Tower Town

And since we were down in that neck of the woods anyway, today we checked out Huntingtower Castle itself.

Huntingtower Castle, or the 'Place of Ruthven' as it used to be called, is associated with two noble families - the notorious Ruthvens, who owned this land from the 1100s, and the Murrays, who received the castle after the Ruthven downfall in 1600.

Originally the castle consisted of two towers that stood only three meters apart.  In 1600 the 'names, memory and dignity' of the Ruthvens were extinguished following the infamous Gowrie Conspiracy.  Parliament annexed their lands to the Crown and stripped the family members of their titles.

The Murray family frequently acted as keepers of the castle, which was renamed Huntingtower.  Sixty three years later they took full ownership, and built an adjoining section to transform the medieval towers into a single modern mansion.

Important buildings, such as a feasting hall, gallery and chapel
were arranged around a courtyard beyond the two towers.
Only the towers remain today.

In the east tower a hierarchy of  room existed to suit the social status of those who used them.  The most luxurious place was the hall, where the lord received guests and conducted his business affairs.  It was a room to display wealth and sophisticated tastes.

The extensive decoration reflected the owener's
high status - this is the ceiling of the Lord's Hall. 

Lying back enjoying the view!

Before banks existed, valuable were often kept in wall-safes.
In the above aumbry (cupboard) there is a secret compartment
where riches and important documents were once concealed.

 

The three floors above ground level.

The space between the battlements is known as the 'Maiden's Leap'.
It owes its name to the story of a secret love affair, in which the
daughter of the 1st Earl leapt between the two towers to escape
detection.

On top of the west tower

On top of the west tower.

The Maiden's Leap from the west tower.

The last Murray resident was Mary, widow of the 1st Duke of Atholl, who lived here until she died in 1767.  The castle was sold in 1805 to local businessman James Buchan, who used it to house workers for his nearby cloth-printing factory and in 2002 was taken over by Historic Scotland.