Castle Forbes: Clan Forbes Country House in Aberdeenshire
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 5
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Primary era
- Modern
- External website
- Open
- Eras represented
- Stone Age, Early Modern, Modern
- Civilizations
- British
- Site type
- Domestic
- Remains
- Castle
On this page13 sections
History
Castle Forbes is a 19th-century country house in the Scots Baronial style at Keig, northeast of Alford, in the United Kingdom. It stands in the Vale of Alford and has been the seat of the chiefs of Clan Forbes, a Scottish aristocratic lineage whose hereditary chiefs held the title Lord Forbes, for many generations. The Lords Forbes have been associated with the estate for more than six centuries.
The Forbes estate and Putachie
The land was granted to Sir Alexander Forbes in 1411 after he supported Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany, against Donald MacDonald, Lord of the Isles, at the Battle of Harlaw. Fought near Inverurie in northeastern Scotland, the battle was a major conflict between forces connected with the Scottish Crown and Donald MacDonald’s forces. Alexander Forbes became Lord Forbes in 1442.
The earlier house on the estate was known as Putachie. The Gordons burned and destroyed it on one occasion, after which it was rebuilt. The section incorporated into the present building probably dates from the 18th century, with some descriptions placing its original construction around 1731. Druminnor Castle in Auchindoir and Kearn had previously been the principal Forbes residence.
Building the present castle
Plans for a new house were prepared by John Paterson in 1807 and again in 1811. Paterson proposed a different site, but Lord Forbes rejected the location and dismissed him. Archibald Simpson was then appointed to design a larger building that would incorporate the earlier house. Structural problems appeared soon after construction began, including cracks in the original section, and Simpson was dismissed.
Construction of the present castle began in 1815 under Lord Forbes. John Smith, Aberdeen’s municipal architect, replaced Simpson and completed the building in 1821. The project removed a garden south of the earlier house and a bowling green to its west. The surrounding grounds were then reshaped as a landscape park, a designed estate landscape arranged to appear natural through lawns, water, woodland, and specimen trees.
The Bridge of Keig was built during the same period for the 17th Lord Forbes. Designed by Thomas Telford, a major British civil engineer of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, it carries the approach to the estate across the River Don.
Later use and protection
An excavation in July and August 2012 examined the physical remains of an 18th-century road linking Castle Forbes with Druminnor Castle. Malcolm Forbes, 23rd Lord Forbes, occupies the estate with his wife, Jinny. Castle Forbes has been a Category B listed building since 16 April 1971, and its grounds were added to Scotland’s Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in 2006. The Bridge of Keig has separate Category A protection, while the former dairy or game-larder building is listed at Category B.
Remains
Castle and approach
Main house
The castle stands on the left bank of the River Don, which passes through the southern part of the approximately 6,000-acre estate. Bennachie rises to 528 metres northeast of the house. The approach reaches the castle from the southwest after crossing the river at the Bridge of Keig.
The main house is a three-storey building arranged in two wings and constructed from light-coloured granite ashlar. A four-storey round tower dominates the southwest corner and is crowned by a crenellated parapet, a protective-looking notched top characteristic of the Scots Baronial style. The earlier house remains clearly visible on the south side. At the west entrance, a projecting porch rises one storey, while its crenellated roof also serves as a balcony.
The original plan had three wings and was almost completely enclosed. The kitchen range at the northeast corner was later demolished, leaving a courtyard. A wall subsequently enclosed this space, which was then used as a garden.
Bridge of Keig
The approach bridge has a single granite arch spanning 101 feet, or 30.8 metres, across the River Don. Its construction formed part of the early 19th-century development of the castle and estate.
Estate buildings and grounds
Former dairy and game-larder
A narrow wooden bridge over a small stream connects the main house with the former dairy northeast of it. Built approximately between 1815 and 1820, the building was later adapted for storing hunted game. Since 1998, it has housed a small perfumery producing exclusive fragrances and men’s shaving products.
The building has a central two-storey rotunda topped by a crenellated parapet. Three short, single-storey wings extend from it, each ending in a crow-stepped gable, creating a Y-shaped plan.
Service buildings and historic structures
The estate complex also includes a service court north of the house and an unused 19th-century dog kennel farther north. Southwest of the main house stand a summerhouse and the ruins of a small church with its associated cemetery.
Gardens, park, and woodland
The gardens and park took their present form between the 17th and 19th centuries. The oldest surviving element is the remains of the walled garden east of the house, where a sundial stands. Most of the other park features date from the 19th century.
South of the church ruins lies an ornamental pond with two small islands. The park and woodland contain specimen trees and other plantings, including a large mulberry, a giant sequoia, Turkey oaks, horse chestnuts, limes, beeches, and elms.
Prehistoric stone circle and former road
A prehistoric stone circle north of the castle dates to around 3000 BC. Burials continue to take place there today. The 2012 excavation also examined the physical remains of the former 18th-century road between Castle Forbes and Druminnor Castle.
