Culzean Castle
| Culzean Castle | |
|
Ayrshire | |
|---|---|
| |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | NS233102 |
| Location: | 55°21’16"N, 4°47’22"W |
| History | |
| Information | |
| Owned by: | National Trust for Scotland |
| Website: | Culzean Castle and Country Park |
Culzean Castle is a castle on the Ayrshire coast, overlooking the Firth of Clyde, near Maybole, in Carrick. It stands within the Culzean Castle Country Park and is opened to the public.
The castle was formerly the seat of the Marquesses of Ailsa, the chiefs of Clan Kennedy, but is now owned by the National Trust for Scotland.
The name is pronounced in the Scots manner, kʌˈleɪn (kul-LAYN).
Since 1987, an illustration of the castle has featured on the reverse side of five pound notes issued by the Royal Bank of Scotland.[1][2]
History
Culzean Castle was constructed as an L-plan castle by order of David Kennedy, 10th Earl of Cassilis. He instructed the architect Robert Adam to rebuild a previous, but more basic, structure into a fine country house to be the seat of his earldom. The castle was built in stages between 1777 and 1792. It incorporates a large drum tower with a circular saloon inside (which overlooks the sea), a grand oval staircase and a suite of well-appointed apartments.
In 1945, the Kennedy family gave the castle and its grounds to the National Trust for Scotland (thus avoiding inheritance tax). In doing so, they stipulated that the apartment at the top of the castle be given to General Dwight D. Eisenhower in recognition of his role as Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe during the Second World War. The General first visited Culzean Castle in 1946 and stayed there four times, including once while President of the United States.
The Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick's Own) Yeomanry, a Yeomanry cavalry regiment, was formed by The Earl of Cassillis at Culzean Castle in about 1794. On 24 June 1961, the regiment returned to the castle to be presented with its first guidon by General Horatius Murray|Sir Horatius Murray, KBE, Companion of the Bath|CB, DSO.
The castle re-opened in April 2011 after a refurbishment funded by a gift in the will of American millionaire William Lindsay to the National Trust for Scotland. Lindsay, who had never visited Scotland, requested that a significant portion of his $4 million go towards Culzean.[3] Lindsay was reportedly interested in Eisenhower's holidays at the castle.[4]
Culzean Castle received 220,000 visitors in 2013, making it the National Trust for Scotland's second-most popular property.[5]
Features
The armoury contains a propeller from a plane flown by Leefe Robinson when he shot down a German airship north of London in 1916.
To the north of the castle is a bay containing the Gas House, which provided town gas for the castle up until 1940. This group of buildings consists of the gas manager's house (now containing an exhibition on William Murdoch), the Retort House and the remains of the gasometer.[6]
There are sea caves beneath the castle which are currently not open generally, but are open for tours throughout the summer.[7]
The castle grounds include a walled garden, which is built on the site of the home of a former slave owned by the Kennedy family, Scipio Kennedy.[8]
Film and television appearances
The castle has made frequent appearances in films and on television, amongst them:
- The Wicker Man (1973) - as the castle of Lord Summerisle in this cult film. The scenes here were filmed between October and November 1972.[9][10]
- Castles of Scotland (1997 PBS documentary series)
- Coast (BBC, 2009), visited in series 2 episode 3.[11]
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Culzean Castle) |
- Culzean Castle and Country Park – National Trust for Scotland
- Papers of the National Trust of Scotland (Dwight D. Eisenhower's Culzean Castle apartment), Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library
- Engraving of Cullean Castle by James Fittler in Scotia Depicta, or the antiquities, castles, public buildings, noblemen and gentlemen's seats, cities, towns and picturesque scenery of Scotland], 1804 (NLS)
References
- ↑ "RBS - Banknotes - The Ilay Series". RBS Group. http://www.rbs.com/about/our-banknotes/current-issue-notes/the-ilay-series.html. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
- ↑ "Current Banknotes : Royal Bank of Scotland". The Committee of Scottish Clearing Bankers. http://www.scotbanks.org.uk/banknotes_current_royal_bank_of_scotland.php. Retrieved 2008-10-17.
- ↑ BBC News - Culzean Castle benefits from US millionaire's legacy
- ↑ Love of 'Brigadoon' inspires Vegas tycoon to leave fortune to Scotland - News, People - The Independent
- ↑ Visits made in 2013 to visitor attractions in membership with ALVA, ALVA, http://www.alva.org.uk/details.cfm?p=423, retrieved 10 January 2015
- ↑ "Culzean Castle small gas plant". Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers, Heritage Group. http://www.hevac-heritage.org/items_of_interest/gas_making/gas_making.htm. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
- ↑ "Event: Explore Culzean's Caves". Carrick Ayrshire website. Archived from the original on 5 May 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150505121920/http://www.carrickayrshire.com/events/22. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
- ↑ "Dig for freed slave's castle home". BBC News Glasgow and West. BBC. 26 October 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/7063851.stm. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ↑ Scottish Castles - Culzean Castle
- ↑ Culzean Castle, Ayrshire & Arran | WhichCastle.com
- ↑ "BBC TV Coast programme: Arran to Gretna: music used in this programme". http://www.bbc.co.uk/coast/faq/prog3_music.shtml. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
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