Beldorney Castle

Beldorney Castle is a mid-16th century tower house which was built by the Gordon family.

The lands of Beldorney were part of the Drummond barony of Kethmor, centred on Auchindoun, which were in 1490 acquired by Sir James Ogilvy of Deskford. Sir James was married to Agnes Gordon, daughter of George Gordon, 2nd Earl of Huntly. Their son, Sir Alexander Ogilvy, later married Elizabeth Gordon, daughter of Adam Gordon, Dean of Caithness, and granddaughter of Alexander Gordon, 1st Earl of Huntly.

In 1545 Elizabeth’s brother, George Gordon, acquired Beldorney from his brother-in-law and is thought to have built the castle around 1550. Arranged on a Z-plan, the main block is rectangular with a square tower to the north-west and a round tower known as the Dog Tower to the south-east.

Two wings were added in the 17th century, projecting west from the north and south corners of the west façade. The west ends of the wings are joined by a wall and gate dated 1678, enclosing a courtyard within.

Towards the end of the 19th century a further wing was added, projecting north from the square corner tower and its attached western wing.

The castle underwent a programme of restoration in the 1980s and was further modernised between 2015 and 2021.