Balgonie Castle

Balgonie Castle is a substantial courtyard castle dating from the late 14th and early 15th centuries, with significant additions and alterations spanning the 16th and 17th centuries. The castle's development reflects several phases of construction and improvement over more than 300 years.

The north-east range was probably built around 1496. The south section of the east range, which consists of two storeys and an attic, dates from the late 15th or early 16th century and was restored in the mid 17th century. During the 16th and 17th centuries, the castle received further additions including the top floor of the north range, built between 1635 and 1641, and a stair between the tower and hall designed by John Mylne Junior in 1666. The three-storey north section of the east range was erected in 1702, incorporating earlier work, and completed in 1706 when it was linked to the north range and an early 17th-century south-east block. Restoration of the castle commenced in 1971 and was continuing as of 1995.

The castle is built of ashlar with cubical and squared rubble, with stone quoins and margins. The buildings feature eaves courses and corbelled parapets with various window and door openings, including architraved doorcases, pointed arches, segmental arches, and trefoil-headed openings with voussoirs.

The north-west tower house is a four-storey structure with a crowstepped attic and vaulting at ground and first floor levels. Its south elevation features an arrow slit at ground level to the right and a segmental-headed narrow window at first floor level to the outer left, with windows to the left of centre at the third and fourth floors. The corbelled parapet is adorned with five large ornamental spouts and open bartizans. A later three-storey crowstepped stair tower stands to the right with a small window to the left at ground level and a window to the right (altered from a door), two windows at first floor, and two further windows at second floor above a small, centrally positioned painted tablet or blocked opening.

The north elevation of the tower displays trefoil-headed windows to the right and left of centre at first floor level. Two small openings serve the turnpike stair between floors to the outer left. A corbelled garderobe projects to the right of centre, with a window to the left at the third and fourth floors. The corbelled parapet features three large spouts, a projecting circular open bartizan to the right, and a small cap house to the left. A projecting stair tower to the left contains two windows.

The east elevation includes a timber door to the right of the stair tower at ground level in a roll-moulded doorcase, positioned below a large blinded segmental-headed opening. The north range abuts to the right. A window at the recessed fourth floor centre sits above the sloping roof of the stair tower, beneath a corbelled parapet with three large spouts, a cap house to the right, and a bartizan. The crowstepped gablehead features a stack behind the parapet.

The west elevation concentrates its elements close to the centre, with an arrow slit close to the ground and a small glazed opening above at ground floor level. The first floor has a small trefoil-headed window with further windows on each floor above. The corbelled parapet displays three long spouts with flanking open bartizans, and the crowstepped gablehead has a stack behind the parapet.

The roofless north range adjoins the tower house to the west. Its south elevation contains a vaulted ground floor with a low door to the right of centre leading to the chapel and a further door (leading to the former kitchen) and window (altered from a door) to the left, both with basket arches. A small window sits to the outer left. The first floor has two enlarged windows to the right of centre, a window to the left, and a small round-headed window to the outer left. An additional storey above remains derelict but shows evidence of wallhead stacks and a stepped, moulded eaves course incorporated into the bases of dormer windows. The north elevation contains a blocked door to the outer right and a window to the left at ground floor, with four large openings at first floor level.

The east range is complete to wallhead, with gables and stacks remaining. Its west elevation contains a two-storey block to the right abutting the curtain wall at the outer right, with a door to the left of centre and flanking windows, plus four irregular window openings at first floor. A three-storey four-bay block to the left abuts the north range at the outer left, featuring a door to the right with two windows to the left and a blinded door to the outer left, with regular bays above at both floors (smaller openings at second floor). The east elevation of the two-storey block shows a small opening at ground left and three irregular windows at first floor. The three-storey block to the left contains three windows at ground and first floor levels with a small window between floors, and four windows at second floor level. The west elevation (curtain wall) includes a derelict gatehouse to the outer right featuring a two-leaf timber gate in a segmental-headed entrance with a projecting vaulted round tower (guardroom) and a 15th-century prison to the left, and a further guardroom to the right. A pedestrian gate in a segmental-headed opening stands to the left of centre, with a wall (partially derelict) adjoining the tower to the outer left. The courtyard elevation of the gatehouse displays a wide segmental-headed opening flanked by timber doors. The south elevation (curtain wall) features a wide segmental-headed gateway to the right of centre below a large blinded opening of similar form. The crowstepped gable of the south-east range, with a blocked window to the left in the gablehead, stands to the outer right.

The interior reveals a vaulted chapel and workshops with a large fireplace to the west in the north range. A timber scale and platt stair occupies the stair tower. The tower house contains a large room on each floor. The ground floor is vaulted and was originally accessed by a ladder from the first floor. The first floor served as the Great Hall, originally entered through a north door approximately 4 metres above ground with a moveable timber forestair. It features cusped windows and window seats but no fireplace, though two small ventilation shafts are present. A turnpike stair in the north-east angle provides access to the upper floors. The second floor, known as the Lairds hall, has a large fireplace. The third floor also contains a fireplace to the north, with a fragmentary armorial panel in plaster dating from the 17th century.

Boundary walls and gatepiers of coped rubble are extant, with pyramidal coped gatepiers. A squared rubble wellhead with a circle of stone sets survives.