Inveraray Castle (Gaelic Caisteal Inbhir Aora, pronounced [ˈkʰaʃtʲal iɲɪɾʲˈɯːɾə]) is acountry house near Inveraray in the county of Argyll, in western Scotland, on the shore ofLoch Fyne, Scotland’s longest sea loch.[1] It has been the seat of the Duke of Argyll, chief ofClan Campbell since the 17th century.
The house is a mostly mid-18th-century neo-Gothic design. Designers who worked on the house include William Adam and Roger Morris; the interior includes a number of neoclassical rooms created for the 5th Duke by Robert Mylne.[1] These are among the rooms open to the public. The 13th Duke and his family live in private apartments occupying two floors and set between two of the castle's crenellated circular towers. Recent renovations included the installation of the house's first central heating.[1]
In 1975, a devastating fire struck Inveraray and for some time the 12th Duke and his family lived in the castle's basement, while restorations requiring a worldwide fund raising drive were carried out.[2]
Inveraray Castle is a Category A listed building. It is surrounded by a 16-acre garden and estate of 60,000 acres.[1]
In 2012, the Christmas episode of Downton Abbeywas partly filmed here; the castle stood in for the fictional "Duneagle Castle."[3]
We hope the website provides an enjoyable and interactive experience summarising the magnificence of Inveraray Castle and the surrounding area. Of course we cannot hope to bring you the full magic of the castle, but hope you will be inspired to visit us soon.
Inveraray Castle is first and foremost a family home in which I have had the great privilege of growing up in, just as my children are now. However, its very existence reflects the part played by the Campbells in the rich tapestry of Scottish and British History. The contents of Inveraray Castle span many generations of the family and I hope will give you a glimpse of our heritage and the way our ancestors lived.
History can often be lost through the years, but here at Inveraray we have, over the decades, chronicled the past in order to share it with future generations. We have taken great pride in our achievements, yet are conscious of our mistakes, something reflected in our family motto
‘Ne Obliviscaris'.
‘Ne Obliviscaris'.
We look forward to your visit to Inveraray Castle.
The original kitchen at Inveraray Castle was last used by the current Duke's grandmother, Duchess Louise in the 1950s.
The kitchen is unique with seven fireplaces for different methods of cooking, two stewing stoves, two baking ovens, a hot plate, boiling stove and a roasting fire with working spit which would have originally been operated by a fan in the chimney.
Visitors can also see a fine collection of copper utensils known as "batterie de cuisine" together with various utensils of the Victorian, Edwardian and pre-war eras.
North West Hall
The North West Hall contains a collection of costumes worn by the family through history to the present day. The display includes the Coronation robes of HRH Princess Louise, the robes of the Knight of the Thistle and the present Duke's uniform of the Royal Company of Archers. A more recent addition is the stunning cream gown designed by Bruce Oldfield and worn by the current Duchess at her wedding to the 13th Duke in June 2002.
The Duke's Coronation robes and coronet are also on display, as is the baton of the Hereditary Master of the Royal Household in Scotland. The appointment dates from 1461 and the baton is still used today by the Duke for ceremonial occasions.
Armoury Hall
Developed in keeping with Vanburgh's original sketch from 1720 and using a similar concept which he used for Castle Howard and Blenheim Palace, the dramatic Armoury Hall soars to 21 metres in height, the highest ceiling in Scotland. The central ceiling displays the impressive family crest and on the ceilings either side are the crests for the various cadet branches of the Campbells.
Breathtaking displays of arms in elaborate patterns adorn the walls, including 16th and 17th century pole-arms and roundels of Brown Bess muskets dating from around 1740, with spandrels of muskets alternated with Lochaber axes. The latter and 18th century Scottish Broadswords date from the time of Queen Victoria's first visit to Inveraray in 1847.
In the showcases are a fascinating collection of treasures associated with Inveraray and the Castle, which help illuminate the long and colourful history of the Campbell Clan and the major role they have played in creating the history of Britain. A highlight of the collection is the dirk and sporran belonging to Rob Roy MacGregor (1671-1734).
State Dining Room
Visitors to Inveraray Castle are often amazed by the brilliance of the extravagant decoration in the State Dining Room. The elaborate painting was completed in 1784 by two French artists Girard and Guinard, whose work only survives at Inveraray.
The painting is of a quality unparalleled in Britain at that time and it is of little surprise to find that Girard was one of the principal decorative artists employed by the young Prince of Wales when decorating his grand residence Carlton House.
The delicate tapestry dining chairs with gilding by Dupasquier and original Beavais tapestry upholstery were commissioned by the 5th Duke on one of his visits to France in the 1780s.
The dining table, by Gillow of Lancaster dates from about 1800, the outstanding ormolu-mounted sideboards are from the late 18th century and the Waterford chandelier (the largest of three, of which the smaller pair hang in the Tapestry Drawing Room) is circa 1830.
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Inveraray Jail, in Inveraray, Argyll and Bute, Scotland, is a 19th-century prison and courthouse. In use as a prison from 1820 to 1889, the building is now a living museum. It is a category A listed building.[1]
History
Designed by James Gillespie Graham (1776–1855) in 1813 after original plans by Robert Reid in 1807. The original plans had called for a courthouse and three prisons, one for males, one for females and one for debtors. The ground obtained was sufficient for such an ambitious plan, but the finance was not and the Prison Commissioners had to be content with only one prison.
Both the courthouse and prisons opened in 1820. The courtroom, on the first floor, has a semicircle of large windows giving a magnificent view overlooking the prison yard and, beyond, across Loch Fyne.
The two-storied prison has three-foot-thick walls of massive rough hewn red stone and originally contained cells on both floors, eight in total. A third of the ground floor was occupied by a day-room which was lit, like the cells, by narrow, unglazed windows. The Prisons (Scotland) Act 1839 brought about many changes, including the separation of prisoners. A second prison was finally built on the spare ground, opening in the closing days of 1848. Designed by Thomas Brown of Edinburgh, the new prison consisted of twelve cells on three floors with an exercising gallery at the top. A pair of outdoor exercise yards were also built, separated from each other by a wall. Prisoners were not allowed to fraternize. The separate system was designed to give them time to reflect upon their sins.
The Prisons (Scotland) Act 1877 heralded another major change in the administration of prisons. Local authorities would no longer have the responsibility of running and financing prisons; the Government was taking control. Large prisons were built in the center of population. Barlinnie inGlasgow opened in 1882 and small local prisons in the West of Scotland began to close. Inveraray would be the last. On 20 July 1889 readers of the Argyllshire Herald were informed that "the prison of Inveraray will be closed on 31st August".
Despite changes to the prison system, the court was still sitting, continuing until 1954, with a little activity since then. On several occasions the premises have come near to being abandoned, especially when it was necessary to spend money on repairs. In the 1980s extensive restoration was undertaken by the Scottish Office, but then all plans fell through and the building lay empty.
In May 1989, Inveraray Jail was reopened as a privately owned tourist attraction, re-enacting the trials and the life of the inmates of the 19th century.
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