Taymouth Castle

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Main building from the south
General view from the north

Taymouth Castle is a neo-Gothic style castle in the Scottish Highlands built in the early 19th century . It is located northeast of the village of Kenmore in the county of Perthshire in county Perth and Kinross .

history

The current castle stands on the site where Bulloch Castle , built around 1550, was previously located, which was demolished for the construction of the much larger Taymouth Castle. Bulloch Castel had been owned by the Campbells of Breadalbane , who were Scotland's largest landowners at the beginning of the 19th century , since the Middle Ages . This wealth allowed them to begin building Taymouth Castle as a representative family seat. The construction work dragged on for several decades. The central building with the four corner towers was completed in 1806 according to plans by James and Archibald Elliot . The extensive completion of the entire complex did not follow until 1842 on the occasion of Queen Victoria's visit to Taymouth Castle. Some details were added to the castle in the following years. The Campbells of Breadalbane invested primarily in the interior work. There are numerous ceiling paintings by Cornelius Dixon and stucco work by Francis Bernasconi in the castle . The interior design of some of the rooms was designed by the then most renowned Scottish architect James Gillespie Graham . The facility consisted exclusively of exclusive furniture.

Until the end of World War I , Taymouth Castle served what it was planned for as the family seat of the Campbells of Breadalbane. Soon after the war, however, the family had to sell the extremely expensive residence. The castle was used as a hotel in the years up to the Second World War and the surrounding park was converted into a golf course. During the Second World War, the castle was confiscated by the British government and served as a rehabilitation hospital for war invalids. After the war, the castle was used as the headquarters of the Scottish civil defense and as a school for American soldiers' children.

Taymouth Castle today

Today the castle is privately owned and has been empty for several years. Due to safety regulations, it is currently not open to the public, but its substance is preserved by the owner. The opulent interior architecture has been preserved almost intact despite the wide range of uses in the 20th century, but the original interior furnishings have largely been lost. A possible use of the castle in the future would be its conversion into a luxury hotel.

See also

Web links

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

Coordinates: 56 ° 35 ′ 41 ″  N , 3 ° 58 ′ 52 ″  W.