Finavon Castle – Scenic Splendor
Finavon Castle is set within the small hamlet of Finavon, in the center of the County of Angus. Lying within the fertile Vale of Strathmore, Finavon is surrounded by glorious open farmland and stunning countryside. It is close to Forfar, a thriving, bustling market town. Finavon comprises of a castle and a country house; the ruined 14th century castle lies just to the east of the 19th century country house. The castle was built by the Lindsay Earls of Crawford on the family estate that they had owned since 1375.
Over the years the castle was extended to form an L-plan tower-house of five stories with a garret and a courtyard. This was probably soon after 1608. The historic wedding of David Lindsay, the 10th Earl of Crawford to Margaret, the daughter of Cardinal David Beaton took place here in 1546. In 1629 the castle passed to Alexander Lindsay, the 2nd Lord Spynie. It went through several changes of ownership, through the Carnegie family, Gordon Earls of Aboyne and the Gardynes in 1815.
Today it no longer looks like an L plan tower house as the west wing has been demolished to foundation level. Three walls of the main block still stand five stories high. On the northeast angle one can see the remains of a corbelled angle tower with double shot-holes. The remnants of a courtyard can be discerned by portions of walling including a fragment with shot-holes running north.
The ruins of the Castle of Finavon is situated 130m east of the present Finavon Castle. The old castle was replaced by the country house, built in 1856. The Finavon Doocot, which is maintained by the National Trust for Scotland is located across the A90 trunk road to the northwest.
The country house has an apartment in the self contained wing of 16th century Finavon Castle with its own private entrance and garden. This apartment is let out to persons who want to enjoy a relaxed vacation in a historic castle in an area that offers plenty of recreation. It is an ideal base for people who want to go fishing, play golf or just tour the historic, scenic countryside.
