Cluny Castle

Front view of Cluny Castle

Cluny Castle is a castle in the parish of Cluny south of the village of Monymusk and north of the village of Sauchen in the Scottish county of Aberdeenshire . It was originally built around 1604 as a residential tower with a Z-shaped floor plan and replaced either a house or a small peel tower . The property belonged to three different lines of Clan Gordon over the centuries and served as a refuge for Jacobite rebels in the mid-18th century . In 1820 the then owner, Colonel John Gordon , commissioned the architect John Smith with the planning and realization of extensive extensions. Two wings of the castle and the adjoining private chapel were destroyed by fire in 1926, but were later restored.

Historic Scotland has listed Cluny Castle as a Category A Historic Building and has been used as a location for movies. The property has been included in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland .

To this day the property is in the hands of the Baron von Cluny. It is not open to the public, but companies can rent the building and weddings are held in the chapel.

history

At an unknown time in 1325, King Robert the Bruce lent the lands of Cluny ( Scottish Gaelic for "meadow") to the husband of his sister Mary , Alexander Fraser . The lands were then passed on in the family through Adam Gordon of Huntly and the Earls of Huntly to John Gordon , a younger son of the 3rd Earl . His son, Sir Thomas Gordon († 1607) had the castle built as a replacement for a previous house or a peel tower. The land was inherited by his son Alexander Gordon , who became the fourth lord of Cluny. In 1636 the construction costs of the castle combined with other financial difficulties forced the estate to be sold. Until 1680 the castle had different owners, probably creditors of Alexander Gordon, then it came into the hands of Robert Gordon of the Gordonstoun family line . She remained in this line of the family until the middle of the 18th century.

The Gordons of Cluny were involved in the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745 and had also accumulated debt. This led to the fact that the castle passed to the third branch of the Gordon family around 1753; the exact date is not known. The new owner, John Gordon (1695–1769) was of obscure provenance. He was a merchant from Edinburgh , but also commissioner for Cosmo Gordon, 3rd Duke of Gordon (1720–1752). John Gordon's son was also called Cosmo Gordon (1736-1800) and he inherited the property after his father's death in 1769. He was a politician and co-founder of the Royal Society of Edinburgh . He had some work done on the castle, but there is no record of what it was. In 1790 Robert Adam was commissioned to draw up plans for a redesign of the castle, and in 1793 his business partner and younger brother James Adam, too, but none of these plans came to fruition. Cosmo Gordon, whose wife Mary Baillie had died earlier, passed away in 1800 and was followed by his brother Charles Gordon , who is described by the historian Slade as "eccentric and extremely stingy". When Charles Gordon died on May 8, 1814, it was found that he had bequeathed various legacies to his children: his eldest son John , who would later become a Colonel in the Army and MP, inherited Cluny Castle and the rest of the lands plus £ 30,000. Nothing has been invested in it in the years that Charles Gordon owned the property.

South Lodge, Cluny Castle

Extensive additions to the castle were made under the aegis of Colonel Gordon, beginning around 1820. Colonel Gordon had previously inherited the lands of his uncle, a merchant from the West Indies , and increased his fortune by adding more lands, e.g. B. in North Uist , South Uist , Benbecula and Barra . The Colonel died in 1858; in an obituary he was called "the richest citizen in the northern part of the kingdom". In The Times of 23 July 1858 his fortune was estimated at £ 2-3 million and it was found that he was "undoubtedly the richest citizens in Scotland". He was unmarried but had four illegitimate children; all but his eldest son John (approx. 1820–1878) died before him. Despite several inheritance lawsuits that dragged on for over 20 years, his only remaining son John, who had become captain of the Aberdeenshire militia on March 29, 1852, inherited the lands in 1858. The captain allowed the castle to be renovated and the gardens and parks to be expanded by adding artificial lakes and sparse forests.

