Brucklay Castle facts for kids

Brucklay Castle, also known as Brucklay House, is an old castle from the 1500s. You can find it in an area called Buchan in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

The Story of Brucklay Castle

The very first part of Brucklay Castle was built between 1600 and 1625 by James Crawford of Brucklay. It might have even used parts of an older building from the 1500s.

Who Owned the Castle?

In 1742, a family called Clan Irvine gave the castle to Arthur Dingwall. This happened when he married into their family. The castle was made bigger in 1765. It was expanded again in 1814 by an architect named John Smith.

A really big rebuilding project happened in 1849. Thomas Mackenzie designed this work for Captain Alexander Dingwall-Fordyce. More parts were added in 1881, probably by James Matthews. He worked with Alexander Marshall Mackenzie, who was Thomas's son.

What Happened Later?

During World War II, soldiers who were captured (called prisoners of war) stayed in huts on the castle grounds. In 1952, the castle was sold to a company that takes buildings apart. Its furniture and some parts of the building were sold off soon after. Then, the roof was removed.

By the 1990s, Brucklay Castle was a ruin. This means it was falling apart. It was put on a list called the Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland. In 2010, there were plans to take down some parts and fix up the house. However, by 2013, this work had not started. Today, the house is a special type of listed building called a category C building. This means it's important to history.

Family Burial Ground

On the castle's land, there is a private burial ground for the Dingwall-Fordyce family. You can find a tall stone monument there called an obelisk. It remembers William Dingwall Fordyce, who was a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1836 to 1875. An MP is someone elected to represent people in the country's government. He is also remembered by another monument called the Culsh Monument at New Deer.