Lickleyhead Castle facts for kids
Lickleyhead Castle is a very old and well-kept castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It was built around the year 1600. You can find it near the village of Auchleven, by the Gadie Burn river. This castle is designed in a special "L-plan" shape.
History of Lickleyhead Castle
The land where Lickleyhead Castle stands first belonged to a family called Clan Leslie. But in the 1200s, a man named William Leith bought it. He was an important person in Aberdeen, like a mayor, and had been "Provost of Aberdeen" twice.
The Leith family owned the castle for many years. In 1625, Patrick Leith sold it to William Forbes of Leslie. People think William Forbes helped restore parts of the castle.
Later, the Hay family owned the house for a while, starting in the late 1600s.
In 1723, Patrick Duff bought the castle. He and his son added a new part to the castle. They also changed the inside of the building. More changes were made in the 1820s by Henry Lumsden. He bought the castle from the Ogilvy-Maitland family.
Lickleyhead Castle was once the main home for the important families of Premney.
In 1922, Don Guillermo de Landa y Escandon bought the castle. He was the Governor of Mexico City. He bought it for his daughter, Maria Luiz, when she married a member of the Leslie family. The famous actress Rose Leslie lived at Lickleyhead Castle when she was young. She is Maria Luiz's great-granddaughter. The castle was sold in 2018. Today, the Davies family owns Lickleyhead Castle.
What the Castle Looks Like
Lickleyhead Castle has a main building that runs from east to west. A wing sticks out to the south, protecting two sides of the castle.
On the north side of the main building, there are two-story towers. These towers are supported by special stone brackets called "corbels." The top floors of these towers have oval windows.
There's also a round stair tower that sticks out from the west side. It also uses corbels to become square at the top. This tower leads to a special watch-room in the wing. The castle has "crow-stepped gables," which are stair-shaped ends on the roof. The castle walls are covered in a rough plaster called "harling," and the roof is made of slate.
The main tower of the castle is three stories tall. It also has an attic and a small room at the very top called a garret. While it doesn't have big openings for guns, it does have twelve small holes for shooting. You can also see decorative stone carvings above the windows.
Inside, the basement has a vaulted ceiling. This means the ceiling is curved like an arch. The basement has a kitchen and a cellar, which get light from narrow windows. You enter the castle through the main entrance on the south side. Narrow spiral stairs lead up to the first floor. After that, you use the stair tower to go higher. The castle also has a wonderful main hall.
Lickleyhead Castle is considered a "Category A listed building." This means it's a very important historic building that needs to be protected.
