In 1583, two years before his death in 1585,[2] he passed it on to his second son and heir, Patrick Grant, who was knighted by King James VI and designated "of Rothiemurchus".

[5][6] Scottish architect Ian Begg said that based on its style, it may have been a "fashionable introduction", meaning its design was for social or cultural reasons rather than just functional, and guessed that John Grant brought the idea of a tower to the area.

Timber was included as part of the stone walls, as in the forest-area masonry was not as well understood nor trusted and timber-building was the norm at the time.

"[3] In 1887 it was reported to belong to the architect John Dick Peddie, who was a member of the Royal Scottish Academy.

[10][11] An additional unroofed building was shown on an 1874–75 map just north of the castle, but was not on the Ordnance Survey map in 1972, and no trace of this additional building was found when the area was visited by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) in 2006.

This was prompted by an Inverness County Council Planning Officer reminding the owners of their obligations when having a listed building.

When Begg first inspected the site, the south gable of the main tower, containing flues for fireplaces, had already collapsed.

[16] As of 2023, a major rewilding project is being undertaken on the wider estate, covering 1,900 hectares (4,700 acres) and including creation of new woodland and wetlands.

Its fieldstone masonry is plastered with harl, a rough-cast wall finish consisting of lime and aggregate.

[8][20][23]: 64–66 At the southeast edge, there is a corner turret supported by corbelling (a construction technique where stones or bricks are progressively stepped out from the wall), commonly referred to as a tourelle.

In addition to the family coat of arms, the panel shows the year of construction in 1598 in conjunction with the monograms "PG" (Patrick Grant) and "IG" (Jean Grant) and bears the inscription "In God is al my Trest" (meaning "In God is all my trust").