Castles · Scottish Lowlands
Culzean Castle
Culzean Castle — country house incorporating earlier castle and tower house fabric, near Maybole, South Ayrshire, Scotland, UK.
Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 1.5 h–3 h
- Nearest railway station
- Maybole · 6.6 km
- Paid entry
- Family-friendly
- Limited wheelchair access
About
Culzean Castle is a castle in the United Kingdom — fortified architecture from the medieval, Tudor, or Victorian-revival period. Designed by Robert Adam. Heritage designation: category A listed building. Owned by National Trust for Scotland. Managed by National Trust for Scotland. Wikidata describes it as: "country house incorporating earlier castle and tower house fabric, near Maybole, South Ayrshire, Scotland, UK". Coordinates: 55.3546°, -4.7893°.
Photo gallery
Heritage listing
Culzean Castle ( kul-AYN, see yogh; Scots: Culzean, Culȝean, Colean) is a castle overlooking the Firth of Clyde, near Maybole, Carrick, in South Ayrshire, on the west coast of Scotland. It is the former home of the Marquess of Ailsa, the chief of Clan Kennedy, but is now owned by the National Trust for Scotland. The clifftop castle lies within the 240 acres (97 ha) Culzean Castle Country Park, which also contains a walled garden, other estate buildings that are open to the public, shops and cafés, and a playground. The castle is open to the public throughout the summer, and the wider estate is open all year. There are eight self-catering properties available for holiday rental within the country park, include the Brewhouse Flat which is located within the castle itself.
From Historic Environment Scotland under OGL v3.
From the Wikipedia article
Culzean Castle ( kul-AYN, see yogh; Scots: Culzean, Culȝean, Colean) is a castle overlooking the Firth of Clyde, near Maybole, Carrick, in South Ayrshire, on the west coast of Scotland. It is the former home of the Marquess of Ailsa, the chief of Clan Kennedy, but is now owned by the National Trust for Scotland. The clifftop castle lies within the 240 acres (97 ha) Culzean Castle Country Park, which also contains a walled garden, other estate buildings that are open to the public, shops and cafés, and a playground. The castle is open to the public throughout the summer, and the wider estate is open all year. There are eight self-catering properties available for holiday rental within the country park, include the Brewhouse Flat which is located within the castle itself. The castle can also be hired for private events. From 1972 until 2015, an illustration of the castle was featured on the reverse side of five pound notes issued by the Royal Bank of Scotland.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
History
Culzean Castle was constructed as an L-plan castle by order of the 10th Earl of Cassillis. 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. The castle was the venue, on 14 November 1817, when the 1st Marquess of Ailsa's daughter, Margaret Radclyffe Livingstone Eyre, married Thomas, Viscount Kynnaird. Margaret would become a noted philanthropist. In 1945, the Kennedy family gave the castle…
Description
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. There are sea caves beneath the castle which are currently not open generally, but are open for tours throughout the summer. 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.
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 55.3546, -4.7893
- District
- South Ayrshire
- Postcode
- KA19 8LE
- Parliamentary constituency
- Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock
- Established
- 1777
- Nearest railway station
- Maybole — 6.6 km
- Opening
- Mo-Su 10:00-17:00
- Official site
- www.culzeanexperience.org
Sources
- wikidata: Q899545 (CC0)
- wikipedia: Culzean Castle (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- commons: Culzean Castle.JPG (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Culzean Castle?
- Culzean Castle is in the Scottish Lowlands, United Kingdom (postcode KA19 8LE).
- When was Culzean Castle built?
- Built or established in 1777. Designed by Robert Adam.
- Who runs Culzean Castle?
- Culzean Castle is operated by National Trust for Scotland.
- Is Culzean Castle a listed building?
- Culzean Castle is officially recognised as category A listed building listed.
- Is Culzean Castle free to visit?
- Culzean Castle is operated by National Trust for Scotland. Entry is free for National Trust members; non-members pay an admission charge.
- How do I get to Culzean Castle?
- The nearest railway station is Maybole, about 6.6 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode KA19 8LE.