Description

The monument consists of the remains of a late seventeenth-century residence of plain design known locally as Conzie Castle.

The substantial upstanding remains of a gabled, rectangular-plan, single-pile building are situated in a cultivated field on the E side of the A97 between Huntly and Banff. According to tradition Conzie was never completed. The building occupies land that was a small separate estate known as Pennyburn circa 1700. The castle measures

22.7m E-W by 7.6m N-S over walls 0.95m thick.

The granite-rubble walls with small pinnings stand four storeys high on the S and E elevations; a fragment of the SW angle survives but most of the N and W walls are reduced to footings. Only the lower portions of the fourth-storey windows survive. There are joist-holes for beams at

each floor level. A central chimney survives in the E gable; the ground level kitchen fireplace incorporates a small oven.

The shape of the E gable above the wallhead suggests that the angles may have had corbelled turrets. The S elevation has four bays and regular fenestration. The windows are segmental-headed. 200m ESE of the castle are the remains of a square doocot which is likely to have been associated with the castle. It measures 5.8m square, has walls

0.6m thick and about 4-5m high. Most of the lower quoin-stones have been removed.

There are two separate areas to be scheduled; a rectangle centred on the castle, extending 5m from the exterior walls and measuring a maximum of 32.7m E-W by 17.6m N-S; and a square area centred on the doocot, extending 5m from the exterior walls with sides measuring a maximum of 15.8m, as shown in red on the accompanying map.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The monument is of national importance because it is a substantial building of seventeenth-century date and a significant feature in the landscape. When combined with historical documentation, its remains and below-ground archaeology offer evidence which has the potential for clarifying its origins, ownership and history, in addition to shedding further light on our knowledge of late medieval/early modern settlement, land tenure and economy, material culture, building technology and domestic architectural design in Scotland.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

RCAHMS records the monument as NJ 54 NE 13.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland