Aldourie Castle

Aldourie Castle is a fairly well-known baronial mansion which is clearly visible from the main road along the north-west shore of Loch Ness. Harled an unusual rusty colour, it has been in use as a hotel and venue for many years, and has been undergoing extensive renovation recently prior to a reopening. In the late 16th century Angus Mackintosh of Kyllachy held a feu on the lands of Aldourie, which passed to his son Lachlan in 1624. Lachlan was followed by his son Williiam, and by William’s son Donald, who sold his rights to Aldourie to his son-in-law, John Barbour. Catherine Mackintosh and her husband John Barbour had a daughter who married her Mackintosh cousin Alexander, returning Aldourie to the Mackintosh family. Alexander was followed by his son John, and John by his son James, born in Aldourie in 1765. In 1754, James sold Aldourie to the Fraser family.

Lachlan Mackintosh had what is described as a modest lairds house erected for him in 1626, consisting of a two storey house with an attic, and a round tower at one corner, and it remained like this for the rest of the Mackintosh years. This now has the appearance of a tower house, and forms the centre of the mansion. After the Fraser purchase, it was not the subject of much change until 1839, when a two storey wing was added to the west, creating a large country house with an elongated L-shaped plan. In the 1860s, another William Fraser commissioned extensive alterations and extensions to the design of Mackenzie & Matthews, which gave the building a Scottish baronial feel, albeit with a 17th century palate. This included the addition of the upper storey to the old house, and the building was extended again to the east with a design by Lorimer. The castle was purchased in 2015 and renovation work started which have culminated in the availability of the mansion as an exclusive use venue.

Official Aldourie Castle Website

HES Canmore database entry