Eden Castle

Presumed built by Meldrum landowners in the early 16th century, this ruined stone tower house is situated on the east bank of the Deveron, about four miles (6.4 kms) south of Banff. It was renovated in a Z-plan by a later owner, George Leslie, in 1676–77 (the date is carved on some parts of the castle). Buildings which once adjoined the north side of the main block were later demolished.

The original plan seems to have comprised a main, central building with two towers at diagonally opposite corners. The south-west tower contained the entrance door and the original wide square staircase (later removed), with a small guardroom beneath. A turret (oriel) staircase, supported by a major corbel projecting from the corner, led from the landing of the main staircase to the upper floor. The basement of the main block contained two cellars, accessible by a private stair from the hall, and a passage (later removed) to the northern buildings. The basement was ringed with loopholes for muskets.

The first floor mainly comprised a dining hall measuring 34 by 19 feet (10.4 by 5.8 metres). At the north-west corner of the main building, a round tower might have marked a courtyard bounded by the northern additions. In 1712, ownership of Eden Castle transferred to William Duff, the Earl of Fife. In the late 19th century, the site was owned by Sir Mountstuart E. Grant Duff.

References

—David MacGibbon and Thomas Ross, 1887, The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland From the Twelfth to the Eighteenth Century, vol. 2. Edinburgh: David Douglas, pp. 272-273.

—‘Eden Castle’, Wikipedia.