Historic Places in Perth and Kinross

Murthly Castle near Dunkeld in Perthshire is a historic private house with origins in the medieval period, substantially rebuilt and extended over the centuries and currently operating as a luxury estate for private events, weddings and exclusive use accommodation. The estate occupies extensive woodland and parkland in the Tay valley near the ancient cathedral town of Dunkeld, in a landscape of exceptional natural and heritage significance. The Dunkeld area is one of the most scenically beautiful parts of Perthshire, with the River Tay passing through wooded gorges and the Hermitage woodland walk with its spectacular waterfall providing one of the most popular short walks in Scotland. The surrounding hills of Atholl and the vast wilderness of the eastern Cairngorms provide a dramatic Highland backdrop to the more pastoral character of the Tay valley.

Evelick Castle is a ruined tower house situated in the hills of Perthshire, Scotland, perched on elevated ground within the Sidlaw Hills to the northeast of Perth. Though modest in scale compared to many of Scotland's more celebrated strongholds, it holds genuine historical interest as a remnant of medieval Scottish architecture and the territorial ambitions of the landed families who once dominated this fertile corner of Tayside. The ruin commands attention not through grandeur but through its atmospheric setting and the quiet sense of deep time that clings to its crumbling stonework, making it a rewarding destination for those who seek out Scotland's quieter, less-visited heritage sites. The castle dates from the medieval period, likely originating in the fifteenth or sixteenth century, and was associated with the lands of Evelick in the parish of Kilspindie. The surrounding area formed part of the broader patchwork of estates and ecclesiastical holdings that characterised lowland Perthshire throughout the medieval and early modern periods. The Hay family had historic connections to this part of Perthshire, and the lands around Evelick were caught up in the shifting fortunes of the Scottish nobility across successive centuries. Like many minor Scottish tower houses, the castle fell into disuse and ruin as the priorities of landownership changed and the defensive function of such buildings became obsolete, leaving behind only the shell that survives today. Physically, what remains of Evelick Castle is a fragmentary stone tower, its walls substantially reduced but still standing to a height sufficient to convey something of the original structure's character. The masonry is rubble-built in the traditional Scottish vernacular manner, with the stone weathered to a grey-green hue by centuries of Perthshire rain and wind. Standing close to the walls, you are struck by the thickness of the construction and the solidity of intent behind it, even in ruin. The site is quiet, the only sounds typically being birdsong and the movement of wind across the open hillside, giving the place a contemplative, slightly melancholy quality that many visitors to ruined Scottish castles find deeply appealing. The surrounding landscape is among the genuine pleasures of visiting Evelick. The Sidlaw Hills form a modest but characterful range running northeast of Perth, offering wide views across Strathmore to the north and the Carse of Gowrie to the south, with the broad silver glint of the River Tay visible on clear days. The farmland around the castle is productive and well-maintained, with arable fields and hedgerows typical of lowland Perthshire. The village of Kilspindie lies nearby, and the broader area includes the historic Kinnoull Hill and the city of Perth within relatively easy reach, meaning a visit to Evelick can be combined with a wider exploration of this historically rich corner of Scotland. Access to Evelick Castle requires some planning, as it sits on private agricultural land and is not formally managed as a public heritage attraction. Visitors should exercise the responsible access rights established under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003, which permits respectful passage across most Scottish land on foot, while being mindful of farming operations and any seasonal restrictions. The approach involves walking across farmland, so sturdy footwear is strongly advisable, particularly in wetter months when the ground can be soft. There is no formal car park, and visitors typically leave vehicles considerately near the minor roads that thread through this rural area before proceeding on foot. The site is not signposted and carries none of the interpretive infrastructure found at managed heritage attractions. One of the more quietly fascinating aspects of Evelick Castle is precisely its obscurity. It appears in historical records and on Ordnance Survey maps but receives little of the tourist footfall that more accessible Perthshire sites attract. This means the experience of visiting is genuinely solitary for most who make the effort, allowing an unmediated encounter with the ruin and its landscape that is increasingly rare in Scotland's more popular heritage corridors. For those with an interest in Scottish architectural history or medieval settlement patterns, sites like Evelick serve as important evidence of how densely settled and hierarchically organised the Perthshire countryside once was, with towers and fortified houses punctuating the landscape at intervals that speak to a very different world of local power and rural life.