Captain Gordon died in 1878, also without descendants. Emily Pringle , his second wife, then married Sir Reginald Cathcart and became Lady Cathcart. The lands were administered by a trustee (The Cluny Trust), which Colonel Gordon founded while he was still alive. In September 1926, a fire that had started near the kitchen spread, causing extensive damage to two wings of the castle and completely destroying the private chapel. After Lady Cathcart's death in 1932, the property fell to a cousin of Captain Gordon's, Charles Arthur Linzee . He took the name "Linzee Gordon" to meet the condition that Colonel Gordon had laid down in a codicil that he added to his last will on June 21, 1852. In an earlier document dated October 5, 1835, the Colonel had stated that he wanted his illegitimate children to inherit, but he did not want to marry to make it easier. The Codicill ensured that the family name was preserved by stipulating that all heirs of the lands “are bound and obliged to use and use the family name 'Gordon', the family coat of arms and the designation 'Gordon of Cluny' at all times to keep, for all time after their successor or the possession of my lands and estates, as their correct surname, coat of arms and designation. "

Historic Scotland listed the castle as a Category A Historic Building in April 1971.

architecture

Cluny Castle 1966

The construction of the original residential tower with a Z-shaped floor plan was completed in 1604; there is a memorial stone with the inscription “Thom. Gordon a Cluny miles me fecit 1604 ". Builder Ian (John) Bell (Bel) is believed to have designed and built the original Cluny Castle, as well as nearby Castle Fraser . MacGibbon and Ross believe that Cluny Castle was built before 1604, resembling Claypott's Castle in style, and therefore was built around the same time.

The city of Aberdeen architect John Smith was commissioned to redesign the castle in the 1820s. The execution of the work dragged on for several years and meant that the castle could not be used as a dwelling until 1832. The work dragged on until the beginning of the 1840s. The old castle with the new wings was enclosed in a granite cladding and its knight's hall on the 1st floor became the main dining room. A clone of the old castle was erected to the east of the original building and both parts of the building were connected by a transom in which the entrance hall, the main staircase and the long gallery were housed. The salon and breakfast room were on the first floor of the clone. The building site sloped towards the rear of the building and so an additional basement was added there. Round towers, arched windows with roofs and crenellated parapets, supported on consoles , were included in the new building. The already existing tower on the west facade was considerably increased by adding another large piece with a square floor plan.

Major parts of the castle were destroyed by flames in September 1926. The main block was not affected, but two wings and the chapel were severely damaged by the fire. The restoration work was carried out promptly - a report in the Aberdeen Journal estimated the cost of repairs to be between £ 60,000 and £ 70,000. The chapel was rebuilt to resemble the previous one and the courtyard wings were slightly rebuilt.

The later additions were first described by architectural historian H. Gordon Slade in 1978 as "the most shocking abuse of architectural endeavors and granite in the northeast of Scotland". In 1981, however, he revised his mind and wrote: “The architectural qualities of the castle, as redesigned by John Smith, became more visible and impressive the more you became familiar with them, and you can, once you regret the Loss of the old Cluny [Castle] aside, does not deny the new Cluny [Castle] the merits. "A well-respected archaeologist, Ian Shepherd , characterized it" as the most fantastic Scottish Baronial style building to be found in the east of Scotland. "

21st century

Cluny Castle with the Gordon family helmets

The castle remained in private hands. The current Baron of Cluny, Cosmo Linzee Gordon inherited it in 2010 when he turned 18.

Some scenes from the film The Queen, with Helen Mirren in the lead role, were filmed in the castle. Cluny Castle is not open to the public, but companies can rent space there for events and conferences. It is also possible to hold weddings there, with the wedding ceremony taking place in the private chapel, which can accommodate up to 100 people.

Since 2006, Historic Scotland has listed the gardens and parks in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland . They are classified as remarkable in artistic design and are highly valued in terms of garden design, tree design and forest design, especially because of the wellingtonia planted there in the 19th century .

