Scottish Castles Association

Birse Castle - the original structure occupies the extreme left - Pic: John Pringle

Situated in a remote part of Aberdeenshire Birse was a small, rubble built and harled tower house provided with label mouldings and a circular tower corbelled to the square. It dated from around 1600. In 1640 it was burned. By the time of McGibbon & Ross in the 1880s it was a tumbled ruin.

Birse in its ruined state in 1904

In 1905 Birse was restored to something of its original state and so stood until 1930 when extensive additions radically altered its appearance to that in the first picture.

It's hard to reconcile this illustration with that depicted beneath but the survival of Birse was secured and proves that no castle is outside restoration, or in this case, rebuiding.