‘An Englishman’s home is his castle’ – proverb dating from around 1600. Back then many a Scotsman’s home WAS a castle.

The area around Blairgowrie and Rattray boasts an abundance of castles, stately homes and mansions.They are as much part of the landscape as lochs and glens. While some now lie in ruins, others continue to be in use. Their stories weave a rich tapestry of resident ghosts, secret tunnels, feuding families and even murders. Here we give a brief introduction to each one in the hope that this will whet your appetite and encourage you to access the further information available.

CASTLE OF RATTRAY 

This castle, dating from around 1170, was the principal seat of the Rattray family, until they moved to Craighall Castle in 1533. The name of the Rattray family and of the Parish of Rattray comes from the Pictish word rath-tref or fort dwelling. The Castle of Rattray at Castle Hill, just over a mile from Rattray, was a Motte and Bailey style fort dwelling.

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CRAIGHALL CASTLE 

Craighall Castle towers above the Craighall Gorge on the River Ericht. It can be seen through the trees from the A93 Rattray to Bridge of Cally road. Having been home to 20 generations of Chiefs of the Clan Rattray, it was sold in March 2010 to a London-based investment banker. It is now a private residence with no public access.

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DRUMLOCHY CASTLE 

In his poem ‘Glasclune and Drumlochy’ Hamish Henderson, the Blairgowrie born folklorist, poet and song writer, describes events that led to Drumlochy Castle becoming the ruin it is today: 

Now wae’s me, Glasclune,
Glasclune and Drumlochy,
They bashed ither blue,
By the back side o’ Knockie.

Drumlochy fought fair
But Glasclune the deceiver
Made free wi’ a firework
Tae blaw up his neebor. 

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GLASCLUNE CASTLE

The New Statistical Account of 1834 -1845 states: ‘About a gunshot to the west of Drumlochy Castle, on the opposite side of the deep ravine which forms the boundary between the parishes of Blairgowrie and Kinloch, are to be seen the still imposing ruins of the ancient Castle of Glasclune once a place of considerable strength.’

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LADY LINDSAY’S CASTLE

To the north-west of Craighall, jutting out from the face of the Glen Ericht Gorge near Middle Mause, lies the promontory on which Lady Lindsay’s Castle stood. Little now remains of the building, but what will forever remain is the story of what happened here and the resulting ghostly goings-on.

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NEWTON CASTLE 

Myths and legends go hand in hand with many castles and Newton Castle has some intriguing tales to speculate about. Is there a secret tunnel linking Newton Castle with Ardblair Castle around a mile away? 

Does the Green Ladye o’ Newton make use of this underground tunnel when she visits Ardblair Castle? 

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ARDBLAIR CASTLE

This castle is linked to the bloodiest murder in Blairgowrie’s history. George Drummond of Ledcrieff had acquired Newton Castle and its extensive estate, and this was resented by neighbouring lairds. John Butter of Gormack along with William Chalmer of Drumnochy and John Blair of Ardblair hatched a plan to murder George Drummond and his two sons. 

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CLUNIE CASTLE 

Clunie Castle stands on an island in the Loch of Clunie around 5 miles west of Blairgowrie. The buildings seen there now are the ruins of a late 15^th century tower house. At that time the land was owned by the See of Dunkeld, and Bishop Brown ( 1485 – 1514) had the castle built as a quiet retreat. 

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DRUIDSMERE 

Standing at the end of a long rhododendron lined driveway, this Category B listed red sandstone mansion house with prominent corner turrets lies just off Perth Road, Blairgowrie. It was built for a local solicitor, who later experienced financial difficulties and may have left local workmen unpaid. 

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DELVINE HOUSE 

Located on the former site of the Roman Legionary Fortress of Inchtuthil, four miles south-west of Blairgowrie, you might expect to read of ghostly Roman soldiers marching across the gardens at Delvine. As far as we’re aware there have been no such sightings, but if you know otherwise we’d love to hear from you. The gardens may be visited as part of Scotland’s Gardens Scheme. 

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FORTER CASTLE 

Built in 1560 by James Ogilvy, 5th Lord of Airlie, Forter Castle is located in Glenisla, Perthshire, around 16 miles from Blairgowrie. In 1639 James’s grandson James Ogilvy, 7th Lord of Airlie, was created 1st Earl of Airlie by King Charles I, but his refusal to sign the National Covenant resulted in his castles at Airlie, Craig and Forter being burned in 1640. 

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TOWER OF LETHENDY 

This medieval tower house lies around 3.5miles (5.6 km) south-west of Blairgowrie, Perth and Kinross. Over the years, several alterations have been carried out and extensions have been added. From Canmore we learn that “the doorway on the E front, now covered by modern building, once possessed a panel bearing the arms of Heron and reputedly the date 1678.” 

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BLACKCRAIG CASTLE 

Dating from 1856 and lying around 7 miles from Blairgowrie, Blackcraig Castle, Ballintuim, was built by noted artist and architect Patrick Allan Fraser. It is said to be one of the finest examples of Baronial architecture in Scotland. 

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