Inverquharity Castle

Inverquharity Castle stands beside the River South Esk in Angus, a 15th-century tower house built by Alexander Ogilvie, 2nd Lord Inverquharity. The lands passed to the Ogilvies around 1420, and the first rectangular tower rose in the 1440s. In the 16th century a wing was added to create an L-plan castle of four storeys. A dispute with the Earl of Crawford’s heir led to the Battle of Arbroath in 1445, where both men died. By the late 18th century the tower had been sold and the wing removed, leaving the castle to decay until restoration began in the 1960s. The castle’s restored wing and original 15th-century yett, an iron gate, remain key features. A BBC documentary in 2014 showed the sale of the property after forty years of restoration and occupation by the same family. The Category A listed building remains a private home, bought in 2012 by Chris Law. Its history spans more than five centuries of Ogilvie ownership and later care. Visitors find a compact L-plan castle with four storeys and a single wing. The original yett still guards the entrance, and the restored interiors reflect 15th-century design. The setting beside the South Esk offers quiet walks along the riverbank. Nearby Kirriemuir is four and a half kilometres away, linking the castle to the wider landscape of Angus.