![Armadale Castle c](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Armadale_Castle_c.1910.png)
Armadale Castle is a ruined
country house
An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these peopl ...
in
Armadale, Skye
Armadale ( gd, Armadal) is a village near the southern end of the Sleat peninsula on the Isle of Skye, in the Highland council area of Scotland. Like most of Sleat, but unlike most of Skye, the area is fairly fertile, and though there are hill ...
, former home of the MacDonalds. A mansion house was first built here around 1790, facing south-east over the
Sound of Sleat
The Sound of Sleat is a narrow sea channel off the western coast of Scotland. It divides the Sleat peninsula on the south-east side of the Isle of Skye from Morar, Knoydart and Glenelg on the Scottish mainland.
The Sound extends in a south-sou ...
. In 1815 a square Tudor-Gothic mock-castle, intended for show rather than defence, designed by Edinburgh architect
James Gillespie Graham
James Gillespie Graham (11 June 1776 – 11 March 1855) was a Scottish architect, prominent in the early 19th century.
Life
Graham was born in Dunblane on 11 June 1776. He was the son of Malcolm Gillespie, a solicitor. He was christened as J ...
, was built next to the house.
After 1855 the part of the house destroyed by fire was replaced by a central wing, designed by
David Bryce
David Bryce FRSE FRIBA RSA (3 April 1803 – 7 May 1876) was a Scottish architect.
Life
Bryce was born at 5 South College Street in Edinburgh, the son of David Bryce (1763–1816) a grocer with a successful side interest in buildi ...
. Since 1925 the castle, abandoned by the
Macdonald family
Macdonald, MacDonald or McDonald may refer to:
Organisations
* McDonald's, a chain of fast food restaurants
* McDonald & Co., a former investment firm
* MacDonald Motorsports, a NASCAR team
* Macdonald Realty, a Canadian real estate brokerage ...
, has fallen into ruin. The gardens around the castle have been maintained, and are now home to the Clan Donald Centre, which operates the Museum of the Isles.
All the southern (Gillespie-Graham) sections of the building were demolished in 1971, leaving the (roofless) David Bryce section and a less formal two storey wing on the far north side. The remnant section is only
listed
Listed may refer to:
* Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm
* Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic
* Endangered species in biology
* Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...
category C due to its ruinous condition. The gardens are protected as a Designed Landscape.
[http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/GDL00028]
References
External links
*
Clan Donald Centre at Armadale Castle*
Castles in the Isle of Skye
Category B listed buildings in Highland (council area)
Clan Donald
Houses in Highland (council area)
Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes
Listed castles in Scotland
James Gillespie Graham buildings
Museums in Highland (council area)
Gardens in Highland (council area)
Ethnic museums in Scotland
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