Castle Forbes is a Grade B listed building in the Aberdeenshire local planning authority area, Scotland. First listed on 16 April 1971.
Castle Forbes
- WRENN ID
- forbidden-rood-sorrel
- Grade
- B
- Local Planning Authority
- Aberdeenshire
- Constituency
- Gordon and Buchan MP: Harriet Cross (Con)
- Country
- Scotland
- Date first listed
- 16 April 1971
- OS grid reference
- NJ 621 191
- Coordinates
- 57.26125, -2.62914
- Source
- Historic Environment Scotland listing
Description
Castle Forbes is a Baronial and Tudor-inspired mansion house built between 1815 and 1821. The design was by Archibald Simpson, though John Smith completed the north staircase after difficulties arose. The house is constructed of squared granite with relatively simple detailing. A prominent feature is the four-storey circular tower at the southwest angle, which is battlemented. A later central porch has been removed, and the ground floor windows of the southeastern bay have been remodelled, along with recent internal alterations.
The interior is of a simple classical style with distinctive detail and joinery. A square south staircase is notable for its coffered cove and dome, while the north staircase is elliptical.
References associated with Castle Forbes include accounts from John Smith, mentions in the Spalding Club publication, and the Aberdeen Press and Journal from March 27th, 1955. A view of the house appears in Neale’s “Seats”.
Local climate
Castle Forbes receives an average of 890 mm of rain a year. This makes it wetter than 66% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 99% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 60 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 98% of listed buildings. Of these, 41 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.
Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
More on this building
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- No EPC on record for this property
- No sale records on file
- No related consent applications matched
- Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
- Flood risk assessment
- Radon risk assessment
- Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
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