Angus & Dundee: About 7 miles east of Forfar, on minor road just south of A932, 1.5 miles west of Friockheim, south of Guthrie, at Pitmuies House and garden.
Private NO 567497 OS: 54 DD8 2SN
OPEN: Garden open Apr-Oct, daily 10.00-17.00.
Web: www.pitmuies.com
Site of castle or old house, marked on Pont’s map as ‘Pitmouis’. The present House of Pitmuies dates from the 17th century, and is an elegant three-storey whitewashed mansion with lower later
bowfronted wings. The building incorporate part of the castle or old house, including a worn turnpike stiar. There is a rectangular doocot [NO 567497], which has a panel dated 1643 with the Guthrie
and Ogilvie arms.
‘Pitmouis’ is marked on Pont’s map of Perthshire and Angus, although not with any prominence.
The lands were held by the Guthries at the end of the 16th century (or possibly by the Lindsays at one time). Pitmuies went to the Ogilvies by 1667 when John Ogilvie of Pitmuies is mentioned.
Ogilvie of Pitmuies is on record in 1704.
Pitmuies was a property of the Mudie (or Moody) family by 1768, then it passed to the Lyell baronet of Kinnordy in 1877, then was later sold to the Crombies. Pitmuies has been held by the
Ogilvies since 1945.
There are fine walled formal and kitchen gardens, with river and woodland walks and the Black Loch, and a broken Pictish cross-slab [NO 567500].