A compact vaulted tower beside Kinnaird Head Castle preserves an exceptional set of late-sixteenth-century heraldic stone bosses.
Quick facts
- Date
- Built in the later sixteenth century; scheduled 1995; designation amended 2017
- Architect / designer
- Builder not identified; associated with the Frasers of Philorth
- Type
- Three-storey vaulted coastal tower with heraldic roof bosses
- Designation
- Scheduled monument (SM90344)
- OS grid reference
- NJ 99937 67511
Architecture and continuing use
Rubble walls enclose three vertically stacked vaulted chambers. The upper room has a fireplace, windows on each side and seven pendant bosses; a turnpike stair reaches the roof and a small latrine closet.
Its story
The tower probably accompanied the Frasers’ castle and may have served several private, ceremonial or storage uses. Later functions included a powder magazine and lighthouse store. Its traditional “chapel” interpretation remains plausible but unproved.
Why it is included
It is an architecturally substantial scheduled monument whose intact vaulted rooms and sculpture add a rare early layer to Fraserburgh’s planned-town story.
What to notice
- Seven carved pendant bosses in the upper vault.
- High original entrance and later lower doorway.
- Dramatic relationship with cliff, castle and lighthouse.
Reading the surroundings
Access is controlled through the Museum of Scottish Lighthouses. Use only guided or explicitly opened routes and keep clear of the cliff edge.
Timeline
- Built in the later sixteenth century The tower probably accompanied the Frasers’ castle and may have served several private, ceremonial or storage uses. Later functions included a powder magazine and lighthouse store. Its traditional “chapel” interpretation remains plausible but unproved.
- Present Preserved scheduled monument interpreted and visited as part of the Kinnaird Head museum complex.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
Its original purpose is not settled: the form and imagery have encouraged a chapel interpretation, but HES notes that the room is not conventionally arranged as a chapel.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: Wine Tower, SM90344 — Designation status, mapped location, construction phases, fabric, authorship and architectural or historical interest.
- Museum of Scottish Lighthouses: Kinnaird Head Castle and Wine Tower — Current interpretation, visitor access and relationship between the castle and adjacent tower.
Location
OS grid reference NJ 99937 67511 · Location confidence: High: the statutory designation supplies an official mapped National Grid Reference and the current source confirms the Place relationship or present identity. · Select the marker to open its satellite view in Google Maps. On desktop, drag Pegman (the yellow figure) onto a blue road. On mobile, turn on the Street View layer and tap a blue road. Other photo markers may be user-contributed.
Suggest a marker correction
Suggest a more accurate position
The teal marker is the current published position. The orange marker starts slightly to its right so both remain visible; this is only a visual starting position. Tap the correct place on the map or drag the orange marker. Sending this form creates a private review entry only; it does not move the published marker.
Check this area in Google Maps Choose the Satellite layer there if useful.
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors. You can also enter checked coordinates below.