Brechin Castle facts for kids
Brechin Castle is a very old castle located in Brechin, Angus, Scotland. It was first built with stone way back in the 1200s! Most of what you see today was built much later, in the early 1700s. An architect named Alexander Edward helped rebuild it for James Maule, 4th Earl of Panmure between 1696 and 1709.
The castle is a huge building, about 3,500 square meters (37,748 square feet). It's considered a very important historical building, known as a Category A listed building. The beautiful gardens and land around the castle are also special and are part of the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland.
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A Look Back at Brechin Castle's History
The land where Brechin Castle stands has belonged to the Maule-Ramsay family for a very long time, since the 1100s! The castle has been the main home for the Clan Maule since the Middle Ages. A "clan" is like a big family group.
In the 1700s, the Maule and Ramsay clans became connected under one leader. Later, in the early 1900s, the main home of the Ramsay clan moved from Dalhousie Castle to Brechin Castle. Today, the castle is the home of the Earl of Dalhousie. He is the chief leader for both the Clan Maule and the Clan Ramsay.
Famous Visitors to the Castle
Many important people have visited Brechin Castle over the years. In September 1593, Marie Stewart, Countess of Mar, who lived at the castle, welcomed her brother-in-law, the Earl of Huntly.
Later, she also hosted John Taylor, who was known as the "Water Poet." Even King James, who was the King of Scotland (and later England), stayed at the castle when he returned to Scotland in 1617. Marie Stewart kept detailed lists of all the furniture and items inside Brechin Castle in 1611 and 1622. Since about 1645, Brechin Castle has been a strong home for the Ramsay family.
The Castle Grounds and Gardens
At its largest, the estate around the castle was huge, covering about 60,700 hectares (150,000 acres)! Now, it's about 22,250 hectares (55,000 acres). The beautiful formal gardens were created in the early 1700s.
Most of the land is used for farming and growing trees. However, visitors can also stay in special guest houses on the property.
The castle has been officially recognized as a Category A Listed building since 1971. This means it's a very important historical site. Some parts of the castle, like the walls with battlements (the parts that look like teeth on top of a castle), were added in the mid-1800s. The building was also updated in 1854, and a new tower was added in 1863. Other changes were made around that time too.
In the 1990s, a new area called the Brechin Castle Centre was added to the grounds. It's like a "Country Park" with a cafe, a garden center, and lots of fun activities for kids in the park and a play area. In 2018, the castle and its gardens were open for people to visit during June and July.
Why Brechin Castle Was Put Up for Sale
In 2019, the castle and its 70 acres of land were put up for sale. The current owner, James Ramsay, 17th Earl of Dalhousie, who is also the chief of Clan Ramsay, explained that it was very expensive to keep up the castle. He said the costs were too high to manage.
News reports at the time mentioned that the castle has eight main rooms for guests, 16 bedrooms, and 10 bathrooms. While the castle is very old, most of the original medieval building is gone. The oldest part of the current castle is the kitchen area, which has a stone dated 1703. However, major changes in 1711 gave the building the look it has today.
It's important to know that other family properties, like Edzell and Invermark, and family businesses, such as the Brechin Castle Garden Centre and Peggy Scott’s, were not part of the sale.
Images for kids
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Brechin Castle (June 2009)
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An old picture of the castle from a book called Scotia Depicta by James Fittler
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Brechin Castle around 1880.
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A garden gate at Brechin Castle
