Fyvie Castle
P3
Fyvie Castle
Fyvie Castle is a castle in the village of Fyvie near Turriff, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. She was one of a chain of royal facilities that have been built to defend the borders of the medieval monarchies in Scotland. The country was a royal hunting estate, the name Fyvie comes from the Gaelic, meaning " deer hill ". Have over the centuries, various owners of the castle repeatedly expanded so that today arouse five residential towers built together with the outbuildings of the appearance of a palace.
History
Strategically located in a loop of the River Ythan and thus directly attacked only from the south, came the earliest fortifications of wood and earthen walls from the late 12th century. Occupies a visit by King William the Lion in Fyvie Castle in 1211 (or 1214 ). King Alexander II signed on 22 February 1222 certificate in the castle; while the English King Edward I in his campaign against John Balliol on 21 July 1296 " Fyvin Chastel " probably was less welcome.
The castle remained in royal possession until 1370. Then she was handed over by King Robert II in the private property of his eldest son John (later Robert III. ). This, in turn, they appropriated first to his cousin James Lindsay, as king but then in 1391 as part of a deal to James ' brother Henry Preston. The Preston family moved Fyvie Castle until 1402, but already in 1433 the plant went by marriage to the Meldrum family over. At a follower passed, the castle was so deeply in debt that it was sold to Alexander Seton, later " Chancellor of Scotland " in 1596.
1694 died James, 4th Earl of Dunfermline, grandson and heir of Alexander Seton, after the Scottish Jakobitenaufständen in exile in Paris; the castle was already confiscated at this time and again in the possession of the crown. In 1733 it was then, 2nd Earl of Aberdeen sold to William Gordon of Haddoo. Owned by the Gordon family Fyvie Castle remained until 1885, when Maurice Duff - Gordon she offered for sale due to financial reasons.
In the year 1889, with Alexander Leith, later Lord Leith of Fyvie, find a buyer. Fyvie Castle changed hands for £ 175,000. The family lived in the facility until 1984, then sold Andrew Forbes - Leith the castle to the National Trust for Scotland.
Description
Traditionally, the five residential towers are attributed to the five owner families, although this could not be confirmed by more detailed studies: The " Preston Tower" is in the east of the plant, " Seton Tower" is the imposing center of the southern front, while the " Meldrum Tower" the western end forms. The " Gordon Tower " stands in the north, while the " Leith Tower", rather an entire wing is it to find a single residential tower in the northwest.
The builders of the three towers that make up the southern front, are not known. There is evidence that they already existed before 1600, because Alexander Seton, the two corner towers, the central tower and the curtain wall between them had it converted to the visible today Front 1601-1620. The buildings between the towers were also built in this period as the superstructure (the " fourth floor " ) on the three towers. The " Gordon Tower" was built around 1790 by William Gordon, come from him and the man-made lake and parkland. The last additions, the " Leith Tower " and the sports store nearby lying (with glass roof, squash court and bowling alley ) were commissioned 1890-1901 by Alexander Leith and executed by John Bryce. They clearly show the need for living space and convenience of a tycoon in the early 19th century.
Fyvie Castle is now a museum. To visit a total of 18 rooms on several floors, the access to the different floors is via the "Great Stair ", an impressive spiral staircase with about six meters in diameter. Particularly interesting are the dining room with equipment from 1790, the library from 1900, prior even with books owner of the castle, as well as the gallery with a self-playing organ, Brussels tapestries of the 17th century and a marble fireplace from 1521.