Overview of Kildrummy

A hamlet in mid-Aberdeenshire, Kildrummy lies close to the River Don, 7 miles (11 km) west of Alford. Kildrummy Kirk, which dates from 1805 and is of an unusual rectangular, bow-fronted shape, stands close to the remains of the earlier old kirk of St Bride. Nearby Kildrummy Castle, a former stronghold at a central point in the Earldom of Mar, is one of the few great stone castles to have survived from the 13th century peak of European castle building. Originally said to have been built for King Alexander II, the castle was held in 1306 by Nigel Bruce, brother of Robert the Bruce, while besieged by Prince Edward of Caernarvon. Kildrummy was under siege again in 1335, burnt in 1530 and taken by Cromwell in 1654. It became the headquarters of the Earl of Mar during the 1715 Jacobite rising after which it was abandoned and dismantled.

Kildrummy Primary School closed in 2003.