Scotland 2025: Crathes Castle and Gardens

Built for the Burnett family of Leys in the 16th century, on land originally granted by King Robert the Bruce back in 1323, Crathes Castle was initially a Baroque/Renaissance styled tower house that mixed a strong, solid defensive structure at its base with increasingly decorative detailing on its upper levels. Construction of the castle was initiated in 1553 by Alexander Burnett, 9th Laird of Leys and his wife Janet Hamilton.

In the 18th century, a 3-storey projecting wing was added to provide more living space. When it burned down in 1966, the current 2-storey structure was built, completing its L-shape form. Reopened in 1970 and named “The Queen Anne Wing”, it houses the visitor centre, ticket office and gift shop. The extension is covered with deep red, yellow and green tinted ivy that grew naturally and now gives the castle an atmospheric feel while softening and protecting the stonework. The Burnett clan lived in Crathes Castle for over 350 years before donating it and the extensive grounds and gardens of the estate to the National Trust of Scotland in 1951. 

The original tower has pinkish, harled (stone-roughed) walls and winding stair turrets. It is decorated with crow-stepped gables, pinnacles, gargoyles and waterspouts, paneling depicting heraldry, and a clock at the top of a crenulated bartizan (small overhanging protrusion supported by corbels). A couple of small turret bartizans project from the corners of the tower. These were originally created for defensive purposes as lookouts with narrow arrow slits for shooting at oncoming attackers. Ornate string courses (decorative bands of masonry bricks) frame some windows, the base of the turrets, and the clock.

For the most part, touring Crathes Castle involved visiting the old portions within the original tower which spans around six levels including the basement where the kitchen and servants’ hall is found. Some of the rooms are on staggered “half levels” so the total number of floors in the castle is up for interpretation. A virtual tour of Crathes Castle includes an expandable 3-D “dollhouse view” which allows you to envision where the rooms are relative to each other. Traversing the tower involved climbing uneven, windy steps around narrow turrets. The stairs were so steep that in some places, a thick vertical cord was provided for you to grasp before trying to descend. We visited the rooms in the castle from bottom to top.

At the lowest level were two examples of kitchens. The first kitchen dated back to 16^th century with a massive fireplace and a wrought-iron chimney hook for hanging heavy cauldrons. The second kitchen was built in the 18^th century and featured more modern (for the times) cooking apparatus including a coal-fired cast‑iron range. 

Moving on to the first (ground) level, the High Hall or Great Hall was considered the most important room in the tower when it was built between 1553 to 1596.  At the time, it was used as a communal living space for socializing during the day, as a dining room in the evening, and sleeping quarters at night. The hall has evolved over the centuries, blending Renaissance elements with Victorian updates. During WWII, the room was used as a dormitory for injured soldiers. Today, it has a vaulted ceiling with tempura-painted images in wall insets, an ornate fireplace, three sets of chandeliers, antique furnishings, family portraits on the walls and interesting decorations scattered throughout.

The 16th Century Italian, stone fireplace has carvings of caryatids (sculpted, draped female figures serving as architectural supports) on either side. Sitting framed above the fireplace is Crathes Castle’s greatest treasure. It is the Horn of Leys, a horn presented around 1323 by Robert the Bruce to Alexander Bernard, the first Burnett of Leys. The king awarded Bernard the title of Royal Forester as thanks for his support during the Wars of Independence. The horn is made of ivory and precious stones and depicts a boar’s head holding a cup. 

A suit of armour sits in the centre of three insets in the wall above the fireplace. Not much is known about it but it is possibly Middle Eastern chain mail purchased as a souvenir by a Laird during a grand tour. In the two flanking insets are tempura paintings of heraldry. The left refers to Alexander Burnett, the 9th Laird, depicting the Burnett coat of arms (3 sprigs of holly above a horn) attached to the Hamilton coat of arms (small 5-leaved flowers) for his wife Janet Hamilton. In the right inset is again the Burnett coat of arms, this time tied to the Gordon coat of arms, for Katherine Gordon, wife of the 10th Laird (also named Alexander!). A beautiful lampshade was hand-inscribed by Catherine Burnett Ramsey and sits on a base that is a 17th century Majolica ceramic depicting the form of Medusa.

Just outside the High Hall is the Stone Hall, possibly named because the floors and walls seemed to be made of stone. It was once a withdrawing room for the Burnett family to have a private space away from the bustle of the High Hall. There is a roped off set of stairs that once connected directly to the kitchen, allowing food to be brought up for serving. Today, the room is used to display arms and armoury, some dating back to 18th and 19th centuries and some replicas. The oldest weapon is a two-handed Scottish Claymore sword with a long German blade.  Other items hanging from the walls include various shorter swords and daggars, pistols, flint-lock rifles, and a kukri (a short knife with a curved blade). There are some original chairs including one with “AB” carved on it for Alexander Burnett along with his coat of arms of three Holly leaves and a horn. Another chair has “KG” carved in it for Katherine Gordon.

On the next floors are rooms with “painted ceiling” beams and rafters created around 1597-1602, likely commissioned by Katherine Gordon. Inspired by German or Flemish etchings, the beams depict images of flowers, heroes, deities, royalty, and biblical or moral verses, with each room having a different theme. The images have been restored to revive their colours in three of the four rooms. 

