Growing on a grand scale

“The owners wanted a garden which would reference its 200-year history but which would be contemporary in feel”

In 1803, Alexander, 4th Duke of Gordon picked the optimum site for his new walled garden. Gordon Castle, midway between Inverness and Aberdeen, had recently been rebuilt as a magnificent baronial mansion, and its original walled garden, closer to the castle, was now too small. His chosen site had the vestiges of a village on it, but that was a mere inconvenience; ducal needs came first, and his tenants were already being moved to a new village half a mile to the south. The new garden took two years and a million bricks to build. At over eight acres, it was one of the biggest in the country, and once restored will be the largest fully productive walled garden in Scotland.

The garden flourished through the Victorian and Edwardian eras, but the fortunes of the Dukes of Gordon declined until, in 1938, the castle had to be sold. By this stage it was falling into disrepair, and much of it has since had to be demolished. The castle and part of the estate were bought back by another branch of the family