View source for Muckrach Castle

{{Short description|Tower house, Scotland}}
{{good article}}
{{Infobox historic site
| name                   = Muckrach Castle
| native_name            =
| native_language        =
| other_name             =
| image                  = Muckrach Castle (geograph 1871353).jpg
| image_size             =
| alt                    = Photograph showing the main castle, the conservatory, and some of the garden.
| caption                = Muckrach Castle (2010)
| coordinates            = {{Wikidatacoord|Q17567350|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin               = Scotland Highland
| map_relief             = yes
| map_width              =
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| map_dot_mark           =
| gbgridref              = NH 98589 25051
| gbgridref_note         =
| type                   =
| etymology              =
| location               =
| nearest_city           =
| area                   = [[Highland (council area)|Highland council area]]
| elevation              =
| height                 =
| beginning_label        =
| beginning_date         =
| founder                =
| built                  = 1598
| built_for              =
| original_use           =
| demolished             =
| rebuilt                =
| restored               = 1985
| restored_by            = [[Ian Begg (architect)|Ian Begg]]
| current_use            =
| architect              =
| sculptor               =
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| governing_body         =
| owner                  =
| designation1           = Category A Listed Building
| designation1_offname   = Muckrach Castle
| designation1_type      =
| designation1_criteria  =
| designation1_date      = 5 October 1971
| delisted1_date         =
| designation1_partof    =
| designation1_number    = {{Historic Environment Scotland|num=LB249|short=yes}}
| designation1_free1name =
| website                = {{URL|https://muckrachcastle.co.uk/}}
}}
[[File:Muckrach Castle (1887).jpg|thumb|Muckraft Castle as it was in 1887]]
'''Muckrach Castle''', also known as '''Muchrach''' or '''Muckerach Castle''', is a [[tower house]] near the Scottish town of [[Dulnain Bridge]] in the [[Highland (council area)|Highland council area]], which is part of the [[Cairngorms National Park]]. It was built in 1598 as the original seat of the [[Clan Grant|Grants]] of [[Rothiemurchus]], with timber used as part of the stone walls. It was unroofed in 1739 and remained ruinous until the 20th century. In 1971 the building was added to the [[listed building#Scotland|Scottish monument lists]] in the highest monument category A,<ref name="His1">{{cite web |title=Muchrach Castle |url=https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/LB249 |publisher=[[Historic Environment Scotland]] |access-date=25 February 2024 |archive-date=23 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240123192303/http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/LB249 |url-status=live }}</ref> before being restored by the architect [[Ian Begg (architect)|Ian Begg]] in 1978–85. It is, since then, used as a holiday apartment.

