Braemar Castle Braemar Castle is situated near the village of Braemar in Aberdeenshire , Scotland . It is a possession of the chief of Clan Farquharson and is leased to a local charitable foundation . It is open to the public . History . From the Late Middle Ages the castle was a stronghold of the Earls of Mar . The present Braemar Castle was constructed in 1628 by John Erskine , 18th Earl of Mar as a hunting lodge and to counter the rising power of the Farquharsons , replacing an older building , which was the successor of nearby Kindrochit Castle , which dates from as the 11th century AD . The siting of Kindrochit Castle was based upon the strategic location of this site relative to historic crossings of the Grampian Mounth . An important garrison after the 1745 Jacobite uprising , Braemar Castle had been attacked and burned by John Farquharson , the " Black Colonel " of Inverey in 1689 during the first Jacobite uprising , to prevent it being used as a garrison by Government troops . In 1716 the castle was forfeited to the Crown following the Earl of Mar ' s leadership of the 1715 Jacobite uprising . The castle and lands were purchased by John Farquharson , 9th Laird of Invercauld but the building was left in ruins until 1748 when it was leased to the government at a fee of £14 per year , now to serve as a garrison for Hanover ian troops . Rebuilding started under the command of John Adam , Master Mason to the Board of Ordnance . In 1831 the military garrison was withdrawn and the castle returned to the Farquharson clan . Restoration to provide a family home began under the 12th Laird of Invercauld who entertained Queen Victoria there when she attended the Braemar Gatherings in the grounds of the Castle . In 1800 Braemar Castle was documented to have its moat intact . Since 2006 the castle has been leased to the local community . It is run on behalf of the community by local charity , Braemar Community Ltd and staffed by local volunteers , and an ambitious restoration programme has been started . It reopened to the public in 2008 . The building . The building is a five storey L - plan castle with a star - shaped curtain wall of six sharp - angled salients , and with three storey angle turret s . The central tower enfolds a round stair tower and is built of granite covered with harl . The main entrance retains an original iron yett , and many of the windows are protected by heavy iron grilles . On the ground floor are stone - vaulted rooms which contained the guardroom , ammunition store and original kitchen . These are built out into the salients of the outer wall , and in Victorian times a second kitchen was added adjoining the staff rooms . In the floor of a passage , an iron grill provided access to the " Laird ' s Pit " , a dark hole used as a dungeon . On each of the upper floors a large room and a small room occupied the two arms of the tower . On the first floor are the " Dining Room " and " Morning Room " , whilst on the floor above is the " Laird ' s Day Room " , entered by a curved door . Opposite is the " Rose Room " , and between the two is a small bathroom installed in 1901 . In the main wing at this level is the " Drawing Room " , containing graffiti incised on the window - shutters by government troops . The words " " John Chestnut , Sergeant , 1797 " " can be clearly seen . On the third floor is the " Four Poster Bedroom " , whilst on the fourth floor lie the " Ladies Guest Bedroom " , " Gentlemans Guest Bedroom " and the " Principal Bedroom " . These upper floors were used by the Farquharson family in the latter years of their visits . Contents . Among the antiques on display within the castle are a Bronze Age sword , and a piece of tartan plaid once worn by Bonnie Prince Charlie . Ghosts . The castle is reputedly haunted by several ghosts . Sightings have been reported of a young woman who was honeymooning in the castle . On waking one morning she found herself alone and , believing her husband had abandoned her , committed suicide . She usually appears to newlyweds . A piper has been seen in the back corridor , and a clash of steel can sometimes be heard on the staircase . The cries of a young baby , reputedly murdered in the castle , have also been reported . John Farquharson , the " Black Colonel " of Inverey has been seen in certain rooms . His outline on the four poster bed has been seen on numerous occasions , and the scent of his tobacco is said to linger in many of the rooms . Many of the ghosts are said to be depicted in Gustave Doré ' s 1873 painting of Braemar Castle , which previously hung in the " Drawing Room " .