Newton Castle is a mid-16th century Z-plan tower house which latterly served as the seat of the Macpherson clan.

The first castle at Newton is thought to have been built in the early 14th century, when the lands of Newton of Blair were a possession of Scone Abbey. Around 1550 George Drummond of Flaskhill and Ledcrief bought the lands of Newton of Blair from Patrick Hepburn, Bishop of Moray and Commendator of Scone.

In June 1554 George and his younger son, William, were murdered by the lairds of Gormack, Ardblair, Drumlochy, Clayquhat and Knockmachar and eighty retainers while “playand at the rowbowlis” “in ye hie mercate gate, behybde ye Kirke of Blair”.

George was succeeded by his eldest son, also George, who is thought to have built the main part of the present castle. The castle consists of a three storey and attic rectangular tower aligned approximately south-west to north-east, with a round tower at the west corner and a square tower at the east corner forming a Z-plan. The basement of the round tower is vaulted and the walls of the castle are up to 2.4m thick in places.

The castle is marked on Pont’s late-16th century map as Newton of Blair.

The castle was sacked by both Montrose and Cromwell in the mid-17th century and in 1745 was garrisoned by the Duke of Cumberland’s cavalry on their march north.

In the 18th century the castle belonged to the Grahams of Balgowan who in 1788 sold it to Colonel Allan Macpherson. The castle has remained in the Macpherson clan ever since and is the seat of the current clan chief.

Legend has it that Newton Castle is connected to Ardblair Castle by a tunnel, however this seems unlikely given the distance of over a kilometre. However in 1911 a subterranean vault was discovered close to the round tower which may represent part of the earlier castle.