== History ==
=== 16th to 19th century ===
The Muckrach estate was owned by [[John Grant of Freuchie (died 1585)|John Grant of Freuchie]], the [[laird]] of the [[Clan Grant]] in the 16th century. His home, Freuchie, is now known as [[Castle Grant]], located near [[Grantown-on-Spey]]. In 1583, two years before his death in 1585,<ref name="Fra1">{{cite book |last1=Fraser |first1=William |author1-link=William Fraser (historian) |title=Histories of Scottish Families: Chiefs of Grant |date=1883 |publisher=W. Fraser |location=Edinburgh |isbn= |oclc=1292538501 |page=281 |url=https://digital.nls.uk/histories-of-scottish-families/archive/96592108#?c=0&m=0&s=0&cv=280&xywh=-118%2C309%2C3506%2C2599 |language= |via=[[National Library of Scotland]] |chapter= |volume=1 |access-date=2024-01-23 |archive-date=2024-01-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240123183456/https://digital.nls.uk/histories-of-scottish-families/archive/96592108#?c=0&m=0&s=0&cv=280&xywh=-118%2C309%2C3506%2C2599 |url-status=live }}</ref> he passed it on to his second son and heir, Patrick Grant, who was knighted by [[King James VI]] and designated "of Rothiemurchus". He married Margaret Stewart, daughter of [[John Stewart, 3rd Earl of Atholl]], and died in 1626.<ref name="Sco1" /><ref name="Cla1">{{cite web |title=Muckrach Castle, Dulnain Bridge |url=https://clangrantvisitors.org/listings/muchrack-castle-dulnain-bridge/ |website=Clan Grant Visitors |publisher=Clan Grant Society UK |access-date=23 January 2024 |archive-date=23 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240123213530/https://clangrantvisitors.org/listings/muchrack-castle-dulnain-bridge/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Patrick Grant had the Tower House built in 1598 and it served as the seat of the Grants of [[Rothiemurchus]], which is one of the branches of Clan Grant.<ref name="Wat">{{cite book |last1=Watson |first1=J. |title=Morayshire Described: Being a Guide to Visitors, Containing Notices of Ecclesiastical and Military Antiquities; Topographical Descriptions of the Principal Country Residences, Towns, and Villages, and Genealogical Notes of the Leading Families in the Country |date=1868 |publisher=Russell & Watson |location=Elgin |url=https://archive.org/details/morayshiredescri00wats/page/30/mode/2up |oclc=1049663164 |page=31 |via=archive.org}}</ref><ref name="Fra2">{{cite book |last1=Fraprie |first1=Frank Roy |title=The Castles and Keeps of Scotland |date=1907 |location=Boston |publisher=L.C. Page & company |url=https://archive.org/details/castleskeepsofsc00fraprich/page/80/mode/2up |oclc=1041579815 |page=82 |via=archive.org}}</ref>

Scottish architect [[Ian Begg (architect)|Ian Begg]] said that based on its style, it may have been a "fashionable introduction", meaning its design was for social or cultural reasons rather than just functional, and guessed that John Grant brought the idea of a tower to the area. Timber was included as part of the stone walls, as in the forest-area masonry was not as well understood nor trusted and timber-building was the norm at the time.<ref name="Clo" />{{rp|44–45}}

The castle was unroofed in 1739 and thought by Begg to have been "fairly ruinous by 1767".<ref name="Clo" />{{rp|45}} By 1876–1878 it was said in an [[Ordnance Survey]] name book that the castle "is now in a very serious condition nothing remains of it except the walls."<ref name="Sco1">{{cite web |title=OS1/17/24/42 |url=https://scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/digital-volumes/ordnance-survey-name-books/inverness-shire-os-name-books-1876-1878/inverness-shire-mainland-volume-24/47 |website=Scotlands Places |access-date=25 February 2024 |page=42 |archive-date=23 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240123180601/https://scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/digital-volumes/ordnance-survey-name-books/inverness-shire-os-name-books-1876-1878/inverness-shire-mainland-volume-24/47 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1887 it was reported to belong to the architect [[John Dick Peddie]], who was a member of the [[Royal Scottish Academy]].<ref name="MacRos" />

