Delgatie Castle

Lion on the balcony watching over all

Entrance with the two Stags

This beautiful statue was sitting on top of a very high shelf  I thought it was so beautiful, a pure white Monkey with the black flie on the hand at first I thought it was a real fly..but no it was part of the artwork Capt. Hay was a real collector

Ceilings in many Castles are like this painted with scenes and sayings one saying said " as a dog turneth to his own Vomit, so the foole returneth to his own foolishnes

Guest room

one of the two paintings I found tucked in under a chair ...It was so beautiful

This was the other one

A view of the front entrance patio area from the second floor window

This is Joan Johnson "Chef Supreme and keeper of the Castle

The small cement structure to the left is a fountain then the Chapel that is attached to the castle

Small mill

Looking towards Joan's cottage through a old garden area

Delgatie Castle from the road



The Lairds Kitchen

Our Lunch dessert Coffee Cake



This pool was the last thing Capt. Hay made before he died at the age of 91 in 1997....Joan told me the story of how she came to be keeper of the castle ...30 years ago she was working in a Cafe/ catering shop in Turrif Capt. Hay who owned the castle came there every day and through conversation with Joan and others he found out that she was looking for a place to live because her daughter was very frightened to sleep in the cottage they had in town, Joan had tried for two years to help her daughter overcome her fears, Joan thought there may be something mentally wrong with her....well anyway the capt. said he had a empty cottage on his property and it was available so they went to see it Friday and moved in on Sunday. Capt. ( as Joan called him) took her daughter for a walk that very night and she slept fine in her new bedroom. Joan wanted to pay for staying in the cottage but capt. refused and so they struck a deal Joan would clean and cook for him ( as his wife had died in 1976) and he was all alone they never had any children. Joan said the capt. spoiled her daughter and that the two of them were so happy when they were together , he would take her to town and buy her anything she wanted. Some of the town folk talked about Joan behind her back called her a loose woman etc. The Capt. new his end was near and made a new will in it he put his estate in a trust all but the cottage that Joan and her daughter lived in he gave this to her and the surrounding land...wow! there were apparently two long lost relatives who came forward tyring to have Capt. declared mentally incompetent well the DR. said he was of sound mind so that ended that battle ...Joan said that the Capt. worked tirelessly on the upkeep of the Castle, that he was always building or repairing something, he had just finished the cement pond and came in happy with his work ...Joan said he didn't come down for breakfast in the morning and she found him dead in his bed....So she has been caring for the Castle along with some other people who volunteer ...there is also a Band B in a building nearby and she says people have wedding there and they have a huge table in the chapel they serve the catering from...and her daughter was married at the Castle and her son in law is writing a book about the castle and capt. Hay ...I loved her story hope  you all do as well.