Benholm Castle, Aberdeenshire
In World War II it was used as a hospital for Polish troops but after the war it was abandoned and became a ruin.
There were plans to restore the buildings by new owners, Roddy and Fiona Strachan who had purchased the property in 1990 as a home for themselves and three daughters. Despite a storm in 1992 which resulted in the entire east wall, along with part of the north and south walls, collapsing they continued with the project. They focused on restoring the Georgian mansion using as much of the original material as possible. They moved in to their new home in 2008.
The flagged kitchen floor has a plate glass cover to a well which was probably the original well for the castle.
Benholm castle is two miles south-west of Inverbervie bounded by the River North Esk in the south, and the River Dee to the north in Aberdeenshire (in an area once known as Kincardineshire). It is located above a steep ravine and was originally a 15th century square keep rising to four storeys (80 feet high), with a more recent mansion attached. The stair was crowned by a square caphouse incorporating a watch room (which had the "luxury" of a fireplace to keep the guards warm). The hall on the first floor had a large fireplace. It was the Lundie family that built the castle but it later belonged to the Keith Earl Marischal, whose main residence was Dunnotar Castle. In 1623 the 5th Earl's widow stole money and jewels from the castle. The property was bought by the Scotts, including David Scott, Treasurer of the Bank of Scotland in 1659 and he built a great mansion beside the castle. (Presumably he had a home in Edinburgh also - commuting to work from Aberdeenshire to Edinburgh is not even feasible today). The graphic on the right is from a photo taken in the early 1900s.