=== 20th to 21st century ===
In the 1960s, the {{convert|6000|acre|adj=on}} Muckrach Estate became part of the [[Elvetham Hall#Estate|Elvetham Estate]] after it was purchased from [[Earl of Seafield|Seafield Estates]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Farming family's fight to save roots |url=https://www.strathspey-herald.co.uk/news/farming-familys-fight-to-save-roots-120817/ |access-date=28 March 2024 |work=Strathspey & Badenoch Herald |publisher=Highland News and Media |date=18 April 2012 |language=en |archive-date=28 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328173317/https://www.strathspey-herald.co.uk/news/farming-familys-fight-to-save-roots-120817/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The estate is run by [[Sir Euan Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe, 3rd Baronet|Sir Euan Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe]], who inherited the estate and the [[Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe baronets|Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe Baronetcy]] from his grandfather, [[Sir Richard Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe, 2nd Baronet|Sir Richard Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe]], when the latter died in 1985.<ref name="Elv1">{{cite web |title=The Group |url=https://elvetham.co.uk/about-us/the-group/ |publisher=Elvetham Estate |access-date=28 March 2024 |archive-date=23 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240123174854/https://elvetham.co.uk/about-us/the-group/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Elv2">{{cite web |title=The Family |url=https://elvetham.co.uk/about-us/the-family/ |publisher=Elvetham Estate |access-date=28 March 2024 |archive-date=28 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231128225705/https://elvetham.co.uk/about-us/the-family/ |url-status=live }}</ref> An additional unroofed building was shown on an 1874–75 map just north of the castle, but was not on the [[Ordnance Survey]] map in 1972, and no trace of this additional building was found when the area was visited by the [[Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland]] (RCAHMS) in 2006.<ref name="Can1">{{cite web |title=Archaeology Notes |url=https://canmore.org.uk/event/665067 |website=Canmore |publisher=[[Historic Environment Scotland]] |access-date=25 February 2024 |location= |id=665067 |archive-date=28 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240128130533/https://canmore.org.uk/event/665067 |url-status=live }}</ref> The remains of a [[lime kiln]] were also reported during that survey, about {{convert|90|m}} from the castle. All that was visible was a trench, a {{convert|4|m|ft|adj=mid|-diameter}} pot which had been filled with rubbish and was now grass-covered, and an arrangement of stones.<ref name="Can2">{{cite web |title=Archaeology Notes |url=https://canmore.org.uk/event/851902 |website=Canmore |publisher=Historic Environment Scotland |access-date=28 March 2024 |location= |id=851902 |archive-date=28 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328170632/https://canmore.org.uk/event/851902 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The castle became a category A [[listed building#Scotland|listed building]] in 1971, given its heritage as the original seat of the Grants of Rothiemurchus.<ref name="His1" /> It was [[restoration of castles in Scotland|restored]] in 1978–85, with work led by Begg. This was prompted by an [[Inverness County Council]] Planning Officer reminding the owners of their obligations when having a listed building. When Begg first inspected the site, the south [[gable]] of the main tower, containing [[flues]] for fireplaces, had already collapsed. This incident is thought to have happened in modern times as a bicycle [[crankset]] was found in the rubble. During the third year of the restoration, it was discovered that the original timbers within some of the stone walls had rotted, leaving voids approximately {{convert|9|by|10|in|cm}} and {{convert|12|ft|m}} long, along with other areas where the stone [[corbel]]ling was not trusted as timber had been used. The castle was restored to approximately its original shape, though it was adapted internally for more modern living.<ref name="Clo">{{cite book |editor1-last=Clow |editor1-first=Robert |title=Restoring Scotland's Castles |date=2000 |publisher=John Smith & Son |location=Glasgow |isbn=978-0-900673-26-9 |pages=42–53}}</ref><ref name="Bre">{{cite book |last=Brennan-Inglis |first=Janet |title=Scotland's Castles: Rescued, Rebuilt and Reoccupied |date=2014 |publisher=The History Press |isbn=978-0-750954-45-7 |location=Gloucestershire |pages=110–111}}</ref>

