Kilcoy Castle facts for kids
Kilcoy Castle is an old castle from the 1600s. It's located in Scotland, on a place called the Black Isle, near the towns of Muir of Ord and Tore. This castle is special because of its unique "Z" shape, which was a popular design for castles back then. It's a really interesting piece of history!
A Look Back in Time
The building of Kilcoy Castle started a long time ago, possibly around 1580. The Stewart family began its construction. Later, a man named Alexander Mackenzie helped finish the castle around 1618. He became the owner after marrying the widow of Sir James Stewart of Kilcoy.
The castle and its lands stayed with the Mackenzie family for many years. This continued until 1883, when Sir Evan Mackenzie, 2nd Baronet passed away. His oldest daughter then inherited the castle.
Restoring the Castle
Over time, the castle became quite run down. It was in a ruined state during the late 1700s and 1800s. But in 1891, architects named Ross and McBeth worked to restore it. They added a new four-story section to the north side of the castle, bringing it back to life.
How It Was Built
Kilcoy Castle is a type of building called a Z-plan tower house. This means it has a main rectangular building with two towers sticking out from opposite corners, making a "Z" shape.
The castle has five floors. It also has two round towers at its corners. The roof is made of slate and has special steps on the gables, which are called crow-stepped gables. There are also windows that stick out from the roof, known as dormer-head windows, which were likely added later in the 1600s. You can also see many small openings called gun loops. These were used for defense, allowing people inside to fire weapons safely.
Kilcoy Castle Today
Today, Kilcoy Castle is owned by relatives of the original Stewart family who first started building it. The castle's gardens are sometimes open for people to visit through the Scotland’s Gardens Scheme.
The castle is mainly used for good causes, like helping charities. It often hosts events for different Christian and local charity groups.
