Aberdour Castle

Aberdour Castle
Aberdour, Fife, Scotland UK grid reference NT192854
South front of Aberdour Castle; the oldest part is on the left
Aberdour Castle
Coordinates	56°03′19″N 3°17′54″W / 56.0552°N 3.2983°W / 56.0552; -3.2983
Type	Tower house with later extensions
Site information
Owner	Historic Environment Scotland
Controlled by	Earl of Morton
Open to the public	Yes
Condition	Partially ruined
Site history
Built	c.1200-1635
In use	Until 1725
Materials	Stone

Aberdour Castle is in the village of Easter Aberdour, Fife, Scotland. Parts of the castle date from around 1200, making Aberdour one of the two oldest datable standing castles in Scotland, along with Castle Sween in Argyll, which was built at around the same time.^[1]

The earliest part of the castle was a modest hall house, on a site overlooking the Dour Burn. Over the next 400 years, the castle was successively expanded according to contemporary architectural ideas. The hall house became a tower house in the 15th century, and was extended twice in the 16th century. The final addition was made around 1635, with refined Renaissance details, and the whole was complemented by a walled garden to the east and terraced gardens to the south. The terraces, dating from the mid-16th century, form one of the oldest gardens in Scotland,^[2] and offer extensive views across the Firth of Forth to Edinburgh.

The castle is largely the creation of the Douglas Earls of Morton, who held Aberdour from the 14th century. The earls used Aberdour as a second home until 1642, when their primary residence, Dalkeith House, was sold. A fire in the late 17th century was followed by some repairs, but in 1725 the family purchased nearby Aberdour House, and the medieval castle was allowed to fall into decay. Today, only the 17th-century wing remains roofed, while the tower has mostly collapsed. Aberdour Castle is now in the care of Historic Environment Scotland, and is open to the public all year.