The restored Tower House is used as a holiday apartment.<ref name="Muc1" /> It has also been used as a filming location for ''[[Christmas in the Highlands]]'', which was released in 2019.<ref name="Sin">{{cite web |last1=Singh |first1=Prerna |title=Christmas at the Castle: Filming Locations and Cast Details |url=https://thecinemaholic.com/christmas-at-the-castle-filming-locations-and-cast-details/ |website=TheCinemaholic |publisher=Gomsy Media |access-date=25 February 2024 |date=5 August 2022 |archive-date=1 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240301233137/https://thecinemaholic.com/christmas-at-the-castle-filming-locations-and-cast-details/ |url-status=live }}</ref> As of 2023, a major [[rewilding]] project is being undertaken on the wider estate, covering {{convert|1900|hectare}} and including creation of new woodland and [[wetlands]].<ref name="Mil">{{cite web |last1=Miller |first1=Barrie |title=Major rewilding plan for Cairngorms |url=https://greenbusinessjournal.co.uk/major-rewilding-plan-for-cairngorms/ |website=Green Business Journal |date=21 August 2023 |access-date=28 March 2024 |archive-date=5 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231205115928/https://greenbusinessjournal.co.uk/major-rewilding-plan-for-cairngorms/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Muc">{{cite web |title=The Project |url=https://muckrachforest.co.uk/the-project |website=Muckrach Forest |language=en |access-date=28 March 2024}}</ref><ref name="Hut">{{cite web |last1=Hutchins |first1=Toby |title=A new forest for the Cairngorms National Park |url=https://www.sustainablebusinessmagazine.net/partner-updates/a-new-forest-for-the-cairngorms-national-park%ef%bf%bc/ |website=Sustainable Business Magazine |publisher=Sustainable Media |access-date=28 March 2024 |date=3 July 2023}}</ref>

== Location ==
The castle is located in the [[Cairngorms National Park]]. It is approximately {{convert|3|miles|km}} from [[Grantown-on-Spey]] and {{convert|1|miles|km}} from [[Dulnain Bridge]]. The [[A938 road]] runs off to the side, just north of the [[A95 road]].<ref name="Cov">{{cite book |last1=Coventry |first1=Martin |title=The Castles of Scotland |date=1997 |publisher=Goblinshead |location=Edinburgh |isbn=978-1-899874-10-1 |page=263 |edition=2nd}}</ref> Nearby are the ruined thirteenth-century [[Castle Roy]]<ref name="Cas1">{{cite web |title=Muckrach Castle |url=http://castleuk.net/castle_lists_scotland/36/muckrach.html |publisher=CastleUK.Net |access-date=25 February 2024 |archive-date=3 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231003194121/http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_scotland/36/muckrach.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and Muckrach House,<ref name="Sco1" /> which operates as a [[country house]] for hire.<ref name="muckrach">{{cite web |title=The House – Muckrach Country House |url=https://www.muckrach.com/the-house/ |publisher=The Hollies Retreats |access-date=23 March 2024 |archive-date=23 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240323152943/https://www.muckrach.com/the-house/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Description ==
[[File:Plan of Muckrach Castle (1887).jpg|thumb|Plan of the castle, showing both the [[Storey|ground floor and the first floor]] as they appeared in 1887, with other original buildings shown as dotted lines on the ground-floor plan.]]
[[File:Muckrach Castle wall plaque (geograph 1871349).jpg|thumb|Muckrach Castle wall plaque]]
The castle is a relatively small structure compared to other typical castles, with the main hall only being {{convert|20|ft|m}} by {{convert|21|ft|m}}.<ref name="Clo" />{{rp|45}} It is a three-storey 16th-century defensive tower and has an elongated floor plan in an [[L-plan castle|L-shape]]. Its [[fieldstone]] masonry is plastered with [[harl]], a rough-cast wall finish consisting of lime and aggregate. A rounded stair tower emerges from the west facade. This cantilevers onto the second floor and continues in a rectangular shape. A round tower with a [[conical roof]] protrudes from the inner corner. On the south side there is a single-storey round tower, which was once part of the fortification. It also originally had a courtyard and extensive other buildings.<ref name="MacRos" /><ref name="Cov" /><ref name="Fle" />{{rp|64–66}}

