| Torosay Castle | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Torosay Castle | |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Campbell family |
| Website | https://www.isle-of-mull.net/attractions/history/castles/torosay-castle/ |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1858 |
| Built by | Architect David Bryce |
Torosay Castle is a large house situated 1+1⁄2 miles (2.5 kilometres) south of Craignure, in the parish of Torosay, on the Isle of Mull, in the Scottish Inner Hebrides.
The buildings and gardens were listed by Historic Scotland in 1987. The agency indicates that the property was originally known as Duart House. [1] One source explains that it was renamed Torosay to avoid confusing it with Duart Castle which is also located on the island, on the Sound of Mull. [2]
It was designed by architect David Bryce for John Campbell of Possil (see Carter-Campbell of Possil) in the Scottish Baronial style. A history by Undiscovered Scotland provides these specifics: [3]
"In the 1850s Colonel Campbell's son John inherited the estate, demolished the Georgian house, and commissioned Edinburgh architect David Bryce to produce something on a much grander scale. What was called at the time Duart House was completed in 1858".
In 1865, the property was sold to Arbuthnot Charles Guthrie and was owned by members of that family until 1911, when it was sold as a ruin to Sir Fitzroy Maclean who arranged to restore the castle. [3] Following the sale of Guthrie Castle out of the Guthrie family, Torosay was generally acknowledged as the seat for Clan Guthrie.
Torosay is surrounded by 12 acres (5 hectares) of spectacular gardens including formal terraces laid out at the turn of the 20th century and attributed to Sir Robert Lorimer. [4] The castle and gardens used to be open to the public, being linked to the Craignure ferry terminal by the Isle of Mull Railway.
The garden's Statue Walk is made up of 19 statues in the style of Italian sculptor Antonio Bonazza. The statues were acquired by then-owner Walter Murray Guthrie from a derelict garden near Milan and shipped to Scotland for next to nothing as ballast in a cargo ship. [1]
The novelist Angela du Maurier, older sister of Dame Daphne du Maurier, is said to have spent some time residing at Torosay with her close companion Olive Guthrie (great grandmother of the present owner). [5] Angela dedicated her book Weep No More (1940) to "Olive Guthrie of Torosay." Other visitors during the 1930s included Winston Churchill (Olive Guthrie was his aunt by marriage) and King George of Greece.
The castle was sold in 2012 by Christopher Guthrie-James, the fifth laird of Torosay Castle. The new owner, the McLean Fund, closed it for renovations; it was occupied again in December 2013 by a private family. Guthrie-James said "it was with a sense of relief, rather than regret, that we sold the family home at Torosay." Kenneth Donald McLean sixth Laird has spent more than £1 million renovating the castle and gardens. The castle is permanently closed to the public. The gardens are open on the first Sunday in the month - April to October. [6] [7]
A report published in March 2017 referred to the new owner as "Madame von Speyr, whose charity, the Dew Cross Centre for Moral Technology, is said to be based here". [8] The charity, however, listed its base as Edinburgh in 2019. [9]
In July 2008 the then oldest bottle of Veuve Clicquot champagne was discovered inside a sideboard in Torosay Castle. The 1893 bottle was in mint condition. It is believed to have been locked inside the dark sideboard since at least 1897. The champagne is now on display at the Veuve Clicquot visitor centre in Reims, France, and regarded as "priceless". [10]
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Clan Campbell is a Highland Scottish clan, historically one of the largest and most powerful of the Highland clans. The Clan Campbell lands are in Argyll and within their lands lies Ben Cruachan. The chief of the clan became Earl of Argyll and later Duke of Argyll.
The Isle of Mull or just Mull is the second-largest island of the Inner Hebrides and lies off the west coast of Scotland in the council area of Argyll and Bute.
Coll is an island located west of the Isle of Mull in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Coll is known for its sandy beaches, which rise to form large sand dunes, for its corncrakes, and for Breacachadh Castle. It is in the council area of Argyll and Bute.
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". The regimental colours of the WW1 Canadian Expeditionary Force 236th Battalion, CEF are laid up in the Great Hall.
The Isle of Mull Railway was a 10+1⁄4 in gauge line, 1+1⁄4 miles (2.0 km) long, which ran from the ferry terminal at Craignure to Torosay Castle, on the Isle of Mull in the Scottish Inner Hebrides. Originally it was known as the Mull and West Highland Railway. The line was marketed as Scotland's original island passenger railway. The line opened in 1983 and closed in October 2010. A limited service operated over the 2011 Easter holiday and during summer 2011. The company's lease expired in October 2011. The track was lifted in October 2012.
