The original home of the Clan Menzies, Comrie Castle, was situated in Glen Lyon, some distance from the present site. It was burnt down in 1487. The Old Castle of Weem was built to replace it in 1488 on or near the present site by Sir Robert de Menyrs and the lands associated with it were formed into the Barony of Menzies. In 1502, this Castle was burnt out by Neil Stewart of Garth after a quarrel over the lands of Rannoch. The feud between the two families continued for much of the 16th century but in 1571 Sir Robert's great-grandson, James Menzies, married Barbara Stewart, daughter of the Earl of Atholl. From her dowry, which may have been, in part, compensation for the loss of the Clan Home, the present Castle was rebuilt. Barbara Stewart is thought to have been greatly influential in the design of the Castle. The state of the landscape associated with it is uncertain but modern aerial photographs indicate the presence of what may have been a barmkin wall around the Castle at that time.
During the 17th & 18th centuries, the Castle was occupied several times by garrisons; the last time, in 1746, by Cumberland's forces who, it is recorded, were responsible for pulling down 'a large Office House at the back of the Castle and a high garden wall on the east of it that might have proved inconvenient in case of an attack' and that 'the Garrison did destroy the whole front in the orchard ...... and destroyed a great number of the fruit trees ....'. The extent of the designed landscape around that time is indicated on General Roy's map which shows two avenues converging on the Castle and what appears to be the walled garden to the east of it.
Sir Neil Menzies, the 6th Baronet (1780-1844) was responsible for the planting of much of the wasteland around the Castle and, in the last years of his life, commissioned William Burn to design additions to the Castle. His son, Sir Robert, was even more influential; in his time as laird, he is said to have planted at least two million trees. The structure of the designed landscape which remains today was established by c.1870 but Sir Robert's planting resulted in some further changes to the landscape which can be seen on the 2nd edition OS of c.1900.
Sir Robert died in 1903. His successor lived for only seven years more and, on his death in 1910, the Menzies family line expired. Thereafter, the estate was split up; some of the family archives are held at Register House although some papers are kept at Blair Castle. The present Chief derives from the collateral line of the Menzies of Culdares.
The Castle then passed through the hands of a number of owners when it was subjected to several alterations, particularly during World War II when it was used as a medical stores depot for the Polish Army. After 1945 the Castle was neglected and was in a very dilapidated condition when it was purchased by the Clan Menzies Society in 1958. The small resources available to them at that time were used to prevent further deterioration of the fabric. Surveys carried out in 1971-72 indicated the need for major action in order to save the building. Grants were obtained from the Historic Buildings Council for Scotland which, along with fund raising events and a public appeal, financed the first phase of restoration work. The next two phases of the work continued during the 1970s & 80s. In 1984 the walled garden became available for sale and, following a successful appeal to Clan members, sufficient funds were raised to enable its purchase by the Society. The gardener's cottage remains in separate ownership and the woodlands are now owned by the Forestry Commission. The major part of the parkland and Home Farm is owned by a local farmer although the eastern end has been developed in recent years for private housing.