Dalnaglar Castle near Cray in Perthshire is a nineteenth-century Scottish Baronial shooting lodge in an upland glen of the southern Cairngorms above Glenshee, built in the Victorian period when Highland sporting estates became fashionable retreats for wealthy visitors attracted by deer stalking and grouse shooting. Its turreted baronial architecture typifies the Victorian Highland lodge tradition, simultaneously evoking Scottish historical associations and providing comfortable accommodation for sporting parties. The surrounding landscape of the Glenshee uplands is one of the most spectacular in Perthshire, with the Glenshee Ski Centre at the head of the glen providing winter sports. The A93 road over the Glenshee pass is one of the most dramatically scenic roads in Scotland and the highest main road pass in Britain, connecting Blairgowrie to Braemar in Royal Deeside.

Tullibole Castle near Drum in Perthshire is a seventeenth-century tower house of considerable architectural quality, privately owned and occasionally open to visitors as part of Scotland's Doors Open Days programme. The castle was built around 1608 and incorporates a variety of architectural features typical of the early seventeenth-century transition from purely defensive tower house to more comfortable country house. The building is associated with the Halliday family and later the Moncrieffe family, and its interior retains much of its historic character. The surrounding landscape of the Earn valley and the Perthshire hills south of Perth provides an attractive rural setting, and the castle is within easy reach of the various heritage sites of the Perth area including Huntingtower Castle and Elcho Castle.

Craighall Castle near Blairgowrie in Perthshire is a historic house of considerable antiquity and picturesque character set on a dramatic clifftop position above the gorge of the River Ericht, incorporating medieval fabric within a structure substantially remodelled and extended over the centuries. The cliff-edge setting above the wooded gorge is one of the most dramatic of any castle site in Perthshire, with the river visible far below through the trees and the steep valley sides enclosing the castle on its rocky promontory. The castle has been associated with the Reid and Murray families and remains a private residence. The area around Blairgowrie in the Tay valley is one of the most scenically attractive parts of Perthshire, celebrated for soft fruit growing and as a gateway to the Cairngorms.

Balvaird Castle is situated on a hilltop in the Ochil Hills. Balvaird is a traditional late Scottish tower house, built around the year 1500 for Sir Andrew Murray. It is likely that Balvaird Castle was built on the site of an earlier castle. Balvaird has some fine architectural features including corbels supporting the corner-roundels of the wall-walk. The kitchen is on the ground floor, and there is a pit prison within the wall. The accommodation has a number of rooms in the main block and wing with the main staircase between them. Accommodation on the first floor extends over the gatehouse. There is a walkway around the main block at roof level, with a lookout tower at the top of the main staircase. The Castle is now owned by Historic Scotland who have done some restoration work. The site is open to the public, but the tower-house is only open on summer weekends A gatehouse was built in 1567 with an outer courtyard was attached to the main gate Another courtyard was a added to the south was a garden, and a large walled garden was built to the north-east. The Murray family continued to live at Balvaird until 1658 when they moved to Scone Palace, near Perth. The castle continued to be inhabited, but not by its owners.

Elcho Castle near Perth is a remarkably well-preserved sixteenth-century Wemyss family fortified house above the south bank of the River Tay, one of the finest examples of a Z-plan Scottish tower house and a property in the care of Historic Environment Scotland. The walls stand to their full height with intact turrets, and the castle preserves a particularly interesting array of gunloops and shot-holes representing the adaptation of Scottish castle architecture to the age of firearms. The quality and completeness of the surviving fabric makes Elcho an exceptional survival of mid-sixteenth-century Scottish domestic and military architecture. The setting on the Tay with views across the fertile Carse of Gowrie toward Dundee and the Angus hills is one of the most attractive of any castle in Perthshire.

