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Towie Barclay Castle taken looking across the river Ythan. Towie Barclay was bought by the American musician, Marc Ellington, and is another example of a Scottish Baronial tower house.
Photograph by Colin Smith. Some rights reserved. (view image details)
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FACTS
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Location
near Dykeside, Aberdeenshire
Description
Towie Barclay Castle is located 4.5 miles south-south-east of Turriff in Aberdeenshire. The castle was built in 1593 by Clan Barclay. The building was sold to the governors of Robert Gordon's hospital in Aberdeen in 1755. Towie Barclay fell into disrepair by the mid-20th century. The castle was bought in the 1970s by the American musician Marc Ellington who undertook extensive restoration work which took over 7 years to complete. The restoration project won a Saltire Society Award in 1973.
Architecture
L-plan tower house
History
In 1792, the turrets and embrasures were removed, two stories taken off, and the ditch filled up.
Date
16th century
Legends
Following a pillage of a nunnery in the 12th century by Clan Barclay, Thomas the Rhymer proclaimed: "Towie Barclay of the Glen/Happy to the maids/But never to the men.", which was interpreted as a curse on the male line. Belief in the curse was strong enough that it was given as a reason for the sale of Towie Barclay Casle in 1755.
Other Castles in the Area
Balfluig Castle
Castle Fraser
Cluny Castle
Craigston Castle
Delgatie Castle
Findlater Castle
Forbes Castle
Fordyce Castle
Fyvie Castle
Harthill Castle
Huntly Castle
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