Brodie Castle

Brodie Castle stands five and a half kilometres west of Forres in Moray, a fine Z-plan tower house set among rolling policies. The original keep was finished in 1567 by Clan Brodie, then partly burnt in 1645 during a clash with Lewis Gordon, the third Marquess of Huntly. In 1824 the architect William Burn began remodelling the castle in Scots Baronial style, and later James Wylson completed the work around 1845. The castle remains closely tied to the Brodie family, who have held the land since about 1160 when King Malcolm IV granted it to them. Ninian Brodie, the last resident, died in 2003, yet one wing still serves as holiday accommodation. The National Trust for Scotland now cares for the castle and its grounds, which include a national daffodil collection and an ancient Pictish monument called Rodney’s Stone. Inside, visitors find a well-preserved 16th-century keep with two five-storey towers at opposite corners. The rooms display fine antique furniture, Oriental artefacts and intricate ceilings mostly from the 17th to 19th centuries. Outside, the policies stretch across open parkland dotted with daffodils and the standing stone Rodney’s Stone, offering quiet walks and views over the Moray countryside.