Forter Castle facts for kids
Forter Castle is an old castle found in Glenisla, Perthshire, Scotland. It was built a long time ago in 1560 by a person named James Ogilvy, who was the 5th Lord of Airlie. Sadly, the castle was burned down in 1640 by Archibald Campbell, 8th Earl of Argyll. But don't worry, it was rebuilt and brought back to life in the early 1990s!
This historic castle is located in the Angus area and is also part of the beautiful Cairngorms National Park. It's considered a special historic building by Historic Environment Scotland.
History of Forter Castle
Forter Castle was built in 1560 by James Ogilvy, the 5th Lord of Airlie. He built it as a "fortalice," which is a strong little fort. Its main job was to protect the important Balloch Pass route to Glenshee. This area needed protection because groups of raiders, called caterans, often caused trouble. Also, there were many arguments between clans, made worse by new religious ideas like Protestantism. So, the Ogilvy family needed a strong new home to keep them safe.
James Ogilvy's grandson, James Ogilvy, 7th Lord of Airlie, became the 1st Earl of Airlie in 1639. This was a special title given to him by King Charles II of England. In 1650, James refused to sign an important agreement called the National Covenant. Because of this, Archibald Campbell, the Duke of Argyll, burned Forter Castle down. He also burned Airlie Castle. After this, the Ogilvy family moved to Cortachy Castle.
Bringing the Castle Back to Life
In 1988, a person named Robert Pooley bought the castle. He decided to rebuild it and fill it with furniture, getting help from Scottish Heritage. The outside work took two years to finish. Workers carefully studied the old stones to figure out how the castle originally looked. They rebuilt it as a traditional L-shaped fortified house from the 1500s. The only big change they made was to make the main bedroom as big as the Great Hall.
After the outside was done, the inside was decorated. Robert Pooley's daughter, Katharine Pooley, designed the castle's interior. As of 2020, Katharine Pooley owned the castle. She and her husband sometimes used it themselves. Other times, people could rent the castle for holidays. The small chapel in the basement was even used for weddings! The rebuilt castle has all the comforts of today, but it still looks and feels like an old castle.
What Forter Castle Looks Like
Forter Castle is built in a special shape called an L-plan. It has a main rectangular part and a tower that sticks out from one corner. The main entrance is in this tower.
Inside, the ground floor of the main part used to have three vaulted rooms. A vault is a curved ceiling, like a tunnel. One of these rooms was the kitchen, and it had a very large fireplace. The main hall, where people would gather, was on the first floor. It also had a big fireplace. Above the hall, there were two more floors and an attic.
When the castle was rebuilt, it kept this L-shape. The ground floor now has two storage rooms and a kitchen. All these rooms have vaulted ceilings. The main hall is on the first floor. Above that, the second floor has a large master bedroom. The third floor has three more bedrooms. The kitchen in the basement is now where the old dungeon used to be. The castle has five floors in total, making it a tall and impressive building!