At the southeast edge, there is a corner turret supported by [[corbel]]ling (a construction technique where stones or bricks are progressively stepped out from the wall), commonly referred to as a [[tourelle (architecture)|tourelle]]. This features [[embrasures]], openings designed for firing weapons, adding a defensive aspect to its design. There is a larger window set into the south facade on the first floor. This may have been expanded at a time after its original construction. Other windows are smaller in size and irregularly distributed. Today, four- or twelve-part lattice windows are installed. The roofs of Muckrach Castle are covered with slate. The basement is [[vaulted]] and the main hall is on the first floor.<ref name="His1" /><ref name="MacRos">{{cite book |last1=MacGibbon |first1=David |last2=Ross |first2=Thomas |title=The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland from the Twelfth to the Eighteenth Century |date=1887 |publisher=D. Douglas |location=Edinburgh |isbn= |oclc=6800546 |pages=77–78 |edition= |volume=2 |url=https://archive.org/details/castellateddomes02macguoft/page/76/mode/2up}}</ref><ref name="Cov" /><ref name="Fle">{{cite journal |last1=Fleming |first1=J S |title=Ancient Irish Castles compared with Scottish Types |journal=Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland |date=30 November 1909 |volume=43 |pages=43–72 |doi=10.9750/PSAS.043.43.72}}</ref>{{rp|64–66}}

An ornamented panel is inlaid above the main portal below the tower. In addition to the family [[coat of arms]], the panel shows the year of construction in 1598 in conjunction with the [[monograms]] "PG" (Patrick Grant) and "IG" (Jean Grant) and bears the inscription "In God is al my Trest" (meaning "In God is all my trust").<ref name="Mac">{{cite book |last1=MacMillan |first1=Hugh |author1-link=Hugh Macmillan (minister) |title=Rothiemurchus |date=1907 |publisher=J. M. Dent |isbn= |edition= |page=31 |chapter=III. Loch-An-Eilan |oclc=771674341 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/rothiemurchus00macmgoog/page/n54/mode/2up}}</ref>

The restored castle has the kitchen and dining room on the ground floor, as well as a [[sunroom|conservatory]] through glass doors and a small utility room accessible via a spiral stone staircase. The first floor has the main hall, with wood panelling, a wood-burning stove, and stone flooring. Bedrooms are located on the second and third floors, plus the tower, with five in total.<ref name="Muc1">{{cite web |title=Accommodation & Facilities |url=https://muckrachcastle.co.uk/accommodation/ |publisher=Muckrach Castle |access-date=25 February 2024 |archive-date=23 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240123185254/https://muckrachcastle.co.uk/accommodation/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite book |last1=Halliday |first1=CJ |title=Strathspey Myths and Legends – A Photographic Journey |date=2018 |publisher=Paragon Publishing |isbn=978-1-78222-638-3 |pages=24–25 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aqJ-DwAAQBAJ |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |last1=Tranter |first1=Nigel G. |author-link1=Nigel Tranter |date=1974 |title=The Queen's Scotland |volume=3. The North-East: The shires of Banff, Moray, Nairn, with Easter Inverness and Easter Ross |publisher=[[Hodder and Stoughton]] |location=London |isbn=0340182067 |pages=108–109 |url=https://archive.org/details/northeastshireso0000tran}}
* {{cite book |last1=Close-Brooks |first1=Joanna |title=The Highlands |date=1995 |publisher=HMSO |location=Edinburgh |isbn=9780114952938 |chapter=Castles |pages=99–110}}

== External links ==
{{commons category}}
* {{cite web |title=MHG4638 – Muckrach Castle – Highland Historic Environment Record |url=https://her.highland.gov.uk/Monument/MHG4638}}
* [https://collections.st-andrews.ac.uk/item/muchrach-castle/6461 1930 photograph] from the [[University of St Andrews]] collection
* [https://www.ambaile.org.uk/asset/14437/ 1970s photograph] from [[The Highland Council]] Planning Department collection

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Castles in Highland (council area)]]
[[Category:Category A listed buildings in Highland (council area)]]
[[Category:Tower houses in Scotland]]
[[Category:Clan Grant]]
[[Category:Listed castles in Scotland]]
[[Category:1590s establishments in Scotland]]
[[Category:16th-century fortifications]]