Invermark Castle

Invermark Castle stands on a rise above the eastern shore of Loch Lee in Angus. A 16th-century oblong tower house, it occupies the site of an earlier 14th-century stronghold built by the Lindsays of Crawford. The castle’s purpose was to watch the glen and deter Highland raiders. David Lindsay, the ninth Earl of Crawford, died here in 1558. The present structure was raised in the 1500s and raised again early in the following century before being left empty in 1803. The castle’s walls curve at the corners and rise to three main storeys plus a garret added later. A corbelled parapet with a narrow walk once ringed the top, and two tall chimneys light the garret through small windows. The first-floor entrance, reached originally by a wooden bridge, is now barred by an iron yett. Inside, a vaulted basement could only be entered via a wheel stair, while a turnpike stair once led to the upper floors. Outbuildings once stood to the east and south, but their stones were taken to build the parish church. The site remains a Scheduled monument, its ruins still commanding the head of Glen Esk. The foundations of ancillary buildings show where stables and stores once stood. The castle’s rounded-arch doorway and massive chimneys give a sense of its former strength. Though the interior is no longer accessible, the exterior offers a clear view across Loch Lee and the surrounding hills.