Taymouth Castle is situated to the north-east of the village of Kenmore, Perth and Kinross, in the Highlands of Scotland, in an estate which encompasses . It lies on the south bank of the River Tay, about from Loch Tay, in the heartland of the Grampian Mountains. Taymouth is bordered on two sides by mountain ranges, by Loch Tay on the third and by the confluence of the rivers Lyon and Tay on the fourth.
Taymouth Castle stands on the site of the much older Balloch Castle, which was built in 1552, as the seat of the Campbell clan. In the early 19th century, Balloch Castle was demolished by the Campbells of Breadalbane so that the new, much larger castle could be rebuilt on the site. The new castle's blue-grey stone was taken from the quarry at Bolfracks.Dundee Evening Telegraph dated 30 November 1950, Page 4
Built in a neo-Gothic style and on a lavish scale, Taymouth Castle is regarded one of the most important Scottish castles in private ownership. Its public rooms show examples of the workmanship of the craftsmen of the 19th century. The castle's interior was decorated with extravagant carvings, plasterwork and murals. Panels of medieval stained glass and Renaissance woodwork were incorporated into the scheme. Much of this decor still survives.
Francis Bernasconi, acknowledged as the greatest designer of fine plasterwork of the era, created the central staircase, which connects all four storeys of the central tower. Many of the ceilings were painted by Cornelius Dixon.
The castle is a Category A listed building, and the grounds, which include parklands and woodlands, are included in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes, the national listing of significant gardens. Historic Environment Scotland have graded the castle as 'outstanding' in their art, historical, architectural and scenic categories. They also acknowledged that, due to the remnants of its pinetum and the outstanding size of its remaining trees, it also has horticultural value. It is said that some of the first larches brought to Scotland from the Tyrol were planted on the estate.
Twelve of Taymouth Castle's buildings or structures are currently recorded on the Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland. Due to its severely deteriorating condition, Taymouth Castle has been empty since approximately 1982 but new owners planned to restore and redevelop the castle as a luxury hotel resort. The estate was acquired by Discovery Land Company in 2019 which decided to convert the main structure into "a luxury private members’ clubhouse".
The castle and golf course were closed during the restoration and re-modelling. The project, funded by American owners led by Michael Meldman, was completed in November 2024. The main structure was divided into nine suites to be occupied by members of a shared ownership plan.
Features
Estate landmarks
Among the landmarks that still survive on the estate are:
A ruined 19th-century circular tower, known as the Rock Lodge. This is a single-storey building, built around 1830, with a two-stage circular Gothic folly. It was originally habitable, despite being built to appear as a ruin. A derelict temple, known as Apollo's Temple. There is some evidence that this small circular building, which perhaps dates back to the 1770s, may have once housed a sculpture. A semi-circular folly, known as The Fort. Another temple, known as Maxwell's Temple. This temple, of an Eleanor cross type construction, was built in 1830 as a tribute to Mary, Countess of Breadalbane. A historic dairy, standing on Tom Mor in the castle's grounds and described as the 'House that Sparkles'. It glistens 'white' due to the quartz from which it is made, taken from the spur of Ben Lawers. When Queen Victoria visited the dairy in 1842, she turned the handle of a churn, sipped a glass of milk and ate an oatmeal bannock. She described the dairy as a kind of Swiss Cottage.The Dundee Courier dated 13 May 1952, Page 2 A historic urn, known as The Monument. A ruined tower.
All of the above structures are listed with Historic Environment Scotland.
Taymouth Castle Golf Club Taymouth Castle has its own 18-hole golf course, which was operated by the Taymouth Castle Golf Club. In 1925, the course was laid over the castle's former deer park and designed by the renowned golfer James Braid. , the course is closed whilst it is being extended and re-modelled. At , it was regarded as too short for modern championship golf courses and so is being increased to . Also, much of Braid's original features disappeared over the last 90 years. These are being restored, with views of the River Tay also being introduced into the course.
