Ackergill Tower
Ackergill Tower (or Ackergill Castle ) is a residential tower north of Wick in the Scottish county of Caithness (now Highland County ). The building, constructed in the early 16th century, has Historic Scotland listed as a Category A Historic Building. Today the Ackergill Tower is offered by AmaZing Venues as a space for weddings and other events.
history
Early history
The Keith Clan, under John Keith of Inverugie, inherited the Ackergill lands from the Cheynes family in 1354 . The Ackergill Tower could have been built by his son, but it was not mentioned in a document until 1538.
The story is told of a young woman named Helen Gunn , who kidnapped John Keith because of her beauty. She threw herself - or fell - from the tallest tower to escape the advances of her captor. One should still be able to see her spirit occasionally today. This is said to have happened at the end of the 14th or beginning of the 15th century and was also the real reason for the disputes between Clan Gunn and Clan Keith. These resulted in either 1464 or 1478 the Battle of the Champions , a legal battle that led to the Keiths' massacre of the Gunns at the Chapel of St Tear (or St Tayre ), just east of the village.
The Keiths and the Sinclairs
In 1547 the Sinclair clan from Girnigoe attacked the residential tower and took it. Marie de Guise , then regent of Scotland, granted the Sinclairs forgiveness for this and returned Ackergill Tower to the Keiths. In 1549 they installed Laurence Oliphant, 4th Lord Oliphant as holder of the residential tower. The Sinclairs attacked the building again in 1556 and were again granted forgiveness for this.
In 1593, Robert Keith , brother of William Keith, 6th Earl Marischal , who owned the tower block by right, took Ackergill Tower by force, for which he was declared a rebel and the tower was returned to the Earl. In 1598 another Keith, a certain John Keith from Subster , attacked the tower block in the middle of the night, surprised the residents and took the building.
In 1612 the Sinclairs acquired Ackergill Tower again, but this time by legal means: Earl Marischal sold it to the Earl of Caithness . But in 1623 he was attacked again when Sir Robert Gordon besieged him during his feud with George Sinclair, 5th Earl of Caithness . The Sinclairs surrendered before an attack took place.
In 1651, Oliver Cromwell is believed to have taken advantage of Ackergill Tower, garrisoning it during the siege of Dunnottar Castle , a castle of the Keiths, when he was looking for the Scottish Crown Jewels . In 1676, John Campbell, 2nd Earl of Breadalbane and Holland , took Ackergill Tower into his possession in lieu of repaying any debt the Sinclairs owed him.
Later story
John Campbell put Ackergill Tower up for sale in 1699 and Sir William Dunbar of Hempriggs bought it. The Dunbars had extensive renovations carried out and an extension added. At the beginning of the 18th and mid-19th centuries, further extensions were made, e.g. As a by architect David Bryce planned Cap House for George Sutherland Dunbar, 7th Lord Duffus . The tower block remained in the hands of the Dunbars of Hempriggs until 1986 when it was sold. It was restored for two years and then opened as an exclusive hotel and venue for business events. In 2009 the tower block was sold again and the new owners, AmaZing Venues , part of Clarenco LLP , achieved five-star ratings in 2012 after spending £ 2m on facilities upgrades.
description
Ackergill Tower is a five-story residential tower with a rectangular floor plan. The four-story extension in the rear part was built at the beginning of the 18th century.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
- ↑ Ackergill Tower . AmaZing Venues. Archived from the original on December 16, 2014. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
- ^ Ten of Scotland's most haunted hotels . Scotsman.com. July 29, 2010. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
- ↑ Will Clark: Ackergill Tower joins five-star set in John O'Groat Journal , November 7, 2012. Archived from the original on December 11, 2012. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
Web links
- Discover the Jewel of the Highlands . Ackergill Tower Hotel. Clarenco LLP.
- Ackergill Castle, Caithness . Caithness.org.
Coordinates: 58 ° 28 ′ 29.3 " N , 3 ° 6 ′ 45.8" W.