Ascog House

Last updated

Ascog House
Ascog House, Isle of Bute.jpg
Ascog House with the Edwardian stair turret
Argyll and Bute UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location within Argyll and Bute
General information
Town or city Ascog
Country Scotland
Coordinates 55°49′24″N5°01′39″W / 55.8233°N 5.0274°W / 55.8233; -5.0274 Coordinates: 55°49′24″N5°01′39″W / 55.8233°N 5.0274°W / 55.8233; -5.0274
Construction startedBefore 1678

Ascog House is a large 17th-century mansion house at Ascog on the Isle of Bute, southwest Scotland. The house is in the care of the Landmark Trust, and is protected as a category B listed building. [1] Balmory Hall lies just to the west of the house.

Contents

Description

The present building is a large three-story house running north–south. On the east side is a stair turret with a small watch-chamber above. [2] The roofs are steep with crow-stepped gables. One dormer bears the date 1678. [3]

The building is similar in style and date to the Mansion House in nearby Rothesay, and is likely to have been built by the same architect. [4]

The interior of the house dates from the 1990s restoration. The earlier interiors were mostly lost when the building was divided into flats, [2] and further damage occurred when a fire broke out in June 1991 while the restoration was in progress. [5]

Architectural history

There is no trace of the earlier castle that was only a "few minutes walk" [6] away. [7] (Although a ruined tower named "Ascog Castle" exists, it is not on the Isle of Bute but in mainland Argyll. [8] )

The present building was originally an L-plan tower house, with a projecting watch-chamber above the staircase, [2] from which "missiles could be dropped on unwelcome and unsuspecting guests". [6] Buildings of this type typically date from around 1600. [5]

The stonework of the house bears witness to various changes to the floor levels and layout over the course of the building's history. [2] The windows were enlarged in the 18th century. [5]

During the reign of Victoria, a large servants' wing was added at the back; and during the reign of Edward VII, a drawing room and staircase were added on the north side. [3] [5]

By 1970 the house had been divided into flats, [2] but structural problems set in. [5] Parts of the house became derelict, and the west wall was in danger of collapse. [9]

A programme of restoration was carried out in the early 1990s by the Landmark Trust. This included the removal of the Victorian wing, and most of the Edwardian additions. The Edwardian staircase was left "in detached whimsy" [10] as a free-standing turret containing an additional bedroom. [3]

Ownership history

In 1594, John Stewart of Kilchattan bought the Ascog estate, and may have been the builder of the first house on the site. [5]

In 1673, his grandson, also named John Stewart, married Margaret Cunningharn. They may have been responsible for the rebuilding and enlargement that lead to the carved date 1678. [5]

In 1773 [6] or 1763 [11] the then owner, another John Stewart, wrote a will setting up a complicated entail to ensure that the house remained in the Stewart family.

When he died without children, the house and estate passed to a distant relative Archibald MacArthur of Milton,an advocate who changed his name to Archibald MacArthur Stewart. [2] This inheritance was noted by a contemporary writer, [11] who stated that he was an eccentric, "exceedingly parsimonious", and that "he had a great attachment to swine, and kept a litter of pigs in his bedroom". [11]

He also died without children, and the heir was an American citizen, Frederick Campbell. Under the terms of the will he had to change his name to Stewart and to become a British citizen. This took ten years and required a Special Act of Parliament. [6] [12] He then tried to sell the Ascog estate, at which point a number of claimants emerged, insisting that under the terms of the entail they would be entitled to a share of the proceeds. Litigation ensued, in the course of which Frederick died. [6]

The next heir was Frederick's brother Ferdinand Campbell. He succeeded where his brother had not: in only a short time he managed to become a British citizen, had the House of Lords overturn the old will, and, in 1831, sold the estate. It was acquired by Robert Thom, a civil engineer, who then styled himself "Laird of Ascog". [6]

After Thom, the ownership is less well documented, but in 1939 the house was bought by the 5th Marquess of Bute for housing estate workers. [5]

The house was acquired by the Landmark Trust in 1989 [5] and the building is now maintained using income from its use as holiday accommodation. [13]

Related Research Articles

Rothesay Human settlement in Scotland

Rothesay is the principal town on the Isle of Bute, in the council area of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies along the coast of the Firth of Clyde. It can be reached by ferry from Wemyss Bay, which offers an onward rail link to Glasgow. At the centre of the town is the 13th-century ruin Rothesay Castle, unique in Scotland for its circular plan.

County of Bute Historic county in Scotland

The County of Bute, also known as Buteshire, is a historic county and registration county of Scotland.

Isle of Bute Island in the Firth of Clyde in Scotland

The Isle of Bute, known as Bute, is an island in the Firth of Clyde in Scotland, United Kingdom. It is divided into highland and lowland areas by the Highland Boundary Fault.

Cowal Human settlement in Scotland

Cowal is a peninsula in Argyll and Bute, in the west of Scotland, that extends into the Firth of Clyde.

Kilchurn Castle

Kilchurn Castle is a ruined structure on a rocky peninsula at the northeastern end of Loch Awe, in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It was first constructed in the mid-15th century as the base of the Campbells of Glenorchy, who extended both the castle and their territory in the area over the next 150 years. After the Campbells became Earls of Breadalbane and moved to Taymouth Castle, Kilchurn fell out of use and was in ruins by 1770. It is now in the care of Historic Environment Scotland and is open to the public in summer.

Duart Castle Castle in Scotland

Duart Castle, or Caisteal Dhubhairt in Scottish Gaelic, is a castle on the Isle of Mull, beside the Sound of Mull off the west coast of Scotland, within the council area of Argyll and Bute. The castle dates back to the 13th century and is the seat of Clan MacLean. One source states that the castle was "brought back from ruin in 1911".

