Calda House

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Calda House on the banks of Loch Assynt with the A837 in the background
Calda House from the east

Calda House (also known as Edderchalder House , Calder House or White House called) is the ruins of a mansion in the Scottish Highlands . Located on the north bank of Loch Assynt within sight of Ardvreck Castle , it was built in 1726 and is classified as a Scheduled Monument .

history

Neil MacLeod of Assynt of the MacLeod clan , the laird of Assynt and owner of Ardvreck Castle, was involved in the delivery of the loyal Marquess of Montrose to the Covenanters in 1650 , who subsequently executed him. After the reestablishment of the kingdom by General Monck in 1660, he was therefore viewed with suspicion by the new government and ultimately regarded as a rebel. In 1672, the Seaforths of MacKenzie, a branch of the MacKenzie clan , who had previously purposely bought promissory notes from the MacLeods and thus acquired ownership claims, conquered Ardvreck Castle after a two-week siege and took over the MacLeods' possession. Kenneth MacKenzie, the second owner, and his wife found the old castle to be out of date at the beginning of the 18th century. They replaced the uncomfortable castle in 1726 with Calda House, one of the first classic mansions of Georgian architecture in the Highlands. They chose an area on the north bank of Loch Assynt within sight of the old castle on today's A837 . Parts of the masonry from Ardvreck Castle were used for the construction.

The MacKenzies, who were also viewed with suspicion by the government as supporters of the first uprising of the Jacobites in 1715, took over financially with the new manor house. In 1736 they had to put Calda House up for sale. There was a contest between the Earl of Seaforth, who also came from Clan MacKenzie, and the Earl of Sutherland for the possession of Calda House and the associated control of Assynt. Before either of the two could acquire the property, however, the building burned down completely in 1737, eleven years after its construction. The house was reportedly set on fire by supporters of the MacKenzies to prevent it from being taken over by the Sutherland family . In 1745 the MacKenzies supported the last uprising of the Jacobites and after the defeat in the Battle of Culloden lost their property, which was ultimately taken over by the Earl of Sutherland in 1757. Calda House was not rebuilt and some of its masonry was used for other structures in the area.

Calda House and the surrounding area remained in the possession of the Earl of Sutherland until the 20th century . Between 2003 and 2004 the ruins of Ardvreck Castle and Calda House were secured and renovated by the Historic Assynt Trust.

description

Calda House was a two-story building with two north and south facing double gables and an attic. The two halves of the building were divided by a wall, which was not continuous. It had a rectangular floor plan about 17 meters long and 13 meters wide. The remaining side walls are about seven meters high. The building is said to have been generously divided and luxuriously furnished, including a total of 14 bedrooms with their own chimneys. Because of its white facade, the local population quickly gave it the name The White House . Above all, the two gable walls have been preserved, the masonry on the east and west side is only partially present.

Web links

Commons : Calda House  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Scheduled Monument - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  2. ↑ a b Historic Castles and Families of the North: 8. Ardvreck Castle - The MacNicols and Macleods of Assynt , Caithness Field Club Bulletin 1978 - October , accessed August 3, 2016
  3. ^ Scottish Places: Calda House , accessed August 3, 2016
  4. ↑ Historic Assynt: Calda House , accessed August 3, 2016
  5. ↑ Ardvreck Castle on undiscoveredscotland.co.uk , accessed on August 2, 2016
  6. ^ Discoverassynt.co.uk: Assynt Throughout History , accessed August 2, 2016
  7. ↑ Historic Assynt: The Inchnadamph Project ( Memento of the original from April 8, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed August 2, 2016 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.inch-lodge.co.uk
  8. ↑ RCAHMS Canmore: Calda House, Field Visit , accessed August 3, 2016

Coordinates: 58 ° 9 '50.2 "  N , 4 ° 59' 12.6"  W.