It was an L-plan castle and featured a unique staircase in the square tower which made use of lamps in a central column with openings into the stairwell itself for illumination.

[3] It was built for William Forbes of Monymusk on the site of a former castle (probably a wooden motte and bailey) around 1661[4][1][5][6] as "the last fortified house in Scotland".

[2] In 1980, the castle and estate were purchased for about $25,000[citation needed] and restored by the City of Aberdeen architect David Carnegie Leslie at a cost of about $1 million.

[citation needed] The castle's walls had collapsed and there were piles of rubble up to 8 feet (2.4 m) high, and tons of carved stone had been stolen over the years.

[12] Since 2018, the castle has been operating as a guesthouse run by the current Baron of Leslie (John Andrea), but is also available for exclusive hire for events.