Lickleyhead Castle

Lickleyhead Castle stands beside the Gadie Burn in Aberdeenshire, a kilometre south of Auchleven. Built around 1600, it is a well-restored L-plan castle with crow-stepped gables and a harled exterior. The main block runs east to west, while a wing juts southward to cover two faces. Two-storey turrets with oval windows crown the north front, and a semi-circular stair turret rises at the west re-entrant. The tower reaches three storeys plus an attic and garret, its walls pierced by twelve shot holes. The castle’s history begins with the Leslie family, who owned the estate before William Leith acquired it in the 13th century. In 1625, Patrick Leith sold the property to William Forbes of Leslie, who restored the main building with help from John Bell of Aberdeen. Later owners included the Hays, Patrick Duff of Craigston, and Henry Lumsden, who added a new wing in the 1820s. The castle was once the seat of the lairds of Premney and later belonged to Don Guillermo de Landa y Escandón, Governor of Mexico City, before passing to the Davies family. Visitors find a vaulted basement with a kitchen and cellar lit by slit windows, reached through the main re-entrant entrance. Narrow turnpike stairs lead to the first floor, and the turret stair continues upward. The hall is particularly fine, while the decorated pediments and corbelled features add character. The castle remains a category A listed building, its restored interiors and defensive details offering a clear view of its past.