Kyles of Bute Channel in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, UK

The Kyles of Bute form a narrow sea channel that separates the northern end of the Isle of Bute from the Cowal peninsula in Argyll and Bute, on the Scottish mainland. The surrounding hillsides are roughly wooded, and overlooked by rocky tops and areas of moorland.

Dunstaffnage Castle Castle in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, UK

Dunstaffnage Castle is a partially ruined castle in Argyll and Bute, western Scotland. It lies 3 miles (5 km) NNE of Oban, situated on a platform of conglomerate rock on a promontory at the south-west of the entrance to Loch Etive, and is surrounded on three sides by the sea. The castle and the nearby chapel ruin have been a Historic Scotland property since 1958. Both are Scheduled Ancient Monuments.

Carnasserie Castle

Carnasserie Castle is a ruined 16th-century tower house, noted for its unusual plan and renaissance detailing. It is located around 2 kilometres north of Kilmartin, in Argyll and Bute, western Scotland, at grid reference NM837009.

Dalmally Human settlement in Scotland

Dalmally is a village in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is near the A85 road and is served by Dalmally railway station.

Rothesay Castle

Rothesay Castle is a ruined castle in Rothesay, the principal town on the Isle of Bute, in western Scotland. Located at NS086646, the castle has been described as "one of the most remarkable in Scotland", for its long history dating back to the beginning of the 13th century, and its unusual circular plan.

Ascog Human settlement in Scotland

Ascog is a small village on the Isle of Bute, within Argyll and Bute council area, Scotland. The village is within the parish of Kingarth, and is situated on the A844. It is located on the east coast of the island, about 2 km to the south east of Rothesay. It is largely residential.

Craignish Castle

Craignish Castle is located on the Craignish peninsula in Argyll, western Scotland. The present castle includes a 16th-century tower, the seat of the Campbell family of Craignish and Jura. In the 19th century it was sold to the Trench-Gascoigne family of Parlington Hall, Yorkshire, who built a large extension to the tower. In the later 20th century the house was restored, and parts of the 19th-century extension were demolished.

Stonefield Castle

Stonefield Castle is a Scottish baronial manor house near the village of Stonefield, north of Tarbert, [[]], Argyll & Bute, Scotland. It was built on the site of an earlier building, known as Barmore, and has been in use as a hotel since 1950.

Ardpatrick House

Ardpatrick House is a category-B-listed 18th-century country house in Ardpatrick, South Knapdale, Argyll and Bute, Scotland.

Dunoon Castle

Dunoon Castle is a ruined castle located at Dunoon on the Cowal peninsula in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The castle sat upon a cone-shaped hill of about 80 feet high, a volcanic plug. Very little remains of the castle's structure today. Castle House, built in 1822, stands a few yards north of the castle ruins.

New Castle Lachlan

New Castle Lachlan, is an 18th-century baronial mansion or country house located at Strathlachlan, Cowal peninsula, Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It was built in 1790 by Donald Maclachlan, 19th laird, to replace the 15th century Old Castle Lachlan, which stands nearby on the shores of Loch Fyne. The building is protected as a category C listed building.

Ochiltree Castle, West Lothian 16th-century Scottish tower house

Ochiltree Castle is a 16th-century tower house a few miles south east of Linlithgow in West Lothian, Scotland. It is also described as a farmhouse and lairds house. Along with its boundary wall, the castle was designated as a Category A listed building in 1971.

Loch Ascog

Loch Ascog is a small reservoir on the east coast of the island of Bute, in the council area of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The loch supplies water to the town of Rothesay and the fishing rights are held by the Isle of Bute Angling Association. Loch Ascog is 44.7 hectares in extent. To the west is the much larger Loch Fad.

Rothesay Town Hall and County Buildings Municipal Building in Scotland

Rothesay Town Hall and County Buildings is a former municipal building in Castle Street, Rothesay, Scotland. The structure, which was the meeting place of Rothesay Burgh Council and of Bute County Council, is a Category B listed building.

References

  1. ↑ Historic Environment Scotland. "ASCOG, ASCOG HOUSE INCLUDING TOWER, OUTBUILDING, GARAGE AND GARDEN WALL (Category B Listed Building) (LB12061)" . Retrieved 27 December 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Tranter, Nigel. The Fortified House in Scotland. V. pp. 71–72.
  3. 1 2 3 Historic Environment Scotland. "Bute, Rothesay, Ascog, Ascog House (40725)". Canmore . Retrieved 27 December 2018.
  4. ↑ McDowell, David (2010). Bute - A guide. The Laird Press. ISBN   978-0-9527847-7-7.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Landmark Trust history sheet for Ascog House and Michel Ascog" (PDF). Retrieved 7 September 2011.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 George Bell Barker (1989) [1894]. Ascog, the Isle of Bute, Scotland: Notes on its past and some of the people who have played a part in its story.
  7. ↑ Historic Environment Scotland. "Bute, Ascog Castle (40724)". Canmore . Retrieved 27 December 2018.
  8. ↑ Historic Environment Scotland. "Castle Asgog, (39926)". Canmore . Retrieved 27 December 2018.
  9. ↑ From a detailed account by Clayre Percy of the faults and restoration, available at the house
  10. ↑ Walker, Frank Arniel (2000). Argyll and Bute. Penguin Books. ISBN   0-14-071079-5.
  11. 1 2 3 Kay, John. A series of original portraits and caricature etchings by the late John Kay, with biographical sketches and illustrative anecdotes. p. 150.
  12. ↑ "The National Archives". 1826. Retrieved 7 September 2011. An Act for naturalizing Frederick Campbell Esquire
  13. ↑ "About the Landmark Trust". Archived from the original on 2 September 2011. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.