Beaufort Castle

Beaufort Castle

A large Scottish Baronial mansion designed by J M Wardrop in 1880, probably incorporating earlier fabric. The building was significantly altered and restored following a fire in 1937, with work to the drawing room wing and entrance hall carried out by Reginald Fairlie in 1938.

The castle is mainly three storeys with an attic, constructed in tooled red sneck course ashlar with polished ashlar dressings. The main entrance is positioned to the right (east) of the south elevation, reached by a shallow flight of steps at the centre of a large square tower rising six storeys. A flanking drum tower projects at the east. The tower features a corbelled and crenellated wallhead with a corbelled and canted oriel window set high in the centre of its south front. To the left (west) of the main entrance is a further two-storey canted bay window in the lower block, adjoining a five-storey square tower at the south-west angle with a corbelled attic storey and angle bartizans.

A three-storey, three-bay drawing room wing extends to the east, with the first floor drawing room lit by three large windows in the south elevation. This wing is served by a round-headed garden entrance in the east gable leading to balustraded flight steps. Heavy angle buttresses topped by bartizans with conical roofs flank the east gable and stairs.

The chapel wing is situated at the north-west, featuring a bell turret on the west gable, a rose window with geometric tracery and an apex cross. The roofs are of slate with corniced ridge and end stacks. Fenestration is mainly multi-pane glazing with varied window styles, some pedimented dormers rising from the wallhead, and a cast and wrought iron weather vane initialled SL. The south and east fronts are enclosed by a high coped walled garden with wrought iron double gates at south and east. A service court at the west is enclosed by a high crenellated wall entered through a round-headed archway topped by a birdcage bellcote.

Interior

The principal rooms are arranged on the first floor. The entrance hall contains a stone staircase leading to the first floor hall and landing, from which opens an inner hall (in turn leading to the chapel) and the drawing room. The drawing room features a high, simple coved ceiling with cornice, a carved chimney piece and dado. A wide and shallow principal staircase of polished wood with turned wooden balusters rises from the first to second floor. The "Blue room" contains an early nineteenth-century white marble chimney piece with a mantel shelf supported by fluted shafts and a carved centre panel.

The chapel occupies the first floor, rising two storeys in height, and is lit by long pointed-headed windows in the north elevation. It is accessed from the landing via the inner hall and also by a staircase direct from the north doorway. The entrance features pointed-headed double-leaf plank doors. A carved white marble reredos and altar stand against the west gable (liturgical east), with outer and centre crocketted pinnacles flanking carved panels and supported by kneeling angels. The ceiling is high and timber ribbed, with triple pointed-headed entrances at the north-west under a continuous hoodmould leading to the sacristy.

The chapel functions as a private Roman Catholic chapel and ecclesiastical building in active liturgical use. Beaufort Castle is the hereditary seat of the Frasers of Lovat. The present mansion replaced and may incorporate a "neat box" originally built on the site to house the factor of the forfeited estate after the earlier mansion was destroyed by fire in 1746. Remains of the earlier Castle Downie survive to the south-east, linked to the drawing room wing by a length of walling.