Craigievar Castle in the Autumn Overview

Craigievar Castle reopened in May 2010 after extensive conservation work to the exterior of the building. This fine example of Scottish Baronial architecture is one of the best-preserved tower houses in Scotland. Its permanent collection contains fine family portraits and a superb collection of 20th-century ceramics, incuding pieces by Michael Cardew, Hans Coper, Bernard Leach and Lucy Rie.

A castle existed on the site from the 14th century, but the building as it appears today was begun in 1610. In 1626 The Great Tower was built by William Forbes, and from that time it has been lived in by the Forbes and Forbes-Sempill family.

The castle was bought by a consortium in 1963 and donated to The National Trust For Scotland. Its large estate features woodland and parkland with magnificent specimen trees.

Art Funded works

The castle houses a collection of 20 portraits of the Forbes-Semphill family, which were Art Funded in 1990 for the National Trust for Scotland with a contribution of £5,000 towards the total of £40,000.