Scotianostra

Castle of the Day,Castle Monzie, Perthshire.

Pronounced Mun-ee) a Gaelic word meaning field of corn.  

Margaret Scott, heiress of Monzie, deeded three-quarters of the lands in 1613 to her son, James Graeme, who later built a house on the property. It may have incorporated an earlier fortification as some of the walls around the estate are of an older age. 

The oldest part of the castle is a 17th century tower house which was incorporated into a large, castellated mansion in the late 18th century. Owned by Grahams then Campbells, in 1856 it was bought by the Crichton family, who still live there today, Mrs Crichton herself is known to give visitors a private tour, although she doesn’t allow photography inside. 

The arms of the Campbell and Graham families are carved on the date stone. In the interior is an impressive fireplace, also dated 1634, which features a large lintel carved with swags and a coat of arms. After a fire in the early 1900′s the castle was restored by Sir Robert Lorimer, who also restored yesterdays castle , Dunderave.

The 18th century mansion was built by architect John Patterson, and rebuilt in 1909 by Sir Robert Lorimer. It is also 3 storeys high, with 34 corner towers and a 4 storey centre block. The interiors feature rich plasterwork, carved panelling, and a pair of marble fireplaces.

The only interior pics I could find of Monzie Castle are on Canmore’s site, this is the first floor dining room taken in 1976.

The Monzie estate is run as a business and has several buildings used as luxury accommodation, like this,, the  East Gatehouse Lodge, it’ll cost you up to £250 a night and sleeps four. 

The grounds and gardens are impressive and extensive and include the old  ruined Mid-Lodge Gatehouse. The estate has been generating their own electricity through a small scale hydro electric plant for the last 60 years.  

Monzie Castle is only open to the public for a short time each year in May and June, but they have been known to offer tours if contacted, normal entrance fee is £7 for adults, £1 for bairns.