Carbisdale Castle

Coordinates: 57°55′32″N 4°24′32″W / 57.9255°N 4.409°W / 57.9255; -4.409
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Carbisdale Castle
Scottish Baronial
Listed Building – Category B
Designated18 March 1971
Reference no.LB7165
Carbisdale Castle is located in Highland
Carbisdale Castle
Location of Carbisdale Castle in Highland council area

Carbisdale Castle was built in 1907 for the

Scottish Youth Hostels Association. The castle is situated north of Culrain, and around 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) north-west of Bonar Bridge. It lies within the civil parish of Kincardine and Community council
of Ardgay and District.

The castle is in the

Scottish Baronial style, it has 365 windows, is 41,433 square feet (3,849.3 m2) and is protected as a category B listed building.[1]
The hostel closed for repair in 2011, and was put up for sale in 2014. Until its closure, the castle had a large collection of art, with some pieces dating back to 1680, as well as Italian marble statues. It was purchased in 2016 but offered for sale again in 2021; in 2022 it was again sold and is now a private residence.

History

Lower Gallery in 2004; the sculpture collection has since been sold.

The castle was built between 1905 and 1917 for

Holloway Prison.[2]

Eventually, the Sutherland family came to an agreement giving Duchess Blair a substantial financial settlement. Furthermore, the family agreed to build a castle for the Duchess, as long as it was outside of the Sutherland lands. The Duchess employed a firm of Ayrshire builders and the castle was built between 1906 and 1917 just outside the Sutherland lands in Ross-shire.[2] It was located on a hillside to be visible to a large part of Sutherland, especially the main road and rail line which the Sutherland family would have to use to travel south. Thus it became known as the "Castle of Spite" as it was widely considered that the Duchess located the castle there to spite her husband's family and the settlement agreement.[3] The castle's tower only has clock faces on three of its four sides; the side facing Sutherland is blank, supposedly because the Duchess did not wish to give her former relatives the time of day.[4]

Colonel

Scottish Youth Hostels Association. Carbisdale Castle Youth Hostel opened to members on 2 June 1945.[2]

Following frost damage, the hostel closed for repairs in February 2011. Further structural damage was discovered during repair work.[5][3] Because of the cost of completing the repairs, the SYHA advertised the castle for sale in 2014, for £1.2 million.[6][7] In addition they auctioned 17 marble sculptures[8] and 36 paintings in May 2015, raising a further £1 million.[9] In September 2016, the castle was purchased by FCFM Group Ltd, who planned to make it "a world-class private residence".[10]

The castle was put up for sale again in April 2021, priced at £1.5 million.[11][12] It was sold in October 2022 to the barrister Samantha Kane and has since undergone restoration.[13] Kane, now known as Lady Carbisdale, uses the castle as her residence but intends to partially open it to the public.[4]

References

  1. ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "Carbisdale Castle and entrance gates (Category B Listed Building) (LB7165)". Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  2. ^ a b c "Carbisdale Castle History". Archived from the original on 29 June 2007.
  3. ^ a b "Sutherland's 'Castle of Spite' hostel may close for good". BBC News. 25 March 2013. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
  4. ^ a b "'I booked a last-minute flight and bought a castle'". BBC News. 25 August 2023.
  5. ^ Ferguson, Brian (1 October 2012). "Carbisdale Castle Youth Hostel battles to stay open". The Scotsman. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
  6. ^ "Scotland's last castle – yours for less than the price of a London flat". Yahoo! Finance. 7 August 2014. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014.
  7. ^ "Former hostel Carbisdale Castle close to sale". The Scotsman. 12 December 2014.
  8. ^ "Victorian marble goddesses and nymphs from Carbisdale Castle coming to market". Art Daily. 2015.
  9. ^ "Carbisdale Castle art collection sold for £1m". BBC News. 24 April 2015.
  10. ^ "Buyer to turn Sutherland's Carbisdale Castle into private residence". BBC News. 23 September 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  11. ^ Hutchinson, Caitlin (22 April 2021). "Historic castle with colourful story could be returned to former glory after years as youth hostel". Herald Scotland. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  12. Press and Journal
    . Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  13. ^ "Barrister buys 'haunted' Carbisdale Castle". BBC. 5 October 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2023.

External links

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