Inverquharity Castle is a 15th-century tower house

Tower house

A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation.-History:Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountain or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strategic points with reduced forces...

 in Angus

Angus

Angus is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland, a registration county and a lieutenancy area. The council area borders Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross and Dundee City...

, Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

. It lies around 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi) north-east of Kirriemuir

Kirriemuir

Kirriemuir, sometimes called Kirrie, is a burgh in Angus, Scotland.-History:The history of Kirriemuir extends to the early historical period and it appears to have been a centre of some ecclesiastical importance...

, on the south bank of the River North Esk

River North Esk

The North Esk is a river in Angus and Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is formed by the meeting of the Water of Mark and the Water of Lee , and enters the North Sea four miles north of Montrose. It forms the boundary between Angus and Aberdeenshire at certain stages in its course...

.

The lands of Inverquharity came to the Ogilvie family

Clan Ogilvy

-Origins of the clan:The Ogilvys are one of the most distinguished families in Scotland and take their name from Gillebride the second son of Gille Chriosd, Celtic Earl of Angus...

 around 1420. The castle was first constructed as a rectangular tower in the 1440s, by Alexander Ogilvie, 2nd Lord Inverquharity. In the 16th century a wing was added to form a four-storey L-plan castle. In the late 18th century, the tower was sold by the 5th Ogilvy Baronet

Ogilvy Baronets

There have been three Baronetcies created for members of the Ogilvy family, all in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia. As of 2008 one creation is extant while two are either extinct or dormant....

, and the wing demolished. The castle decayed until the 1960s, when it was restored and the wing rebuilt. The original 15th-century yett

Yett

A yett is a gate or grille of latticed wrought iron bars used for defensive purposes in castles and tower houses...

, or iron gate, is still in place. It remains a private family home, and is a category A listed building.