Brucklay Castle

Brucklay Castle stands in Buchan, Aberdeenshire, as a 16th-century house with later additions. James Crawford of Brucklay built the earliest part between 1600 and 1625, possibly on older foundations. The Irvine family granted it to Arthur Dingwall in 1742 after his marriage. John Smith extended the building in 1765 and again in 1814. Captain Alexander Dingwall-Fordyce commissioned Thomas Mackenzie to reconstruct it in 1849. James Matthews likely added further work in 1881. The castle’s fortunes declined after World War II. Prisoners of war once lived in huts on the grounds. In 1952 Charles Brand of Dundee bought the house and stripped its contents and roof. By the 1990s it had become a ruin and was placed on the Buildings at Risk Register. Partial demolition and restoration were approved in 2010 but never carried out. The house remains a category C listed building. Within the estate lies the Dingwall-Fordyce family burial ground. A tall obelisk marks the grave of William Dingwall Fordyce, MP from 1836 to 1875. His name also appears on the Culsh Monument at New Deer. The grounds still hold traces of the former house’s layout and outbuildings. Visitors can walk among mature trees and see the surviving stonework. The setting offers quiet views across the Buchan countryside.