Huntingtower Castle is located about 3 miles north west of Perth in central Scotland, on the main road to Crieff. The original castle was the three storey Eastern Tower (originally called the Huntingtower). The Eastern Tower was originally built as a gatehouse and was converted to a residential tower house around 1500. The Western Tower was added around the end of the 15th century with a gap of about 3 metres between them. The Western Tower was L-shaped in plan and connected to the Huntingtower by a wooden bridge below the level of the battlements. The space between the two towers was built up later in the 17th century. A great hall was built against the north side of the Western Tower in the 16th century, but nothing remains of it above ground. The defensive walls that originally enclosed the Castle have disappeared. There are a number of early 16th century paintings on the first floor of the Eastern Tower depicting flowers, animals and Biblical scenes. The Eastern Tower has a decorated wooden ceiling showing grotesque animals. This painted ceiling is one of the earliest of its kind to survive in Scotland. Huntingtower Castle was built in the 15th century by the Clan Ruthven and was known for several hundred years as Ruthven Castle. During 1582 the Ruthvens kidnapped the young King James VI, son of Mary Queen of Scots and held him prisoner at the castle for 10 months. This kidnapping is known as the "Raid of Ruthven". James eventually escaped and Ruthven was eventually executed and Ruthven Castle was forfeited to the crown. The Castle and lands were restored to the Ruthven family in 1586. However in 1600, the Ruthvens were again implicated in another plot to kill King James VI and were executed. This time, the king abolished the name of Ruthven and the House of Ruthven ceased to exist. The castle was then renamed Huntingtower. The Castle remained in the possession of the crown until 1643 when it was given to the Murray family. The castle began to fall into disrepair in the late 18th century. Huntingtower Castle is now in the care of Historic Scotland. It is open to the public and can be used as a venue for weddings. Legends Huntingtower is said to be haunted by "Lady Greensleeves", a young woman named Dorothea, daughter of the 1st Earl of Gowrie. The legend says she used to have secret meetings at night in the eastern tower with a servant boyfriend. One night the Countess discovered what was going on and made her way across the bridge from the family quarters in the western tower to the eastern tower to catch the pair. Dorothea heard her mother on the bridge and made her way to the roof. She leapt several metres from the east tower to the battlements of the west tower and rushed back to bed where here mother found her. The following day the couple eloped...

Fingask Castle is a private historic tower house and estate situated in Perthshire, Scotland, perched on a hillside overlooking the Carse of Gowrie — the fertile plain stretching between Perth and Dundee along the southern bank of the River Tay. It is one of the more quietly celebrated historic properties in Tayside, known not only for its architecture and long dynastic history but also for its extraordinary topiary garden, which alone makes it a destination of genuine horticultural and artistic interest. The castle and grounds have been associated with the same family — the Threiplands — for the better part of four centuries, and that continuity of ownership has given the place an unusual depth of character and authenticity that is rare even among Scotland's many storied country houses. The estate's history stretches back to at least the late medieval period, though the core of the present castle dates from the seventeenth century, with later additions and modifications carried out over subsequent generations. The Threipland family acquired Fingask in 1594, and their tenure has been marked by both loyalty and suffering. They were staunch Jacobites, and the family paid dearly for their convictions: following the failed Jacobite risings of 1715 and particularly 1745, the estate was forfeited to the Crown and the family driven into exile. The castle was reportedly used by Hanoverian troops and suffered damage and neglect during these years of forfeiture. Eventually, through persistence and legal effort, the Threiplands were able to recover their ancestral home in the nineteenth century, and it has remained with their descendants ever since. This history of exile and return gives Fingask a melancholic romantic quality that permeates the atmosphere of the place. The topiary garden at Fingask is genuinely extraordinary and unlike almost anything else in Scotland. It features a remarkable collection of sculpted yew trees and hedges clipped into elaborate figurative and abstract forms, many of which carry Jacobite symbolism and represent characters and scenes from that turbulent chapter of Scottish history. The garden also contains a number of carved stone figures and curiosities scattered throughout, lending it the quality of an open-air cabinet of wonders. Walking through the grounds feels like moving through a living chronicle of the family's beliefs and loyalties, with each shaped tree and carved stone object contributing to a cumulative narrative. The atmosphere is contemplative and slightly otherworldly, particularly in the early morning or late afternoon when the low Scottish light catches the dark sculptured forms against the pale sky. The physical setting of the castle itself is striking. The building combines a traditional Scottish tower house profile with later domestic additions, presenting a varied and picturesque silhouette when viewed from the approach. The stone has the grey-buff warmth typical of Perthshire rubble masonry, and the whole composition sits within a carefully tended landscape of mature trees and formal garden elements. From elevated points on the estate, there are fine views southward across the Carse of Gowrie toward the Tay, a broad and tranquil panorama of farmland and water that has changed relatively little in its essential character over the centuries. The sounds of the place are those of a working rural estate — wind in tall trees, birdsong, and a deep quiet that makes the visitor aware of distance from the bustle of urban Scotland. The surrounding area is rich in interest for visitors. The Carse of Gowrie is known for its fruit-growing traditions, particularly soft fruit, and the roads through it in summer pass through orchards and berry fields. Nearby Kinnoull Hill, on the edge of Perth, offers dramatic views and woodland walks. The city of Perth itself, with its many museums, galleries, and historic buildings including Perth Cathedral, is only a short drive away. Scone Palace, one of Scotland's most significant royal and historic sites, lies just a few miles to the west. The villages of the Carse, including Errol and Inchture, have their own quiet charm and local heritage. Fingask Castle is a private residence and is not open to the public on a routine basis, which is an important practical consideration for any visitor. However, the gardens have historically been opened on certain occasions, including through Scotland's Gardens Scheme, which organises charity open days at private gardens across the country. Prospective visitors are strongly advised to check current opening arrangements before making any journey specifically to visit. The estate is accessed via minor roads climbing from the B953 in the Carse of Gowrie, and the approach itself is rewarding, passing through agricultural Perthshire landscape before arriving at the elevated position of the castle and its grounds. The nearest railway stations are at Perth and Dundee, with the estate requiring onward transport by car. The best times to visit, when openings occur, are typically late spring and early summer when the gardens are at their most articulate and the yew topiary forms are clearly defined against fresh growth. One of the more poignant details of Fingask's story is the manner in which the Threiplands preserved and celebrated their Jacobite heritage even after the political cause was long lost and legally irrelevant. The garden was deliberately shaped and populated with symbols and references to the Stuart cause, making it a kind of private monument to a defeated loyalty — an act of quiet defiance and commemoration that continued long after any practical danger had passed. There are also traditions linking the castle to the sheltering of Jacobite fugitives in the aftermath of Culloden, stories that are consistent with what is known of the family's convictions even if the precise details belong to local legend as much as to documented history. This combination of verifiable history and romantic tradition makes Fingask one of those rare places where the emotional texture of Scotland's past feels genuinely present and close.

