Drum Castle takes meetings of up to 70 people theatre-style, seated dinners for 45 and drinks receptions for 70 inside the castle, while its walled rose garden holds receptions for 500 and its grounds take marquee events and team-building for more than 500. The castle stands at Drumoak, between Aberdeen and Banchory in Aberdeenshire, and is cared for by the National Trust for Scotland.
Seminars and company events
The Trust sells Drum for corporate entertaining as well as private parties. Inside the castle, a meeting or presentation seats up to 70 theatre-style, and the same rooms work for a drinks reception of 70 or a dinner for 45. For a larger group, the grounds are offered for outdoor activities, team-building days and marquee events of more than 500 guests. An exhibition space created in recent years shows contemporary art in a historic setting and adds a talking point to a company evening. The Trust's events team arranges site visits and helps plan the day.
Weddings and receptions
Drum is licensed for weddings in several settings. A civil or humanist ceremony inside the castle takes up to 50 guests. The chapel, built in the 1500s, hosts religious ceremonies for up to 35. In summer, the Garden of Historic Roses can hold an outdoor ceremony for 100 and a drinks reception for 500. The garden and the wider estate are offered as a backdrop for photographs, and a marquee on the grounds extends the capacity for the wedding meal and the evening.
Rooms and capacities
The official figures are as follows. Castle: drinks reception 70, wedding ceremony 50, dining 45, meeting 70 theatre-style. Chapel: religious wedding ceremony 35. Garden of Historic Roses: drinks reception 500, wedding ceremony 100. Grounds: team-building, outdoor activities and marquee events for 500 guests or more.
Accommodation
The estate has two small holiday properties. Courtyard Cottage is a one-bedroom apartment in the historic courtyard of the castle, and Holly Leaf Cottage nearby also sleeps two. They suit a couple or a host on the night of an event. Larger groups need hotels in Aberdeen or Banchory.
History and setting
In 1323 Robert the Bruce gave the Royal Forest and Tower of Drum to the Irvine family, who kept the estate for more than 650 years. The square medieval tower is one of the oldest tower houses in Scotland. A Jacobean mansion house was added later, and in the Victorian era the lower hall became a library that now holds some 4,000 books. The walled garden is divided into quadrants that trace the cultivation of roses from the 17th to the 20th century. Next to the castle, the Old Wood of Drum keeps oaks dating from the 1700s, a remnant of the ancient royal forest, home to red kites, roe deer and red squirrels.
Getting there
Drum Castle lies half a mile off the A93, the Aberdeen to Banchory road: 3 miles west of Peterculter, 10 miles west of Aberdeen and 8 miles east of Banchory. There is a car park on site. Buses run every 30 minutes during the day along the A93, and the stop is about a 20-minute walk from the castle.
