Corgarff

#166 Corgarff Castle
Aberdeen & Gordon, Scotland
~1550
This is NOT an official Lego site

Corgarff Castle was built about 1550, probably by John Forbes of Towie. The land, the "Forest of Corgarff", had been granted to Sir Alexander Elphinstone in 1507. Alexander was created the 1st Lord Elphinstone in 1510, but soon died (in 1513) in the Battle of Flodden. The land passed his son, also Alexander. The 2nd Lord Elphinstone made over the estate to his eldest son as a wedding present in 1546. The 2nd Lord Elphinstone died the next year in the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh. The lands were soon in the hands of a tenant, John Forbes of Towie, suggesting that the son may have died in battle with his father. It was a typical tower house of the gentry in the middle of the 16th century, in this case featuring both a caphouse and a box machicolation to protect the first floor entrance. In 1571, the Forbes's of Corgarff allied themselves with James VI over his mother, Mary Queen of Scots. That November men attacked Corgarff, intent on capturing the castle for Queen Mary. The laird was away, but the attackers set the castle on fire, and Margaret Forbes and almost two dozen of her family and servants burnt to death. In 1607 the castle was seized by ruffians; in 1645 the castle was occupied by the Marquis of Montrose, who was campaigning for King Charles I. The castle was again burnt in 1690 by Jacobite supporters of James VII, and the castle was apparently abandoned.

Following the Battle of Culloden in 1746, the military decided to add western Aberdeenshire to its network of garrisons. By 1748 Corgarff Castle and nearby Braemar Castle were being converted in soldier's barracks. The tower was practically gutted, with the tall arched hall level turned into two floors. The famous star-shaped barmkin, along with a pavilion at each end of the tower, were built at this time. By the end of the century the Highlands had ceased to pose a threat to England and her Redcoat soldiers, and by 1802 the castle was in the hands of James McHardy, a local farmer and whiskey distiller. The castle was again garrisoned between 1827 and 1831, when illegal Scotch whiskey production was a significant problem. The castle was occupied by locals until 1912 and then became derelict. It was given into State care in 1961, and much preservation work has been done since then by Historic Scotland, now Historic Environment Scotland.

Plans, Elevations & Cross-sections

Ground, First & Mezzanine Floor Plans	Second Floor, Garret and Cap House Plans	Section through A-B of the old ground plan	This is the drawing from my official Historic Scotland guide that I followed for my model	Look at this beautiful model of the castle as it would have looked about 1750, created in about 2002 by Jeremy Folkman of Calgary, Canada!

Photos of the Lego Model under construction

Plans are drawn and the castle laid out on January 29. Hopefully it will look a bit like it did in John Forbes day.	The plan is to have a simple tower with an enclosure to protect sheep and grow a few vegetables.	By the next day the model is up to roof level. The base of the box machicolation is ready.	January 31 will see not only completion of the castle, but refinement of the barmkin itself.

Photos of the Lego Model Built January 29-31, 2018

Here's the completed tower as seen from the SSW (front).	The view from the west gives an idea of how an original barmkin might have connected to the tower.	The northwest view highlights the rough shed against the back wall.	The NNE view with its unique mini-bartizan.


The ENE view.	The tower from the ESE.	It's a nice, cozy home if you have good knees.

Build Your Own

Ground, First floor and Top Down Lego Plans


South Elevation	West Elevation	North Elevation