Craigston Castle

Craigston Castle is a 5-storey tower house (4 storeys to the east), dated 1604–7 and probably designed by John Bell of the Aberdeenshire family of masons. The building was constructed by John Urquhart (1547–1631), youngest son of Alexander Urquhart of Cromarty, who owned the lands of Craigston from at least 1597. A plaque recording the completion date reads: "THIS VARK FOVNDIT YE FOVTINE OF MARCH ANE THOVSAND SEX HUNDER FOVR ZEIRIS AND ENDIT YE 8 OF DECEMBER 1607". The Urquhart family have remained in continuous possession for approximately 400 years.

The castle is orientated east–west with its entrance at the west, and is constructed of pink harled rubble with Turriff sandstone ashlar dressings, margins, and pronounced angle quoins. Two-storey wings projecting north and south (constructed 1746–63) enclose narrow service courts. A central porch was added 1834–6 by John Smith of Aberdeen with Tudoresque Baronial detailing and a round-headed entrance. Flanking the porch are plaques recording the arms of John Urquhart (1537–1631) and a datestone for the central tower block of 1604–7.

The west front adopts a U-plan with advanced wings rising to link a supporting wallhead balcony with an ornately corbelled arch carved frontage. The underside of the arch vault reveals a simulated painted ribbed vault, original and rare. Square corbelling at outer angles marks the intended location for bartizans that were never constructed. A balustraded central platform crowns the roof space between gables. The flanking wings are 2-storey and 4-bay, with windows grouped in pairs.

The east garden front presents a 4-bay frontage with long first floor windows and very small lights below the wallhead; fenestration is regular, with windows at the southeast corner separated more widely from the closely grouped other three bays. The 2-storey, 3-bay wings repeat vestigial bartizan corbelling.

Throughout the castle, multi-pane glazing is set in timber sash and case windows. End stacks from 1604–7 feature deep moulded cornices. Crowstepped gables and a crenellated stringcourse run across the north, south, and west gables. In the south courtyard, panels display the royal arms and those of Seton; parallel wings of the courtyard are linked by a short wall with a centre entrance, above which is a re-used dormer pediment, possibly from Cromarty Castle (16th and 17th centuries).

A structure known as the "Chapel" (1766–76) incorporates earlier work. It is a long single-storey building of 2 rooms, linked to the north service court by a wall pierced by an entrance. The structure is pink harled with red Turriff dressings, has a slate roof with flat skews, run-off skewputts, and apex ball finials.

The interior features a main stair leading directly to the first floor. The first floor contains the original Great Hall, which was divided into an Ante Room and Drawing Room in the mid-18th century and re-decorated in the early 19th century. An unusual profusion of remarkable carved wooden panels is set in doors and window shutters of the Ante Room, Drawing Room, and Lobby; these are probably of 17th-century origin.

The Drawing Room was re-decorated by John Smith (1834–36) with deep coffered ceilings, carved skirting, doorcases, and other woodwork, and contains a white marble chimneypiece. The Ante Room retains a pink granite chimneypiece.

The Dining Room, probably completed in 1763 in the northwest wing, features a chimneypiece and cornice of that date, though proportions and cornice were later marred to accommodate a new lobby and pantry.

The second floor was remodelled in the later 18th century to accommodate bedrooms. The Red or South Room features a fine pink and white Islay marble chimneypiece.