Lochleven Castle is located on an island in Loch Leven and can be reached by ferry. The Castle can be reached by a ferry boat operated from Kinross by Historic Scotland during the summer months. The 14th-century tower house is still largely complete and dominates the castle ruins. The interior has kitchen and service accommodation in the bottom two floors and living space above. The floor above the hall served as Mary's prison and visitors can stand in the rooms that served as her cell. The original entrance is 5m above ground level, and gave access directly into the hall on the third floor. The smaller 16th-century Glassin Tower is a residential tower attached to the enclosure wall. The Castle originally took up almost the entire area of the Island. The present larger Island was formed in the early 19th century when canal building lowered level of the Loch. The ferry is not equipped to carry passengers in wheelchairs. Access to the castle forecourt, courtyards and gardens is over grass and accessible for visitors using wheelchairs or with limited mobility. The Glassin and Main Towers are not accessible due to flights of stairs. Loch Leven Castle is situated on an island in Loch Leven. The original castle on the island may have been built as early as the late 13th century. The surviving enclosure wall may incorporate parts of this first castle. Loch Leven Castle was captured by the Scots by the end of the 13th century (possibly by the forces of William Wallace). King Robert Bruce visited the castle in 1313 and 1323. Following Bruce's death, it was besieged by English forces in support of Edward Balliol. The Castle was strengthened in the early-mid 14th century either by King Robert I or King David II. A tower house was added in the shape of a square keep five storeys tall. In 1372, the Castle was granted to William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas by King Robert II. Mary Queen of Scots first visited in 1561 as a guest of the owner, Sir William Douglas. A few years later, she was later imprisoned by Douglas in the castle tower in 1567. She eventually escaped in May 1568 after being forced to sign abdication papers in favour of her infant son, James VI. She went into exile in England and never returned to Scotland. Her cousin Queen Elizabeth of England imprisoned her until Mary was eventually executed in 1587. In 1675 Loch Leven Castle was bought from the Douglases by Sir William Bruce. Bruce did not us it as a residence but continued to maintain it along with the gardens. Loch Leven Castle has been a ruin since the 18th century.