The Muses Room focuses on the Nine Muses who were patrons of arts and sciences (theatre, dance, poetry, music, astronomy, etc.) and Four Virtues (Prudence, Justice, Faith and Hope). Probably considered the Music room, several musical instruments are found here including a harp and mandolin from the 19th century and a "square piano" with strings running horizontally in a long rectangular case. A large 18th century tapestry hangs on the wall and various decorations are found in display cases including Majolica vases, a pretty fan, playing cards and more.

The Green Lady’s Room is a large room on an upper floor that is best known for its reputation of being haunted by a ghostly woman in a green dress carrying a baby. Legend has it that she was a servant girl who gave birth out of wedlock and hid the baby. During renovations in 1824, the bones of a woman and newborn were found under the hearthstone of the fireplace, fueling this story. The room seems to be divided into two parts.  One side of the room is dominated by two large Flemish tapestries depicting landscape scenes with greenish hues that add to the atmosphere and mystery of the room. On the other side is a set of children’s furniture, a baby walker, and a cradle. 

This is the second room featuring the painted ceiling beams. In this room, many of the beams are decorated with floral designs and curlicues while a few of them are painted with images of noblemen and women. Biblical quotes and proverbs can be found on the sides of the beams. If you look long enough, you an also find the images of a goat’s head, a dragon with a long tongue, a heart-shaped necklace, and a flower.

The Worthies Room is yet another room with the painted tempura ceiling beams, but this time depicting the Nine Worthies—three legendary heroes from pagan (Hector, Alexander the Great, and Julius Caesar), Jewish (Joshua, King David, Judas Maccabeus) and Christian (King Arthur, Charlemagne, Godfrey of Boullion) traditions. The beams also depict painted inscriptions and verse introducing each of the figures while describing their deeds and moral lessons.

The Stair Chamber is a small room accessed at the turnpike of one of the spiral staircases. It is notable as yet another room that had timber painted Renaissance beams, but in this case, the beams have been left untouched and unrestored. Most of the painted images have faded but faint biblical inscriptions remain including moral texts on faith and virtue.  

The Laird’s Bedroom features an impressive 1594 carved-oak four-poster bed with a canopy that was commissioned for the wedding of Alexander and Katherine, with their heraldry and initials carved into it. A carving of a face can be found on the each of the intricately carved front posts. The bedspread and the cushion on the stool at the foot of the bed both are examples of crewel embroidery featuring raised, textured designs of flowers created using 2-ply woolen thread stitched on top of woven linen.

The Long Gallery is found on the top floor (attic) and spans the entire length of the tower. It was used by the family as an exercise room for indoor walking, as well a space for entertaining favoured guests and a place for displaying the family’s portraits, art and furnishings. The ornate oak-paneled plaster ceiling is decorated with colourful heraldic shields including one representing Alexander Burnett and Katherine Gordon, as well as shields for other nobles such as the Marquis of Hamilton and the Bishop of Salisbury.

Crathes Castle’s estate and grounds extend over 530 acres including woodland walking trails, diverse wildlife, a walled garden, a large croquet lawn, a terrace for viewing, and a vast variety of trees, shrubs and flowers. Considered one of the finest in Scotland, the 4-acre walled garden started off as a kitchen garden centuries ago and evolved over into an Arts and Crafts masterpiece. Yew trees planted back in the early 17th century were used to make dramatic enclosures separating garden “rooms” and to create ancient topiary hedges. One of the garden’s most iconic forms is the “Egg Cup Topiary”, where precisely clipped Irish yews are made to look like eggs sitting in egg holders. From the garden, you can get many spectacular views of the castle off in the distance while framed by beautiful plants and gardens in the foreground.

Eight Arts and Crafts sub-gardens or "rooms" each have a different theme and colour scheme.  These include gardens with surrounded by different coloured borders including ones made from white flowers, golden-yellow foliage, blue/pink floral combinations, and double herbaceous borders with colourful perennial beds.  There is a garden featuring a fountain surrounded by blue flowers, a red rose garden, an upper pool garden with exotic plants, and a garden with a bird-themed aviary border. Most of the gardens were designed in the early 20th century by Sir James and Lady Sybil Burnett, who selected the colour-themed borders, rare plants, pools and fountains with the goal of maintaining interesting flora all year round.

We visited Crathes Castle at the beginning of September and were impressed by how many different varieties of flowers were still in bloom. We saw some purple asters and red salvia that were big attractions for the monarch butterflies  A plant commonly known as “blood lies bleeding” has long dangling deep purple/red flowers with a velvety texture, and a cactus-like succulent with large green rosettes that resembled a large cabbage. There were also some yellow coneflowers, white African daisies, a tall spikey plant with flame-like orange flowers called kniphofia (or torch lily), and some purple primrose. We saw more topiary formations including a tree (probably yew) shaped like a mushroom and various hedges that almost formed a maze.

I always enjoy garden art and there was plenty of sculptures to look at throughout the various garden sections, especially in the middle of pools and fountains. We found some ornate planters and even a sculpture of some stone rabbits. This was definitely one of the most beautiful, eclectic and well-planned walled gardens that we have visited so far in Scotland. Adding into consideration all the unique elements inside the castle, Crathes might be in the running for my favourite castle out of all the castles that we have toured so far on our vacation.