Individual references and comments

1. ^ Samuel Lewis: A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland . Institute of Historical Research. S. 214. 1846. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
2. ↑ Slade describes it as a house, but Miller calls it Peel Tower.
3. ^ H. Gordon Slade: Cluny Castle, Aberdeenshire . S. 455. 1981. Archived from the original on January 25, 2014. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
4. ^ H. Gordon Slade: Cluny Castle, Aberdeenshire . Pp. 458-459. 1981. Archived from the original on January 25, 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. 
5. ↑ ^{a b c d} H. Gordon Slade: Cluny Castle, Aberdeenshire . S. 460. 1981. Archived from the original on January 25, 2014. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
6. ↑ BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX OF FORMER FELLOWS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH 1783 - 2002 . The Royal Society of Edinburgh. July 2006. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
7. ↑ ^{a b} Special Collections MS 3127: Harry Gordon Slade, architectural historian, papers . University of Aberdeen. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
8. ↑ Stephen Farrell: Gordon, John (c.1776-1858), of Cluny, Aberdeen . History of Parliament. Archived from the original on November 15, 2013. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
9. ^ ^{A b c} David G. Miller: Tudor Johnny: City Architect of Aberdeen . Librario. S. 94. 2007. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
10. ^ H. Gordon Slade: Cluny Castle, Aberdeenshire . S. 462. 1981. Archived from the original on January 25, 2014. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
11. ^ John Malcolm Bulloch: The Gordons of Cluny from the Early Years of the Eighteenth Century Down to the Present Time . P. 40. 1911. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
12. ^ The richest commoner in Scotland . July 23, 1858. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
13. ^ John Malcolm Bulloch: The Gordons of Cluny from the Early Years of the Eighteenth Century Down to the Present Time . Pp. 40, 49. 1911. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
14. ^ John Malcolm Bulloch: The Gordons of Cluny from the Early Years of the Eighteenth Century Down to the Present Time . P. 49. 1911. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
15. ^ ^{A b} Gordon of Cluny: the working life of an Aberdeenshire Castle . University of Aberdeen . Archived from the original on May 8, 2017. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
16. ^ ^{A b} John Malcolm Bulloch: The Gordons of Cluny from the Early Years of the Eighteenth Century Down to the Present Time . P. 43. 1911. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
17. ^ John Malcolm Bulloch: The Gordons of Cluny from the Early Years of the Eighteenth Century Down to the Present Time . Pp. 43-44. 1911. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
18. ↑ Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
19. ^ H. Gordon Slade: Cluny Castle, Aberdeenshire . Pp. 454-455. 1981. Archived from the original on January 25, 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. 
20. ↑ Midmar Old Kirk . Aberdeenshire Council. Archived from the original on November 15, 2013. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved May 8, 2017.  
21. ^ Castle Fraser . In: Canmore . Royal Commission for Ancient and Historical Monuments in Scotland. Archived from the original on May 8, 2017. Retrieved November 15, 2013.
22. ^ David MacGibbon, Thomas Ross: The castellated and domestic architecture of Scotland from the twelfth to the eighteenth century . D. Douglas. P. 237, 1887. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
23. ^ David G. Miller: Tudor Johnny: City Architect of Aberdeen . Librario. P. 97. 2007. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
24. ↑ Slade gives the date of the fire as September 25, 1926, but the clipping from the Aberdeen Journal is from September 16, 1926 and The Times from September 18, 1926 also contains details about the fire.
25. ^ ^{A b} H. Gordon Slade: Cluny Castle, Aberdeenshire . S. 480. 1981. Archived from the original on January 25, 2014. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
26. ^ The Lotus Case At Constantinople . September 18, 1926. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
27. ^ H. Gordon Slade: Cluny Castle, Aberdeenshire . S. 454. 1981. Archived from the original on January 25, 2014. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
28. ^ Ian Ralston: Ian Shepherd . Society of Antiquaries of London. Archived from the original on November 30, 2013. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
29. ^ Ian Ralston: Ian Shepherd: Archaeologist who led the way in Scottish research . August 13, 2009. Archived from the original on November 30, 2013. Retrieved on May 8, 2017.
30. ↑ ^{a b} Garden and Designed Landscape - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
31. ↑ ^{a b} Charlotte Metalf: Cluny Castle . November 2011. Archived from the original on November 30, 2013. 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 November 30, 2013. 
32. ^ Maria Fitzpatrick: Dream property to let: take to the tower . June 24, 2009. Archived from the original on November 11, 2013. Retrieved on May 8, 2017.
33. ^ Cluny Castle . Luxury Scottish Weddings. Archived from the original on November 30, 2013. Retrieved May 8, 2017.

Web links

Commons : Cluny Castle  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Cluny Castle website

Coordinates: 57 ° 12 ′ 16.3 "  N , 2 ° 30 ′ 59.5"  W.