What is recorded here

Crathes Castle Policies holds ice-houses built between 1561 and 1899, proving the estate mastered summer heat before modern machinery existed. Those chambers may have stored river ice for lordly tables or protected valuable food from decay. The absence of a recorded protection status does not invite entry, but it does remind us that ordinary ground still covers useful ingenuity.

Scotland's National Record of the Historic Environment records Crathes Castle Policies as Building (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.

Crathes Castle Policies were developed by the Gordon family, who held Crathes Castle from the 16th century onwards. The policies are historically important as they reflect the layout and management of a noble estate in the Scottish Highlands during the early modern period.

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