, no subscription needed.
Recreate this castle →Defend this castle →Whose castle
Clans who held Cortachy Castle.
The families that held Cortachy Castle for a decade or more across its history, follow a name to its clan.
Ogilvie
Held by the Ogilvies since 1473.
Nearby
