It was an L-plan castle and featured a unique staircase in the square tower which made use of lamps in a central column with openings into the stairwell itself for illumination. The lamps could be raised and lowered by a chain.[1] The castle was three storeys with a garret.[2] The basement was vaulted, and it also had a drawbridge with gatehouse.[3]
It was built for William Forbes of Monymusk on the site of a former castle (probably a wooden motte and bailey) around 1661[4][1][5][6] as "the last fortified house in Scotland".[7] There is an inscription on the wall dated 17 June 1661.[8][9]
Following the death of Forbes in 1670 it fell into the possession of Leiths of Leith Hall.[2]
By 1820 the last resident of the castle, Captain Stewart, had died and the castle itself had lost its roof and became a ruin.[8][5]
20th and 21st century
It became a category B listed building on 24 November 1972, when it was recorded it was ruinous, the interior filled with debris, and the floors gone.[2]
In 1980, the castle and estate were purchased for about $25,000[citation needed] and restored by the City of Aberdeen architect David Carnegie Leslie at a cost of about $1 million.[citation needed] The castle's walls had collapsed and there were piles of rubble up to 8 feet (2.4 m) high, and tons of carved stone had been stolen over the years. A full-sized tree had also grown inside a collapsed parapet. The castle was restored using stone from 300-year-old cottages on a neighbouring estate that had also collapsed.[10] In July 1989, it was opened as a hotel with five bedrooms.[11] It was delisted in September 1989.[2]
In 1995, a Leslie Clan Gathering was held at Leslie Castle.[5]
In 2016 the castle opened again as Leslie Castle B&B and was listed for sale in 2017 when it was described by The Scotsman as a "fairytale castle" with 1.9 acres of land. The original kitchen was being used as a breakfast room with a large fire place, the second and third floor were the guest bedrooms, whilst the owner's rooms were on the fourth floor.[12]
Since 2018, the castle has been operating as a guesthouse run by John Andrea, but is also available for exclusive hire for events.[5][13]
References
^ ab"Leslie Castles". Clan Leslie Society International. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
^Somerset Fry, Plantagenet (2008). Castles : England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland : the definitive guide to the most impressive buildings and intriguing sites. Newton Abbot [England]: David & Charles. p. 154. ISBN9780715326923.