Scone Palace near Perth in Perthshire is one of Scotland's most historically significant royal sites, standing on the location where the kings of Scotland were crowned for nearly a thousand years from the ninth century to the reign of Charles II in 1651. The Stone of Destiny, the ancient coronation stone of the Scottish kings, stood at Scone until its removal by Edward I of England in 1296, an act of deliberate cultural humiliation that was reversed only in 1996 when the stone was returned to Scotland after seven centuries in Westminster Abbey. The stone now rests in Edinburgh Castle, but Scone retains the authority of its extraordinary history as the seat of Scottish royal investiture. The current palace was built between 1803 and 1813 for the third Earl of Mansfield in the Gothic Revival style fashionable among Scottish landed proprietors of the period, replacing an earlier building that incorporated the remains of the historic palace on the same site. The resulting Gothic Revival building of considerable scale and quality houses collections of furniture, paintings, porcelain and decorative objects of outstanding importance, assembled by successive Earls of Mansfield over three centuries of aristocratic collecting and reflecting both the family's wealth and their connection through their legal careers to the highest levels of British society. The palace is still the home of the Mansfield family and is open to visitors throughout the summer season. The state rooms contain remarkable pieces including Louis XVI furniture, Sèvres porcelain, needlework by Mary Queen of Scots and a collection of ivories of international quality. The grounds include a pinetum, a maze and the Moot Hill where the coronation ceremonies were conducted, a small artificial mound of such historical significance that visiting it provides a direct connection to the entire sweep of Scottish royal history.

Drummond Castle south of Crieff in Perthshire is celebrated above all for its extraordinary formal gardens, widely regarded as among the finest in Scotland and among the best examples of formal garden design in Britain. The castle dates from the fifteenth century as a Drummond family stronghold, largely destroyed by Cromwell's forces and subsequently rebuilt. The gardens, first laid out in the seventeenth century and substantially redesigned in the nineteenth, form a magnificent parterre arranged on terraces descending from the castle, featuring topiary, clipped yews, geometric plantings and a seventeenth-century sundial as the centrepiece. Viewed from the terrace below the castle, the scale and formal complexity of the garden creates one of Scotland's most spectacular garden compositions, open to the public on certain days during the season.

Burleigh Castle is located just outside the village of Milnathort, 1.5 miles north of Kinross, in Perth and Kinross. The castle was built in the 15th century. The castle is in ruins, and the remains include the western part of a square courtyard with a tower house in the north-west corner. The tower house is still standing with three storeys and a garret. The walls are five feet thick with corbels at the top which would once have supported a parapet walk. The vaulted basement of the tower remains but roof and internal floors are gone. The stair in the north-east corner would have led to a caphouse giving access to the parapet walk. There is another tower in the south-west that was built in the 16th century. It is two storeys high with a basement and still has its roof in place. The tower is round at the base, and corbelled out to a square upper storey. The date 1582 is engraved in the north gable. The two towers are connected by a section of curtain wall with an arched gate, that would have once fronted a gatehouse. Burleigh Castle tower house was built in the late 15th century by the Balfour family and extended in the 16th century with addition of a curtain wall, second tower, and other outbuildings. In the 18th century, Robert Balfour joined the Jacobite cause, proclaiming the Old Pretender, James Stuart king at Lochmaben, and fighting in the 1715 rising. Following the defeat of the Jacobites, Balfour was stripped of his property and fled to France. The castle was forfeit to the Irwins, then passed to the Grahams of Kinross. It is now a Scheduled Ancient Monument in the care of Historic Scotland.

Craigend Castle is a ruined country house built as a Regency Gothic mansion, located to the north of Milngavie, in East Dunbartonshire, central Scotland. The grounds are now part of Mugdock Country Park. The stable block, located to the north of the house serves as the country park visitor centre. The lands of Craigend were part of the Barony of Mugdock in medieval times. The estate was sold in the mid-17th century to the Smith family. John Smith (1724-1812) was born at Craigend and became a merchant and founded the booksellers John Smith & Son. John Smith built a plain house on the estate, but after his death his son, James Smith, incorporated that house in a much more ornate mansion. Glasgow businessman William Wilson and his son opened a zoo at Craigend in 1949 with various exotic animals. It failed and closed in 1954.

Taymouth Castle near Kenmore at the eastern end of Loch Tay in Perthshire is one of the grandest Scottish Baronial castles in Scotland, built between 1806 and 1842 for the Earl of Breadalbane in the Tudor Gothic and Scottish Baronial style. The castle was famously visited by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1842, who described the setting as one of the finest they had ever encountered, and the royal visit established Taymouth as one of the most celebrated and glamorous of Scottish Highland estates. After years of disuse the castle is currently undergoing a major restoration programme intended to return it to use as a luxury hotel and golf resort. The setting on the shores of Loch Tay with the mountains of Breadalbane rising on every side is of outstanding scenic quality.