Scotland · Ruin
Tolquhon Castle
Tolquhon Castle is a late-16th-century Scottish castle in Aberdeenshire, built by William Forbes as an extension to the earlier Preston's Tower and completed in 1589. The buildings are arranged around a central quadrangle and include an elaborate north gatehouse with an inscribed lintel, a first-floor gallery in the west range, a great hall in the south range, and a south-east tower that housed a prison. The site is a scheduled monument in the care of Historic Scotland.
First raised
1584
Its prime
1589
Today
Ruin
As it stood in 1589
What Tolquhon Castle looked like in its prime.
Tolquhon forms a stone-built quadrangular plan completed in 1589, with the older Preston's Tower at the north-east corner and north, west and south ranges enclosing a central courtyard. The main entrance is an elaborate gatehouse on the north range bearing a carved inscription and flanked by the distinctive triple shot-holes. A first-floor gallery runs along the west range; the south range contains the great hall entered by a stair from the courtyard, and a south-east tower contained a prison. A walled outer courtyard to the north contains a doocot.
Its story
The story of Tolquhon Castle.
Preston's Tower and the Forbes Inheritance, 1420–1584
Tolquhon lies in Aberdeenshire, about a mile and a half north-west of Pitmedden and two miles south of Tarves. The castle grew out of an earlier tower house, Preston's Tower, raised in the early 15th century either by Sir Henry Preston or by his son-in-law Sir William Forbes, who inherited part of the Preston lands in 1420 on Sir Henry's death. His descendant William Forbes, seventh Laird of Tolquhon, began work on a new castle in 1584, keeping the old tower and adding newer and more comfortable accommodation, and improving the gardens and parkland around the house.
William Forbes's Building Work and the King's Visit, 1584–1589
An inscription on the elaborate new gatehouse sets out the whole undertaking and its dates: “AL THIS WARKE EXCEP THE AULD TOWR WAS BEGUN BE WILLIAM FORBES 15 APRIL 1584 AND ENDIT BE HIM 20 OCTOBER 1589”. The new buildings were arranged around a courtyard and included a first-floor gallery. King James VI was entertained at Tolquhon in July 1589, while the work was still in hand.
The home of a “Renaissance man”, Tolquhon was designed for display rather than defence, and was the work of the mason-architect Thomas Leiper. His distinctive triple shot-holes flank the main entrance and are found again at nearby Arnage Castle and at Dean Castle in Ayrshire; the stone tilework in the main hall is likewise unusual. The castle has been described as “the most characteristic château of the Scots Renaissance”.
The Darien Debts and the Farquharson Sale, from 1718
William Forbes died in 1596, and his descendants went on occupying Tolquhon until 1718, when they were forced to leave because of debts incurred by the failure of the Darien scheme. The site was sold to the Farquharsons around this time and the castle fell into decay. Tolquhon is now a ruin, a scheduled monument in the care of Historic Environment Scotland, and open to the public.
Step inside
8 places to explore in 1589.
The record describes 8 distinct spots at Tolquhon Castle, including 3 interiors: great hall (south range), first-floor gallery (west range), south-east tower (prison). Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.
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Clans who held Tolquhon Castle.
The families that held Tolquhon Castle for a decade or more across its history, follow a name to its clan.
Built 1584–89 by William Forbes, 7th Laird of Tolquhon, as an extension to Preston's Tower.
Farquharson
The site was subsequently sold to the Farquharsons.
