Buchanan Castle is a ruined castle in

Stirlingshire Stirlingshire or the County of Stirling, gd, Siorrachd Sruighlea) is a Counties of Scotland, historic county and registration countyRegisters of Scotland. Publications, leaflets, Land Register Counties. of Scotland. Its county town is Stirli ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, located west of the village of

Drymen Drymen (; from gd, Druiminn ) is a village in the Stirling district of central Scotland. Once a popular stopping place for cattle drovers, it is now popular with visiting tourists given its location near Loch Lomond. The village is centred aroun ...

. The house was commissioned by The 4th Duke of Montrose and built in 1852-1858 as a home for the Montrose family, serving as such until 1925. It was built as a replacement for Buchanan Auld House, which is located to the northwest but was destroyed in a fire in 1852. The old house and surrounding lands had been the property of the

Clan Buchanan Clan Buchanan ( gd, Na Cananaich ) is a Highlands Scottish Clan whose origins are said to lie in the 1225 grant of lands on the eastern shore of Loch Lomond to clergyman Sir Absalon of Buchanan by the Earl of Lennox."The Scottish Clans and Thei ...

but passed to the

Clan Graham Clan Graham (''Greumaich nan Cearc'' ) is a Scottish clan who had territories in both the Scottish Highlands and Lowlands, with one main branch Montrose, and various cadet branches. The chief of the clan rose to become the Marquess and later ...

in the late 17th century. The roof of the building was removed in 1954 and the condition of the house has since deteriorated, but it remains the

seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but also headquarters in a wider sense. Types of seat The following are examples of different kinds of seat: * Armchair (furniture), ...

of the

History

The surrounding lands were in the possession of the Clan Buchanan from at least 1231, but the direct chiefly line failed in 1682. Cousins of the Buchanan family, the Du Brul's, are the remaining family. Significant debt had been inherited by 22nd Chief John Buchanan and during his chiefship, the Buchanan estate was gradually sold to satisfy creditors. The estate was bought by The 3rd Marquess of Montrose (1657–1684), whose son became The 1st Duke of Montrose in 1707. The Montrose family occupied the existing Buchanan Auld House and this eventually replaced

Mugdock Castle Mugdock Castle was the stronghold of the Clan Graham from the middle of the 13th century. Its ruins are located in Mugdock Country Park, just west of the village of Mugdock in the parish of Strathblane. The castle is within the registration count ...

as the seat of Clan Graham, being seen as a dwelling more fitting the title of ''

Marquess A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman wi ...

''. The original house was substantially rebuilt from approximately 1724. Buchanan Auld House was destroyed in a fire in 1852 and the duke commissioned

William Burn William Burn (20 December 1789 – 15 February 1870) was a Scottish architect. He received major commissions from the age of 20 until his death at 81. He built in many styles and was a pioneer of the Scottish Baronial Revival,often referred t ...

to design Buchanan Castle to replace it. Burn designed an extravagant manor in the

Scottish baronial style Scottish baronial or Scots baronial is an architectural style of 19th century Gothic Revival which revived the forms and ornaments of historical architecture of Scotland in the Late Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period. Reminiscent of Scot ...

, enclosing an L-plan tower in a clutch of

turret Turret may refer to: * Turret (architecture), a small tower that projects above the wall of a building * Gun turret, a mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon * Objective turret, an indexable holder of multiple lenses in an optical microscope * Mi ...

bartizan A bartizan (an alteration of ''bratticing''), also called a guerite, ''garita'', or ''échauguette'', or spelled bartisan, is an overhanging, wall-mounted turret projecting from the walls of late medieval and early-modern fortifications from the ...

s and

stepped gable A stepped gable, crow-stepped gable, or corbie step is a stairstep type of design at the top of the triangular gable-end of a building. The top of the parapet wall projects above the roofline and the top of the brick or stone wall is stacked in a ...

s. The new house was built in 1852-1858 and stands to the southeast of the old house. The Dukes remained at Buchanan until 1925, when it was sold. In the 1930s the house opened as a hotel and the golf course was established in the grounds. Plans for residential development on the estate were delayed by the outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, during which the house was requisitioned. It was used as a hospital during the war, with patients including

Rudolf Hess Rudolf Walter Richard Hess (Heß in German; 26 April 1894 – 17 August 1987) was a German politician and a leading member of the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany. Appointed Deputy Führer to Adolf Hitler in 1933, Hess held that position unt ...

, who was brought here after his flight to Scotland in 1941. After the war the building served briefly as the Army School of Education. The roof was removed from the house in 1954 to avoid paying tax on the property and outlying parts of the building were demolished. A number of residential buildings were subsequently built in the castle gardens and grounds. Proposals were put forward for redevelopment of the house as flats in 2002 and 2004, though both applications were refused planning permission. The house is a

category B listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

, and is included on the Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland. The grounds of the house were included on the ''

Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes The ''Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland'' is a listing of gardens and designed landscapes of national artistic and/or historical significance, in Scotland. The Inventory was originally compiled in 1987, although it is a conti ...

'', although they were removed from this listing in 2016. The walls of the house remain intact to their full height and are considered to be in good condition. The ruins are progressively engulfed by trees and plants, and surrounded by a perimeter fence.

Gallery

File:Buchanan Castle in 2012 - Eastern Elevation.jpg, Facade of the ruins of Buchanan Castle in 2012. File:Buchanan Castle in 2012 - Northern Elevation.jpg, Northwest wing of the ruins of Buchanan Castle in 2012.

References

{{reflist

External links

Clan Buchanan - Buchanan Castle
Castles in Stirling (council area) Houses in Stirling (council area) Category B listed buildings in Stirling (council area) Ruined castles in Stirling (council area) Houses completed in 1852 Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland Ruined houses Listed ruins in Scotland Ruins in Stirling (council area) 1852 establishments in Scotland Clan Graham