Beldorney Castle is a

Z-plan castle Z-plan is a form of castle design common in Scotland and England. The Z-plan castle has a strong central rectangular tower with smaller towers attached at diagonally opposite corners. Prominent examples of the Z-plan include Brodie Castle in Mor ...

dating from the mid-16th century, about two miles south of

Glass Glass is an amorphous (non-crystalline solid, non-crystalline) solid. Because it is often transparency and translucency, transparent and chemically inert, glass has found widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in window pane ...

, in hilly country in the valley of the Deveron, 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 ...

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 ...

.Lindsay, Maurice (1986) ''The Castles of Scotland''. Constable. p78 Alternative names are Beldornie, Beldornay and Beldorny.

History

The property, one of the earliest Z-plan castles in the North-East, has been owned by members of the

Ogilvy The name Ogilvy may refer to: *Ogilvy (name) *Clan Ogilvy *Ogilvy (department store), in Montreal, Canada *Ogilvy (agency) Ogilvy is a New York City-based British advertising, marketing, and public relations agency. It was founded in 1850 by Ed ...

Gordon Gordon may refer to: People * Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters * Gordon (surname), the surname * Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War * Gordon Heuck ...

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

Buchan Buchan is a coastal district in the north-east of Scotland, bounded by the Ythan and Deveron rivers. It was one of the original provinces of the Kingdom of Alba. It is now one of the six committee areas of Aberdeenshire. Etymology The ge ...

and Grant families. In 1545 George Gordon purchased the land from the

Earl of Huntly Marquess of Huntly is a title in the Peerage of Scotland that was created on 17 April 1599 for George Gordon, 6th Earl of Huntly. It is the oldest existing marquessate in Scotland, and the second-oldest in the British Isles; only the English ma ...

, and the castle was built before he died in 1575. Two wings were built to the west in 1679, while the original entrance was replaced. The castle was acquired by Alexander Gordon in 1713, and he remodelled it, including first-floor rooms formed from the hall, which have since been removed. An interesting wall painting of a woman playing the lute was among paintings discovered during this restoration. The work included introducing

bolection A bolection is a decorative molding (decorative), moulding which projects beyond the face of a panelling, panel or frame in raised panel walls, doors, and fireplaces. It is commonly used when the meeting surfaces are at different levels, especial ...

-moulded chimney pieces and coved ceilings.

Thomas Buchan Thomas Buchan (c.1641–1724) was a Scottish professional soldier from a Catholic family in Aberdeenshire who served in the armies of France, the Netherlands and Scotland. He remained loyal to James II after the 1688 Glorious Revolution and pa ...

of Auchmacoy bought the Beldorney estate in 1807 from Charles Gordon of Wardhouse, the last of the line of Gordons of Beldorney. Buchan sold the castle and estate to

Sir William Grant Sir William Grant (13 October 1752 – 23 May 1832) was a Scottish lawyer, Member of Parliament from 1790 to 1812 and Master of the Rolls from 1801 to 1817. Biography He was born at Elchies, Moray, Scotland. His father, James Grant, was a ...

Master of the Rolls The Keeper or Master of the Rolls and Records of the Chancery of England, known as the Master of the Rolls, is the President of the Court of Appeal (England and Wales)#Civil Division, Civil Division of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales ...

and MP for

Banffshire Banffshire (; ; ) is a historic county in Scotland. The county town is Banff, although the largest settlement is Buckie to the west. The historic county ceased to be used for local government purposes in 1975. Since 1996 the area has been spli ...

. On his death it passed to his brother, Major John Grant of Dawlish, Devon. In 1830 a north wing was added. Subsequently, there has been restoration work in 1890, remodelling other floors under the supervision of

Alexander Marshall Mackenzie Alexander Marshall MacKenzie (1 January 1848 – 4 May 1933) was a Scottish architect responsible for prestigious projects including the headquarters of the Isle of Man Banking Company in Douglas, and Australia House and the Waldorf Hotel in ...

, and in the early 1980s.

Structure

The main block of the castle lies north to south. At the north-west angle is a smaller square tower, which contains the main stair, named the Dog Tower, and having a dog

finial A finial () or hip-knob is an element marking the top or end of some object, often formed to be a decorative feature. In architecture, it is a small decorative device, employed to emphasize the Apex (geometry), apex of a dome, spire, tower, roo ...

. At the south-east angle is a large drum tower, which has a rounded gable. The original entry was in the re-entrant angle with the square tower. The basement, which contains a kitchen and two cellars, is vaulted. From one of the cellars – the wine cellar – a mural stair led to the hall. Fragments of the painting of the Hall ceiling survive. It appears that the second floor also had a hall and a tower room. There is a mural stair in the turret in the re-entrant angle of the south gable; this gave access to the second floor room and the third-floor watch room. The two 1679 wings to the west enclose a courtyard, the entrance to which is an arched gateway, marked with the initials of John Gordon and Anne, and the date, on the inner side. It has renaissance detail, a semicircular tympanum above

entablature An entablature (; nativization of Italian , from "in" and "table") is the superstructure of moldings and bands which lies horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and ...

with ball finials. The south wing is a single-storey high. The replacement entrance, decorated with an ogee-headed panel containing a winged angel's head, is in the centre of the west face. It is a

category A listed building Category, plural categories, may refer to: General uses *Classification, the general act of allocating things to classes/categories Philosophy * Category of being * ''Categories'' (Aristotle) * Category (Kant) * Categories (Peirce) *Category (V ...

References

{{Authority control Castles in Aberdeenshire Category A listed buildings in Aberdeenshire Listed castles in Scotland