Drummond Castle

Drummond Castle stands four kilometres south of Crieff in Perthshire, on a steep ridge of hard rock that rises sharply above the surrounding land. The site includes a late 15th-century tower house and a 17th-century mansion, both rebuilt in Victorian times, along with formal terraced gardens first laid out in the 1630s. The gardens are recognised as the finest example of their kind in Scotland and are protected as a category A listed building. The tower house and mansion carry category B listings, marking their historic importance. The ridge itself is a dyke of ancient basalt that stretches several kilometres across the region. The Drummond family owned the land from the 14th century and built the original castle. In 1605 the family became Earls of Perth, and the 2nd Earl created the first terraced garden in the 1630s. Cromwell’s army sacked the castle in 1653, and the 4th Earl, a leading Jacobite, fled to France after 1689. Queen Victoria visited the gardens in 1842, and the 3rd Earl of Ancaster replanted them in the 1950s. The castle remains the home of the 28th Baroness Willoughby de Eresby, while the gardens are managed by the Grimsthorpe and Drummond Castle Trust. Visitors walk along the ridge to reach the castle, passing the gatehouse built in 1629–30. The formal gardens lie to the south on a rocky outcrop, arranged in terraces with paths forming a saltire around a restored 1630 sundial. The parterre displays the Drummond coat of arms with Scots thistles and daggers. The gardens have featured in films and TV series, including Rob Roy and Outlander. Beyond the terraces, the ridge continues east towards Perth, once part of a line of Roman fortlets known as the Gask Ridge.