In Aberdeenshire, Castle Fraser is the largest and most elaborate of the region's Z-plan castles. Built from 1575, it embodies the passage from the medieval fortress to the Renaissance residence — and bears, carved, the proud signature of its mason.
From tower to Z-plan
Around an old tower (c. 1400-1500), a great building campaign opens in 1575 under Michael Fraser, 6th laird, and is completed around 1636. It gives a five-storey castle on the Z-plan — a central block flanked by two diagonal towers, one round, one square —, a form characteristic of the Scottish architecture of the time, which combines a still-defensive air with a new comfort. The rich ornamentation of the stonework announces the house of display.
The school of the Bell masons
Castle Fraser is the work of the master masons of the Bell dynasty: on the north façade, a carved panel signed 'I Bel' (John Bell of Midmar) proudly asserts the work — a rare case of a craftsman's signature on a Scottish castle. To this same school we owe Craigievar, Crathes and Midmar: a veritable architectural tradition of the north-east under the Stuarts, which spread its refined tower houses across Aberdeenshire. There is also a 'Laird's Lug', a listening device allowing the master to spy on the conversations of the great hall.
What to see
- The Z-plan, with its round and square towers.
- The mason's panel signed 'I Bel'.
- The medieval vaulted great hall and the 'Laird's Lug' (listening device).
Did you know?
The 'Laird's Lug' (the 'laird's ear') was a hidden cavity near the great hall through which the master of the house could, unseen, listen to what his guests were saying. An ancestor of the hidden microphone, cut into the stone of a sixteenth-century Scottish castle.
Practical information
Castle Fraser lies near Kemnay, in Aberdeenshire; in the care of the National Trust for Scotland. Hours liable to change; check against the official sources.
Quiz
- Which plan characterises Castle Fraser?
- The Z-plan
- The circular plan
- The cross plan
- Who signed the work on the north façade?
- The mason John Bell ('I Bel')
- The king
- Michelangelo
- What is the 'Laird's Lug'?
- A hidden listening device
- A watchtower
- A chapel