Tolquhon Castle (pronounced: "toh-hon", and sometimes spelt 'Tolquhoun') is located in Aberdeenshire, about 20 miles northwest of Aberdeen. The current castle was built by William Forbes from 1584-1589 to replace an earlier towerhouse known as Preston's Tower, which is still partly intact, forming the left-hand tower when viewed from in front of the gatehouse.
The castle features unusual gun ports in the towers adjacent to the entrance, a design which was subsequently used in Dean Castle. Also unusual is the stone tilework in the main hall.
A tale of two families
Aberdeenshire is graced by many historic castles, but Tolquhon is one of the most picturesque. It served as a noble residence for some 300 years. The oldest part is the stump of an early 15th-century tower house, probably built by one of the Prestons of Formartine, who once held the barony. However, the castle visitors can see today was built by Sir William Forbes, 7th Lord of Tolquhon. In 1584, he instigated a comprehensive rebuilding programme which, when completed six years later, gave to William and his spouse, Elizabeth, a house that was amongst the finest of its day.
The ‘auld’
A stone plaque beside the front entrance records: ‘AL THIS WARKE EXCEP THE AULD TOUR WAS BEGVN BE WILLIAM FORBES 15 APRILE 1584 AND ENDIT BE HIM 20 OCTOBER 1589’. The ‘old tower’ in question has long been known as Preston’s Tower. In 1420 William Forbes’s ancestor, Sir John Forbes, married Marjorie Preston, heiress of Sir Simon Preston, lord of Formatine. Preston’s Tower may well have been built around 1420 as a new family home for the couple.
The ‘new’
The new ‘warke’ (work) was built by William Forbes, 7th Lord, in the 1580s. It is a very picturesque castle, with an almost fairytale feel about it. William Forbes’s architect, Thomas Leiper, dispensed with the more traditional tower-house design favoured by his predecessors and most of his contemporaries. Instead he adopted the idea of a rectangular, three-storey residential block complemented by other ranges of buildings grouped around a central courtyard. This arrangement provided the lord and lady with a more horizontal form of living than was achievable in the old tower house.
One innovation was the provision of galleries (indoor recreation spaces) on the first floor of the west and north ranges, accessible from the family’s private apartment in the south block. Beyond the courtyard, Sir William had a formal garden and a large walled pleasance built, to complement the house itself.
A house for the dead
William Forbes not only built himself a nice house. He also had a burial vault built in the nearby parish church in Tarves village. The Tolquhon Tomb (also in Historic Scotland’s care) is one of the best examples of Scotland’s so-called ‘Glorious Tombs’ of the Jacobean age. The tomb is finely decorated. Its features include beguiling stone effigies of William Forbes and Elizabeth Gordon. William Forbes was laid to rest there in 1596.
Aberdeenshire is graced by many historic castles, but Tolquhon is one of the most picturesque. It served as a noble residence for some 300 years. The oldest part is the stump of an early 15th-century tower house, probably built by one of the Prestons of Formartine, who once held the barony. However, the castle visitors can see today was built by Sir William Forbes, 7th Lord of Tolquhon. In 1584, he instigated a comprehensive rebuilding programme which, when completed six years later, gave to William and his spouse, Elizabeth, a house that was amongst the finest of its day.
The ‘auld’
A stone plaque beside the front entrance records: ‘AL THIS WARKE EXCEP THE AULD TOUR WAS BEGVN BE WILLIAM FORBES 15 APRILE 1584 AND ENDIT BE HIM 20 OCTOBER 1589’. The ‘old tower’ in question has long been known as Preston’s Tower. In 1420 William Forbes’s ancestor, Sir John Forbes, married Marjorie Preston, heiress of Sir Simon Preston, lord of Formatine. Preston’s Tower may well have been built around 1420 as a new family home for the couple.
The ‘new’
The new ‘warke’ (work) was built by William Forbes, 7th Lord, in the 1580s. It is a very picturesque castle, with an almost fairytale feel about it. William Forbes’s architect, Thomas Leiper, dispensed with the more traditional tower-house design favoured by his predecessors and most of his contemporaries. Instead he adopted the idea of a rectangular, three-storey residential block complemented by other ranges of buildings grouped around a central courtyard. This arrangement provided the lord and lady with a more horizontal form of living than was achievable in the old tower house.
One innovation was the provision of galleries (indoor recreation spaces) on the first floor of the west and north ranges, accessible from the family’s private apartment in the south block. Beyond the courtyard, Sir William had a formal garden and a large walled pleasance built, to complement the house itself.
A house for the dead
William Forbes not only built himself a nice house. He also had a burial vault built in the nearby parish church in Tarves village. The Tolquhon Tomb (also in Historic Scotland’s care) is one of the best examples of Scotland’s so-called ‘Glorious Tombs’ of the Jacobean age. The tomb is finely decorated. Its features include beguiling stone effigies of William Forbes and Elizabeth Gordon. William Forbes was laid to rest there in 1596.
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