Chicago couple reveal £1m vision for 456-year-old Scottish castle revamp

A couple who moved from Chicago to buy a Scottish castle have revealed their £1 million vision for the 16th-century pile.

Balbegno Castle, near Fettercairn in Aberdeenshire, was once part of Glen Dye Estate and recently sold off by the great, great grandson of former prime minister William Gladstone.

Grade A listed Balbegno Castle near Fettercairn, Aberdeenshire, is undergoing a £1m renovation by a couple who have relocated from Chicago. PIC: Savills. | Savills

It was bought by Caroline and Lee Betsill, a financier, for £870,000 early last year. Mrs Betshill, who had an interiors business in the US, earlier spoke of falling in love with the property.

“We could see beyond the mess,” she said.

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Now, the couple, who lived in Surrey before moving to the US ten years ago, have applied to Aberdeenshire Council for permission to renovate the Grade A listed property into a “wondferful family home”.

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Mrs Betsill earlier said the overhaul would cost in the region of £1m. The castle has five or six bedrooms, but this will increase to nine under the plans.

A statement to planners said: “The property was bought to allow the family to relocate to a wonderful family home. The intention is not only to create a family home from the tower, Georgian wing and Victorian offshoot, but to do so respectfully and sympathetically.

“Skilled trades will be sought locally. Materials will be utilised from the grounds where possible.

“Historic building stone is available within the grounds and will be utilised in the new garden walls. A number of trees have come down in the storms of the last 12 months and a sawmill has been approached to remove and cut into sections for building and finishing.”

READ MORE: Fresh plans show American millionaire’s restoration plans for castle

Balbegno Castle was first constructed in 1569 by an Angus noble of the House of Bonnington. The original building still stands, but several additions have been made over time, including a farm house.

Alterations to a Georgian wing, featuring a dining room and drawing room, are to be stripped back to help create a “grander scale” entranceway.

A report to planners said: “An existing kitchen within the rear Victorian offshoot feels relatively uncomfortable within the layout considering the proximity to both dining room and vaulted hall. The proposal is to relocate the kitchen to its original location within the vaulted cellar. An historically added partition will be removed to accommodate the kitchen.”

The Victorian extension will instead be used as a mud room and cloakroom.

A beautiful vaulted hall on the first floor will also be renovated. A wall on the northside will be removed to uncover the original fireplace and work will be carried out to see if a servants’ staircase to the hall has been concealed.

The exterior of the building will be protected by more rainwater pipes and a TV aerial and satellite dish will be removed, as will a harled chimney that “is in danger of collapse”. An EV charger will also be fitted.

The report added: “The alterations and proposals noted here and shown on the submission drawings are designed to allow the castle to be utilised as a functional and comfortable family home whilst respecting the existing history and fabric of the property.

“The castle, in areas, is in a poor state of repair both internally and externally. Historic water ingress has damaged both structure and finishes.

“Prior modern alterations appear to have been made with little thought or consideration of impact on the property. It is Mr and Mrs Betsill’s intention to invest in the renovation of the castle, to repair the damaged structure, to unpick the modern alterations and to reinstate finishes to bring the castle back to life and to allow it to stand for many more years to come.”