Edzell Castle

Edzell Castle stands in Angus, twelve kilometres north of Brechin, beside the West Water. It began in the 16th century as a tower house built by David Lindsay, ninth Earl of Crawford, and grew into a country house with a courtyard and ranges. A later owner, Sir David Lindsay, Lord Edzell, added a north range and in 1604 created a walled garden with carved symbols celebrating the Union of the Crowns. The castle is worth the journey because it shows how a noble family shaped a landscape over centuries. Mary, Queen of Scots, stayed here in 1562 and held a Privy Council meeting in the great hall. James VI visited twice, once receiving the Earl of Erroll’s submission. The garden’s carvings link it to esoteric traditions, and the motte three hundred metres away recalls an earlier timber castle of the 12th century. Visitors find the original tower house and the surrounding ranges arranged around a courtyard. The Renaissance walled garden lies adjacent, its walls covered with intricate relief carvings. A low mound three hundred metres south-west marks the site of the first castle. A caretaker’s cottage from 1901 now serves as a visitor centre, and beech trees once linked the castle to the village.