Udny Castle facts for kids
Udny Castle is a historic tower house in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is located southwest of the village of Pitmedden. You can also find it northeast of the small area called Udny Green. The land around the castle is mostly flat. But the castle itself is built on the highest ground. This means you can see it from a long distance away.
We don't know the exact year Udny Castle was built. However, its first parts likely date back to the late 1300s or early 1400s. Over time, more floors were added. A large, newer extension was also built. This part was later taken down. Today, Udny Castle is a very important listed building.
History of Udny Castle
Udny Castle stands on the highest point in a mostly flat area. This makes it visible from far away. The exact date it was built is not known. But the Udny family likely built it first. This was probably in the 1300s or 1400s. The castle is first mentioned in old records. These records are from the time of David II of Scotland.
Some experts thought the castle was built later. They suggested the late 1500s or early 1600s. However, the thick walls and how the upper floors are shaped suggest it's much older. Building the main part of the castle took over 100 years. Three different owners worked on it. People say it "ruined them all."
The Udny family also owned another castle. It was called Knockhall Castle. They lived there until 1734. That year, Knockhall Castle was destroyed by fire. The family then moved back to Udny Castle. A person known as Jamie Fleeman was the Laird's (owner's) fool. He helped save important family papers from the fire.
The castle was left empty around 1775. Then, repair work was done in 1801.
Colonel John Robert Fullerton Udny became the owner in 1802. He had been an army officer. But he stopped working in the army in 1812. He then married Emily Fitzhugh. The Colonel mostly lived in London. He only visited Udny Castle sometimes. The couple had one son, John Augustus Udny. But he died without marrying in 1859. The Colonel's wife died in 1846. He married Ann Allat in 1854. They had a son, John Henry Udny, born in 1853. There was a legal case about whether John Henry could inherit the castle. The Colonel wanted to fix up the castle. But he could not afford it. This was "chiefly due to his connection with the turf" (meaning horse racing).
The Colonel died in 1861. The court decided that John Henry could inherit the castle. This was because his parents married after he was born. This made him the legal heir.
In 1887, records show John Hay Udny owned the castle. It had been in the family for many centuries.
Small, round towers called Bartizans were added. This happened when an extra floor was built in the 1600s.
A large mansion house was added in 1874–75. It was designed by architect James Maitland Wardrop. This mansion was later taken down in the 1960s. Wardrop's son, Hew, was also an architect. He did some of the decoration work at the castle. He sadly died suddenly in 1887 while working there.
In 1964, work began to restore the original tower house. The mansion house was demolished. Historic Scotland officially recognized the castle. They listed it as a very important historic building in April 1971.
Architecture of Udny Castle
The walls of Udny Castle are very thick. They are about 8 feet (2.4 meters) wide. The main part of the castle is called a keep. It measures about 35 feet (10.7 meters) by 43 feet (13.1 meters). The outside of the building is covered in a rough plaster called harl. The castle is five storeys high. Its corner towers have decorative stone supports called corbels. Some of these are more fancy than others.
The castle has an arched entrance. It also has a basement with a curved, vaulted ceiling. The main hall is on the first floor. It stretches across the entire width of the castle. You reach it by a spiral staircase. The hall is about 27 feet (8.2 meters) by 21 feet (6.4 meters). Its vaulted ceiling is about 20 feet (6.1 meters) high. The hall's ceiling was decorated in a style called Jacobean. This was done during the Victorian era. Some of the plasterwork from Wardrop's design remains in the vaulted hall. The original fireplace from the castle was moved. It is now in Maryculter House.
