Aboyne Castle

Rebuilt 1671; later additions and alterations; restoration in later 19th century by George Truefitt; remodelled Ian Begg, 1986. 3-storey, basement and attic, T-plan baronial tower house with angle tower to NW and 4-storey basement and attic tower to N. Harled and lime washed. Eaves course; crowstepped gables.

S ELEVATION: asymmetrical; 5-bay; small-pane glazed timber door off-centre to right of basement floor, irregular fenestration to flanking bays; irregular fenestration to principal floor; shouldered chimneybreast corbelled out off-centre to left through 2nd and 3rd floors breaking eaves; irregular fenestration to remaining floors.

E ELEVATION: symmetrical; gabled; regular fenestration to each floor.

N (ENTRANCE): asymmetrical; 3-bay; basement floor obscured by advanced boarded timber walkway. Gabled 4-storey tower to bay to left advanced with irregular fenestration, angle turrets; 3 regularly placed windows to 2nd, 3rd and 4th floors; ogee-roofed stair tower to re-entrant angle to right with weather-cock finial; decorative finely finished doorway to principal floor of left return, reached by stone steps and flanked to right by window; window to centre of each storey, with heraldic panel between 2nd and 3rd windows; ogee-roofed stair tower to re-entrant angle to left with decorative ironwork finial. Centre bay recessed, window off-centre to left off principal floor, regular fenestration to upper floors. Circular-plan 1671 tower advanced to bay to right, gabled upper storey corbelled out to form square-plan, irregular fenestration; stair tower to re-entrant angle to left.

W ELEVATION: 3-bay; asymmetrical; 2 gabled bays to right, window to centre of basement floor, regular fenestration to remaining bays, timber balcony to 3rd floor on timber brackets. Circular-plan 1671 tower advanced to bay to left, regular fenestration, gableted window breaking eaves to attic floor.

Variety of small-pane timber sash and case windows. Grey slate roof with tiled ridge. Coped, harled gablehead and wallhead stacks.

INTERIOR: not seen 1999.

GATEWAY, COURTYARD, BOUNDARY WALLS AND ANCILLARY STRUCTURE: harled wall with flat coping enclosing courtyard to N of castle. Round-arched gateway bearing Huntly coat of arms with angle bartizans to E of courtyard. Rectangular-plan ancillary structure to NE of courtyard, 4 basket-arched openings with boarded timber doors to ground floor, flanked to left by window, window to centre of 1st floor; boarded timber door to right of 1st floor reached by timber walkway; 3 regularly placed windows to left and right returns. Crowstepped gables; grey slate roof; gablehead stacks. Square-plan gatepiers to W of courtyard with coped necks and spherical finials, modern boarded timber 2-leaf gate. Rubble wall with rubble coping to SW incorporating flat-roofed structure to NW angle of castle. Rubble boundary wall extends to E of courtyard, incorporating ogee-roofed summerhouse.