Castle Stuart

Castle Stuart is a tower house dated 1625, with restorations and alterations by J M Wardrop and C Reid in 1869. The building varies in height between 4 to 6 storeys and is constructed of harled rubble with ashlar dressings. It features a long rectangular block facing south, flanked by square towers to the southwest and southeast, as well as two-storey square turrets with crowstepped gabled roofs at the northwest and northeast angles.

The original entrance is located at the base of the southwest re-entrant angle, while the principal entrance, added in 1869, is off-centre in a recessed irregular three-bay south front, complete with moulded door jambs and a blind panel recess above. The six-storey southwest tower has a crenellated wall-head from 1869, with round corbelled angles and water spouts. A stair turret projects above the crenellated wall-head, topped with a finialled ogee open crown spire. The southeast tower rises four storeys and features a steeply pitched crowstepped roof with end stacks and corbelled angle turrets that have conical roofs.

There are long rounded narrow stair towers in the east and west re-entrant angles, corbelled out at first-floor height. The ground floor includes gun loops and slit vents, while the upper floors have regular fenestration, with many windows enlarged and regularised during the 1869 restoration. Some windows are set under shaped pediments, also from 1869. The building has multi-pane glazing, end and wallhead coped stacks, and local slate roofs.

Inside, the original floor plan mostly survives, although a later staircase was inserted in 1869 to service the principal entrance. A scale and plat stair in the southwest tower leads to the first-floor hall, while upper storeys are served by mural wheel stairs. The first-floor hall features a plain original chimney piece, while most other interiors date to 1869, including extensive panelling. The turret rooms were converted to bathrooms in the late 1970s.

The gate piers, likely from the later 19th century (probably 1869), consist of a pair of panelled polished ashlar square gate piers with corniced caps and ornate urn finials. These are linked by a decorative wrought-iron overthrow that incorporates the Moray monogram and coronet as a central motif, along with matching cast and wrought iron carriage gates.