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 ...

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 hills, ...

, 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-sout ...

. 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. 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 f ...

, 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 category C due to its ruinous condition. The gardens are protected as a Designed Landscape.http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/GDL00028

References

External links

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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 {{Scotland-struct-stub