Towie Castle facts for kids

Towie Castle was an old castle from the 1600s. It was a type of building called a tower house. You could find it about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) southwest of Kildrummy in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It stood near the River Don.

The Castle's Past

Towie Castle belonged to a powerful family known as Clan Forbes. Some people think there might have been an even older castle on the same spot before this one was built.

A Famous Old Story

Towie Castle is linked to a very old and famous Scottish song called the ballad of Edom o Gordon. This song tells a sad story about a castle being burned down. In the ballad, a man named Adam Gordon of Auchindoun is said to have set fire to a castle. Sadly, Lady Forbes, her children, and many others inside died in the fire.

However, it's important to know that this story is also often told about another castle, Corgarff Castle. So, while Towie Castle is part of the legend, it's not certain if this event truly happened there.

Building and Changes

The castle we know as Towie Castle was built sometime after the year 1618. It's believed that it was never fully finished. Over time, parts of the castle were changed or removed. For example, in 1788, it's said that its secret tunnels and defensive walls, called battlements, were taken away.

What Happened to the Castle?

Sadly, not much of Towie Castle is left today. Its ruins were removed in 1968. The very last parts of the castle were cleared away by the Grampian Regional Council in the 1980s.

How Towie Castle Looked

Towie Castle was built in a special shape known as an L-plan tower house. This means it looked like the letter 'L' from above. It had three floors.

Special Features of the Castle

The castle had small, round towers called bartizans that stuck out from the walls. These were supported by stone brackets called corbels. They were often used for defense.

Originally, the main part of Towie Castle was a long, rectangular building. Over time, only a few parts remained. By 1942, just the cellar at the western end and a tower sticking out from the east side of the south front were still standing. The way these remaining stone walls were built looks like typical castle construction from the 1500s or 1600s.