Blairlogie Castle (in

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...

: ''Caisteil Blàr Lagaidh''), also known as "The Blair", stands in its grounds near the village of

Blairlogie Blairlogie is a village in the Stirling council area of Scotland, situated at the base of the great southern rock-face of Dumyat between Stirling and Menstrie. Blairlogie, formerly Blair, forms part of Logie parish, formerly in Perthshire, and ...

Stirling Stirling (; ; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Central Belt, central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town#Scotland, market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the roya ...

in Scotland, one of Scotland's earliest conservation villages, consisting of a cluster of 17th-19th-century cottages. The castle commands a strategic position at the southern end of the Ochil Hills on the Northeastern approach into the ancient Scottish capital of

. It sits at the base of the cliff of

Dumyat Dumyat or Dunmyat (Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Mhèad) is a hill at the western extremity of the Ochil Hills in central Scotland. The name is thought to originate from ''Dun'' (hill fort) ''of the Maeatae''. Although relatively small (its height ...

, and at the foot of Castlelaw, overlooking the

National Wallace Monument The National Wallace Monument (generally known as the Wallace Monument) is a tower on the shoulder of the Abbey Craig, a hilltop overlooking Stirling in Scotland. It commemorates Sir William Wallace, a 13th- and 14th-century Scottish hero. ...

. The castle 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 ...

and was listed in 1973.

History

The lands of the Blairlogie estate were held by the Scottish Crown until 1513, when

James IV James IV (17 March 1473 – 9 September 1513) was King of Scotland from 11 June 1488 until his death at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. He inherited the throne at the age of fifteen on the death of his father, James III, at the Battle of Sauch ...

granted them to a James Spittal, a Stirling based merchant who was said to have served as tailor to Queen Margaret. James Spittal died in 1528, and his younger son, a second James, inherited the lands of Blairlogie. His son, Alexander Spitall, had the tower built in 1543, and it was Alexander’s son Adam Spittal who extended it with a stair wing in 1582 making it into a L-plan tower. Blairlogie was a possession of the Spittal family from the late 15th century until 1767, when the last to bear the name, Elizabeth Spitall, married Robert Dundas of Blair, near Culross. The estate hence passed into the hands of the Dundases of Blair. In 1845 a later Robert Dundas sold the estate, after which passed through different hands. The castle and surrounding estate was purchased by Lt Col James Hare of Calder Hall in 1891 who carried out extensive alterations.

The castle and gardens

The castle is perched above the village of Blairlogie with a small burn running to the east. The Castle is at its core a 16th-century tower house and consists of four parts: the old tower, composed of three storeys and at least two corner turrets; a rectangular block to the rear; two extensions on the eastern side. Three dormer windows bear carvings of a fleur de lis and initials A. S. (most likely for Alexander Spittal), a thistle and initials E. H. (for Ellen Holbourne or Hay, Alexander's wife), and a man's head, or rose, and date 1513 (year of Flodden) or 1543. The walls are thick, rubble-built and harled. The gables are crow-stepped and the roof is composed of slate. The tower retains four early windows, and in addition a Victorian oriel window has been inserted in the South gable along with a projecting stair. The basement of the original tower has two vaulted cellars, while the hall occupied the first floor. The gardens to the West of the castle are hedged and stepped, with stables to the west, and a summer house to the north.Savills. (1990) The Blair, Blairlogie, Stirlingshire: . Edinburgh. RCAHMS Shelf Number: D.2.23.BLA.S

References

External links

{{Authority control Castles in Stirling (council area) Houses in Stirling (council area) Country houses in Stirling (council area) Category A listed buildings in Stirling (council area) Category A listed houses in Scotland Listed castles in Scotland