What is recorded here

Gartly Castle stood as a square tower above a deep ditch until one end collapsed and the whole structure faded into an arable field. Mary Queen of Scots is said to have stayed there four times, perhaps watching the border lands from a chamber now reduced to memory. The castle did not disappear in battle but in patience, its stones scattered and its ditch filled until the earth forgot the shape of the building. What remains is a flat place where a tower once interrupted the sky.

Scotland's National Record of the Historic Environment records Gartly Castle as Tower House (medieval). The official map says its point is accurate as follows: NGR given to the nearest 10m. The record does not by itself mean that the public may enter the place.

Gartly Castle was built by the Gordon family in the 15th or 16th century and is remembered as a historic tower house associated with the influential Scottish noble family.

The historic-place record does not grant public access. Check current conditions and ownership before entering land or a building.