Ruthven Barracks, well situated to be seen from the A9 by Kingussie, is the best preserved of the four infantry barracks built by the Hanoverian government after the Jacobite rebellion of 1715.
The scarp is probably artificial, and housed an earlier stone castle of the Earls of Huntly, and a 13th century stronghold of the Comyns.
There was a seige here in 1745 and later, General Wade made modifications.