Clan Rising
Kinnairdy Castle today

Scotland · Still standing

Kinnairdy Castle

Kinnairdy Castle is a Scottish tower house comprising a tall multi-storey tower attached to a lower, extended domestic wing; the exterior is harled and whitewashed with visible areas of exposed rubble masonry. The building stands behind a broad gravel forecourt with a small lawn to one side and an outbuilding against the tower. The present structure reads as a lived-in country castle rather than a large fortified citadel.

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Photograph via Wikimedia Commons

Its prime

1680

Today

Still standing

As it stood in 1680

What Kinnairdy Castle looked like in its prime.

A tall rectangular stone tower with a crow-stepped gable rises from the left end of a lower two-storey domestic block; walls are harled and whitewashed on the front, with exposed grey rubble stone on the tower’s rear/side. Slate roofs with simple dormer windows punctuate the roofline of the lower wing. Ground in front is a broad gravel forecourt leading to a central doorway in the lower block, with a small grass lawn to the right and a low stone outbuilding abutting the tower to the left.

Its story

The story of Kinnairdy Castle.

Kinnairdy stands on land that belonged to the Innes family from the late 14th century; an earlier tower of about 1420 replaced a wooden motte and bailey. In the hall an oak-panelled aumbry carries the carved heads of Sir Alexander Innes and his wife Christian Dunbar with the date 1493, Sir Alexander seems to have got into financial difficulties through his taste for Flanders panelling.

The Innes family sold the castle to Sir James Crichton of Frendraught in 1629. It came to the Reverend John Gregory in 1647, then passed to his brother David, a doctor claimed as constructor of the first barometer, before David's third son sold it to Thomas Donaldson, an Elgin merchant who restored and re-roofed the five-storey tower during the eighteenth century, transforming it into a country house.

The property returned to the Innes family in 1923, when they began a restoration; Thomas Innes of Learney, Lord Lyon King of Arms, owned the house after the Second World War and introduced some of its heraldic decoration. The L-plan tower, its original first-floor entrance once reached by a removable wooden bridge from the parapet wall, is a category A listed building.

Step inside

7 places to explore in 1680.

The record describes 7 distinct spots at Kinnairdy 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.

Forecourt approach looking north-eastTower with crow-stepped gable (close view)Main entrance doorway and lower block façadeView from the right lawn along the façadeLow outbuilding abutting the tower (left)Side elevation showing exposed rubble masonryRoofline with dormers and chimneys

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Whose castle

Clans who held Kinnairdy Castle.

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

  • Innes

    Innes family land from the late 14th century until sold in 1629; the family returned to Kinnairdy in 1923.

  • Crichton

    Sold to Sir James Crichton of Frendraught in 1629.

  • Gregory

    Came to the Reverend John Gregory in 1647, passing to his brother David and then to David's son.

  • Donaldson

    Bought by Thomas Donaldson, an Elgin merchant, who restored and re-roofed the castle in the eighteenth century.

Questions about Kinnairdy Castle

What is the history of Kinnairdy Castle?

Kinnairdy Castle’s history begins on Innes family land in the late 14th century, where an earlier tower of about 1420 replaced a wooden motte and bailey. The Innes family sold it to Sir James Crichton of Frendraught in 1629, and it passed to the Gregory family in 1647. Thomas Donaldson restored and re-roofed the five-storey tower in the eighteenth century, transforming it into a country house; it returned to the Innes family in 1923.

What is inside Kinnairdy Castle?

Inside Kinnairdy Castle is an oak-panelled aumbry in the hall, carved with the heads of Sir Alexander Innes and his wife Christian Dunbar and dated 1493. The house has an L-plan tower, a late 16th-century two-storey hall range, a vaulted basement and a straight stair. The original first-floor entrance was reached by a removable wooden bridge from the parapet wall.

Where is Kinnairdy Castle?

Kinnairdy Castle is near Aberchirder in Aberdeenshire. It stands two miles south of Aberchirder, within the administrative area of Aberdeenshire. The castle is in Scotland, but its exact name is Kinnairdy Castle.

When was Kinnairdy Castle built?

The earlier tower at Kinnairdy Castle was built about 1420. It replaced a wooden motte and bailey structure, while the present building includes later additions and alterations, including a late 16th-century two-storey hall range and an eighteenth-century restoration and re-roofing.

What did Kinnairdy Castle look like in its prime?

Kinnairdy Castle is a tall rectangular stone tower joined to a lower two-storey domestic block. The tower has a crow-stepped gable, while the front walls are harled and whitewashed, with exposed grey rubble masonry on the rear and side. Slate roofs, simple dormer windows, a broad gravel forecourt and a small lawn complete the setting.

Is Kinnairdy Castle still standing?

Kinnairdy Castle is still standing and intact rather than a ruin. The five-storey tower was restored and re-roofed during the eighteenth century, when it was transformed into a country house. The Innes family began another restoration after the property returned to them in 1923, and the building is a category A listed building.

Which family or clan held Kinnairdy Castle?

The Innes family, Sir James Crichton of Frendraught, the Gregory family and Thomas Donaldson all held Kinnairdy Castle. The Innes family held the land from the late 14th century until selling the castle in 1629, and returned to Kinnairdy in 1923. Sir James Crichton acquired it in 1629, followed by Reverend John Gregory in 1647 and Thomas Donaldson in the eighteenth century.

Who built Kinnairdy Castle?

Kinnairdy Castle was commissioned by Clan Innes. No architect is identified in the supplied material. The castle stands on land belonging to the Innes family from the late 14th century, and an earlier tower was built about 1420.

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