Forter Castle stands at the head of Glenisla, guarding the entrance to the Balloch Pass to Glenshee and the Moncea Pass to Braemar. Built in 1560 by the Ogilvies of Airlie, the tower house occupied a strategic position in the Highland landscape. It was inhabited for only eighty years before being sacked in 1640 during the Covenanting Wars, after which it remained unoccupied and in ruin for more than three centuries.

By the time the Pooley family purchased the site in 1988, Forter Castle had been reduced to a roofless shell, with no surviving internal features. The stone vaults, staircases and timber floors were all lost, requiring extensive archival research and on-site investigation to reconstruct the original layout and architectural details with historical accuracy.

The rebuilding process took two years and was carried out with support from Historic Scotland. Traditional materials and techniques were used to reinstate the form and character of the sixteenth-century structure, while carefully integrating modern services to enable long-term use. The project returned Forter Castle to its former presence within the landscape, ensuring its survival as both a private home and a significant part of Scotland’s built heritage.