Clan Maclean is a Highlands Scottish clan. They are one of the oldest clans in the Highlands and owned large tracts of land in Argyll as well as the Inner Hebrides. Many early MacLeans became famous for their honour, strength and courage in battle. They were involved in clan skirmishes with the Mackinnons, Camerons, MacDonalds and Campbells, as well as all of the Jacobite risings.
Clan Maclaine of Lochbuie is a Scottish Clan that inhabited lands on the southern end of the Isle of Mull in the Inner Hebrides of the western Scottish Highlands. "Maclaine" is an alternate spelling for "MacLean." Clan Maclaine of Lochbuie and Clan Maclean of Duart are two separate clans. However, the two clans share a strong family connection. The 26th clan chief is The Much Honoured Lorne Gillean Ian Maclaine of Lochbuie, Baron of Moy. The clan is recognized by both the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs and the Lord Lyon.
Craignure is a village and the main ferry port on the Isle of Mull, Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The village is within the parish of Torosay.
Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin is a Champagne house founded in 1772 and based in Reims. It is one of the largest Champagne houses. Madame Clicquot is credited with major breakthroughs, creating the first known vintage champagne in 1810, and inventing the riddling table process to clarify champagne in 1816. In 1818, she invented the first known blended rosé champagne by blending still red and white wines, a process still used by the majority of champagne producers.
Clan Guthrie is a Scottish clan.
Colonel Alexander Campbell of Possil (1754–1849) entered the army as an ensign in the 42nd Regiment in April 1769, and obtained a lieutenancy in the 2nd Battalion Royals the following year in Menorca.
Laurent-Perrier is a Champagne house founded in 1812. It is the main company of the Laurent-Perrier Group, whose other flagship brands include the houses of Salon, De Castellane and Delamotte. Laurent-Perrier Group also acquired Chateau Malakoff as of 2004. With over 1,200 grape growers with supply contracts, Laurent-Perrier exports to more than 120 countries.
Carter-Campbell of Possil is a branch of Clan Campbell, a Scottish clan. The Campbells of Possil were originally located in Argyll; and the Carters were an Irish family: the Carter-Campbell name was first used in 1864, following marriage.
Sir John Maclean, 4th Baronet of Duart and Morvern (1670–1716) was the 20th Clan Chief of Clan Maclean from 1674 to 1716. He was the 16th and last Laird of Duart, when in 1691 he lost Castle Duart to Archibald Campbell, 1st Duke of Argyll. The castle wasn't recovered by Clan Maclean until 1912 until it was purchased by Fitzroy Donald Maclean, 221 years later.
John Dubh Maclean, or Iain Dubh mac Gilliemore in Scottish Gaelic, or John Maclean the Black was the 4th Chief of Clan MacLean.
Lachlan Catanach Maclean was the 11th Clan Chief of Clan MacLean from 1515 until his murder in 1523.
Walter Murray Guthrie, DL was a merchant banker and British politician. He was a Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) from 1899 to 1906.
Inverneill House is a country house in Argyll, western Scotland. It stands on the west shore of Loch Fyne, around 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Lochgilphead. Although the house is not listed, the walled gardens and mausoleum on the estate are protected as category B listed buildings.
The Macleans of Ardgour are a Scottish family and a branch of the ancient Clan Maclean, a Scottish clan of the Scottish Highlands. In Scottish Gaelic they are known as Mac Mhic Eoghainn, which means the son of the son of Owen.
Torosay is a civil parish on the Isle of Mull in the county of Argyll, Scotland, part of the Argyll and Bute council area. It is one of three parishes on the island and extends over the central and south-eastern part. It is bordered by the parish of Kilninian and Kilmore in the north and Kilfinichen and Kilvickeon in the south-west. It extends about 12 miles east-west and 10 miles north-south. On the north-east coast it is separated from the mainland by the Sound of Mull. On its south-east coast, part of it is almost severed from the rest of the parish by the sea lochs Spelve and Buie, together with the freshwater loch Uisg, in between. This peninsula, which includes the hamlet of Croggan, is joined to the main island by a small isthmus at Kinlochspelvie and another at the settlement of Lochbuie. There is a smaller sea loch Loch Don, which gives its name to the hamlet of Lochdon. Further north, there is a bay at Craignure which is the location of a ferry port.