Scotland · Still standing
Craigston Castle
Craigston Castle is a 17th-century U-plan country house near Turriff in Aberdeenshire, long associated with the Urquhart family. Built 1604–1607 with flanking wings added after 1739, it presents two tall gabled wings linked by an elevated arch and is topped by a richly corbelled parapet. The building remains in private ownership and is used as a historic home and event venue.
Its prime
1740
Today
Still standing
As it stood in 1740
What Craigston Castle looked like in its prime.
Rectilinear U-plan house with two tall gabled wings flanking a central elevated arch; white harled masonry with contrasting red-brown stone dressings at quoins and window surrounds; steep slate roofs pierced by multiple chimney stacks; richly corbelled parapet running along the roofline with visible bases for corner turrets that were never completed; regular mullioned and rectangular windows puncture the façades; set directly behind a swept lawn and country driveway with trees framing the approach. Condition at prime: complete main block with flanking wings and full interior fittings.
Its story
The story of Craigston Castle.
Craigston Castle, four miles north-east of Turriff in Aberdeenshire, was built in 1604–1607 and belongs to the "Bell group" of Scottish castles, designed by masons of the Bell family. The U-plan house presents two main wings flanking the entrance, connected by an elevated arch and surmounted by a richly corbelled parapet; bases for corner turrets sit near the tops of each wing, but the turrets themselves appear never to have been completed.
It is a historic home of the Urquhart family, who trace their descent to Adam Urquhart, 14th-century sheriff of Cromarty, though Sir Thomas Urquhart, the translator of Rabelais, claimed a line running back to Adam and Eve through "Termuth", whom he said found Moses in the rushes, among many other fantastic ancestors. The drawing-room wood carvings depict biblical themes and heraldry associated with Clan Urquhart.
The Urquharts sold Craigston in 1657, but Captain John Urquhart, known as "the pirate" and great-grandson of the builder, bought it back in 1739. The family retain possession, and have recently begun hosting weddings and other events, as well as letting the castle out as accommodation.
Step inside
7 places to explore in 1740.
The record describes 7 distinct spots at Craigston Castle, including 1 interior: drawing room with carved woodwork. 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 Craigston Castle with AI to explore it.
The artist rebuilds it as it stood in 1740, a photoreal reconstruction that belongs to you alone. Pay with coins, no subscription needed.
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Clans who held Craigston Castle.
The families that held Craigston Castle for a decade or more across its history, follow a name to its clan.
Urquhart
Home of the Urquhart family from its building in 1604–1607; sold in 1657 and bought back in 1739 by Captain John Urquhart, "the pirate".
