Arnage Castle

Arnage Castle stands in open countryside four miles north of Ellon in Aberdeenshire. A Z-plan tower house from the late 16th century forms the core of the present building. Later wings were added in the 19th and 20th centuries, so the castle mixes medieval lines with Victorian and modern touches. The site once held an older keep before the Cheynes built the current tower. Architect Thomas Leiper designed the 16th-century work, giving it distinctive triple shot holes shared with nearby Tolquhon Castle. James Matthews of Aberdeen drew up the 1860s additions, and further changes came in the 1960s. The castle has passed through several notable hands. The Cheyne family acquired the land at the end of the 14th century and built the first tower. John Sibbald bought it in 1643, and Baillie John Ross took over in 1702 before becoming provost of Aberdeen. The Ross family kept the castle until the Leith-Ross family took over in the 20th century. Sir Frederick Leith-Ross, the economist, spent his childhood here. In 1996 oil millionaire Gareth Jones moved in and spent fifteen years restoring the building. Inside, the tower rises three storeys plus a stair wing attic. The original first-floor entrance now sits above ground level. Vaulted cellars lie below, though the connecting stair to the hall has gone. Two turnpike stairs with conical turrets sit in the angle between the main block and the stair wing. A garret turret provides access to the top floor. The hall occupies the first floor, once the main living space of the tower house.