Gordon Castle facts for kids
Gordon Castle is a very old and grand house in Moray, Scotland. You can find it close to a town called Fochabers. Long ago, it was known by a different name: the Bog-of-Gight. This castle was the main home for the powerful Dukes of Gordon. In the 1700s, it was made much bigger. It became one of the largest country houses ever built in Scotland! But over time, many parts of it were taken down.
A Look Back: Gordon Castle's Story
The first version of Gordon Castle was built a long, long time ago. It was started by George Gordon, 2nd Earl of Huntly in the 1470s. Later, his grandson, George Gordon, 1st Marquess of Huntly, made it even bigger. Records from 1648 show that the castle had fancy beds and even a special cage for a parrot!
Making the Castle Grand
In 1764, famous architect John Adam and French architect Abraham Roumieu were asked to redesign the castle. But their plans didn't happen. Instead, another architect from Edinburgh, John Baxter, took over. He rebuilt the castle in 1769 for Alexander Gordon, 4th Duke of Gordon.
The new castle was huge! It had a main part that was four stories tall. This main part included an even older, six-story tower called the Bog-of-Gight. On each side of the main building, there were two-story wings. The front of the castle was super long, about 173 meters (568 feet)!
Changes Over Time
Later, after the 7th and 8th Dukes of Gordon passed away, there were big taxes to pay. To cover these costs, the family had to sell most of their land. They owned about 73,000 hectares (180,000 acres)!
Most of the castle's valuable items were sold. Then, much of the castle itself was taken down. But don't worry, some parts still stand today! The old 16th-century tower, Bog-of-Gight, is still there. One of the wings also survived. It's now a beautiful country house on its own.
