
What is recorded here
Drum Castle is a near-unchanged 13th-century tower house near Drumoak, granted to William de Irwyn in 1323 by Robert the Bruce and held by Clan Irvine until 1975. Its steep stones, old chapel and rose gardens suggest a household where lairds, guests and perhaps even Mary, Queen of Scots, moved through rooms shaped by loyalty, pride and rebellion. The name Drum comes from Gaelic druim, ridge, as if the castle still stood watching the land rather than merely occupying it.
Scotland's National Record of the Historic Environment records Drum Castle as Enclosure (period Unassigned). The official map says its point is accurate as follows: NGR given to the nearest 1m. The record does not by itself mean that the public may enter the place.
Drum Castle is a 16th-century tower house located in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, originally built by the Gordon family, a powerful and influential Scottish noble clan. It is remembered for its well-preserved architecture and historical association with the Gordon earls, reflecting the strategic and social significance of such structures in medieval Scotland.
The historic-place record does not grant public access. Check current conditions and ownership before entering land or a building.
Places near here
Drum Castle, ChapelChapel (15th Century) · 81 yd
Drum CastleDrain (period Unassigned) · 147 yd
Drum Castle, Walled GardenBothy (period Unassigned), Structure (period Unassigned), Walled Garden (period Unassigned) · 319 yd
Drum Castle Rose GardenHeritage attraction · 326 yd
Drumhill WoodForest · 639 yd
DrumoakSocketed Axehead (bronze)(period Unassigned) · 1.0 mi
WoodsideCairnfield (later Prehistoric), Enclosure (post Medieval), Field Boundary(s) (later Prehistoric), Hut Circle(s) (prehistoric) · 1.1 mi
Coldstream PlantationForest · 1.3 mi
NormandykesNo Class (event) (period Unassigned) · 2.4 mi
Castle Hill, DurrisMotte (medieval) · 2.5 mi
Castle Hill, MotteArchaeological place · 2.5 mi
Peterculter Golf CourseNo Class (event) (period Unassigned) · 2.5 miOther information
Photo: Stephen McKay · CC BY-SA 2.0