Castle Fraser

Castle Fraser is located in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.  It is considered the largest and grandest castle in a Z-plan design.  (A Z-plan castle has a central rectangular tower, with smaller towers attached diagonally at opposite corners.)  The castle’s origins date back to the 1400’s in the form of an old tower square, this square was expanded upon during reconstruction.  Construction began on the five-storey castle in 1575 by the 6^th Laird of Fraser, and was completed in 1636.  The castle underwent changes and was added to over the following decades.  In the 18^th century, it was modernized.  The interior was redesigned again in 1820 and 1850.  The castle remained in the Fraser family until 1897, when the last male heir, Frederick Mackenzie Fraser, died childless.  His widow, suffering from financial difficulties, sold the castle in 1921.  The 1^st Viscount Cowdray purchased the castle, restored it to a shooting lodge, and then gifted it to the National Trust of Scotland in 1976.  The castle is open to visitors during the warmer months, but the grounds and walled gardens are open year round.