Arnage Castle is a country house, incorporating a
Z-plan tower house
A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation. Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountainous or limited access areas, to command and defend strategic points ...
, located around north of
Ellon, in
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire (; ) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland.
It takes its name from the Shires of Scotland, historic county of Aberdeenshire (historic), Aberdeenshire, which had substantial ...
, north-east
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
. The tower house dates from the late 16th century, and was extended in subsequent centuries.
History
The
Cheyne Cheyne is both a surname of Scottish origin which means "oak tree", and a given name. Notable people with the name include:
Surname:
* Bob Cheyne
* Rob Cheyne
*John Cheyne (speaker) Speaker of the House of Commons (14th century)
* John Cheyne, Baro ...
family acquired the land of Arnage through marriage towards the end of the 14th century.
[Lindsay, Maurice (1986) ''The Castles of Scotland''. Constable. p.56] The Cheynes built the tower house, but it was sold by the last of the family to John Sibbald in 1643.
[
Baillie John Ross bought it in 1702. Subsequently he became provost of ]Aberdeen
Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...
, where his 16th-century town house has been restored.[ The family owned Arnage until recently, latterly under the name Leith-Ross.][ The economist Sir Frederick Leith-Ross (1887–1968) spent his childhood at Arnage Castle. In 1996 Arnage became the home of oil millionaire Gareth Jones who completed extensive renovation work on it over a period of 15 years.
The present castle was built on the site of an older keep.][ The 16th-century tower house was the work of the architect Thomas Leper or Leiper, and features distinctive triple shot holes which are also found at Tolquhon Castle.][ Additional wings were added to the castle in 1860, designed by the architect James Matthews of Aberdeen.][ Further additions were made in the 1960s. Arnage is still occupied, and is a ]category B listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...
.
Structure
The tower house is of three storeys, with an extra storey in the stair wing. The original entrance was on the first floor, but this has been built up. The basement is vaulted, and the hall is on the first floor, though an original stair from the basement wine cellar to the hall no longer exists. There are two turnpike stairs, with conical turrets, in the re-entrant angle of the main block and the stair wing. Another turret gives access to the garret.[
]
References
External links
Photograph of Arnage Castle
{{Authority control
Castles in Aberdeenshire
Category B listed buildings in Aberdeenshire
Listed castles in Scotland