In 1839, the deer park was said to contain approximately 700 fallow deer, 100 red deer, some black deer and some moose deer. There were also some wild Indian buffaloes, taken from the 'rocky mountains of the New World'.York Herald dated 12 October 1839, Page 4
Fly fishing The castle offers of salmon fishing through the estate, on the River Tay. The estate also has fishing rights on Loch Tay, which contains pike, perch, roach and trout.
Additional information
The Campbells of Breadalbane and Glenorchy
The first 12 owners of the Balloch/Taymouth Castle estate, who held the lands throughout its period of private ownership between 1550 and 1922, were all Campbells of the Clan Campbell and members of the Peerage of Scotland. In the usual way, the ownership of the estate (and the various titles) were generally passed from father to son, except when there were no male heirs. This particular branch of the Campbell family were given the titles of Breadalbane, an area in the Highlands of Scotland; and Glenorchy, a glen in Argyll and Bute.
A number of the Campbells were Earls of Breadalbane and Holland. The family were given the lands of Breadalbane and Lawers in the 15th century by King James III, for Sir Colin Campbell's help in capturing Thomas Chalmer, one of the assassins of King James I.Dundee Evening Telegraph dated 9 April 1919, Page 2 The title of Holland refers to an area of Lincolnshire, England. The 1st Earl of Breadalbane and Holland married the 1st Earl of Holland's daughter, Lady Mary Rich. He therefore acquired the English title of Holland, through his wife. The 1st Earl of Holland was beheaded in London in 1649 for treason.
Sir Colin Campbell of Glenorchy, who built Balloch Castle in 1552, was a knight, the lowest rank of all of the owners of Balloch and Taymouth Castle. As time went on, his descendants' rank gradually increased, until the last Campbell listed, Sir Gavin Campbell, 1st Marquess of Breadalbane, until 1922, achieved the high rank of Marquess.
The Campbells of Breadalbane were incredibly powerful and influential, due to the vast amounts of land that they owned in Scotland. They were also involved in many of the violent events and battles during Scotland's historical clan feuds. They were thus highly feared by the other clans, for their determination to both increase their power and influence and to defend their estates at all costs, throughout this bloody period in Scotland's history. There was also a long-running feud between the Campbells and the Gregors, who later went on to become known as the MacGregors to whom the famous Rob Roy MacGregor belonged. More information about these events is detailed in the history sections below.
The Black Book of Taymouth In 1855, the 2nd Marquess of Breadalbane allowed historical papers from the Breadalbane Charter Room to be published in printed form in a book called The Black Book of Taymouth. This book had in fact largely been written and compiled between 1598 and 1648 by William Bowie, although Cosmo Innes also contributed to the 1855 publication, which includes entries up to 1703. The book concentrates more on the history of the Central Highlands than that of the Breadalbane family, although this is referred to in the book.
The book is written in Scots, with Bowie dedicating his version of the book to Sir Duncan Campbell of Glenorchy, 1st Baronet Campbell, otherwise known as Black Duncan. Bowie was both the tutor to Duncan's children and the family scribe.The Inverness Courier dated 25 January 1855, Page 4Kinship, Church and Culture: Collected Essays and Studies By John W.M. Bannerman The book has been reprinted a number of times, including in 2015.
Taymouth Castle ships There have been at least three ships with the name Taymouth Castle. The first was a sailing vessel, built in 1851 by John Scott & Sons. The second was a three-masted 'fully rigged' sailing vessel, built in 1865, by Charles Connell & Company. This was wrecked in 1867, with the loss of all 19 crew and passengers on board, off the coast of Torr Head, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. There was also the Royal Mail steam ship Taymouth Castle, built in 1877 by Messrs Barclay Curle & Co. Despite having steam engines and a screw propeller, it also had two masts, giving it an early hybrid power source.
Witches and ghosts There is an old tale surrounding a blue sapphire stone which is set into a ring belonging to the Grahams of Inchbrakie, Perthshire. Some time in the 17th century, the Laird of Inchbrakie witnessed a large crowd, headed by one of the Campbells of Glenorchy, who were preparing to drown a witch. The Laird recognised the victim as being Katherine Niven, his old nurse and subsequently did his best to try and save her. He was unsuccessful, but she was still grateful enough to throw him a blue sapphire stone for his efforts. She said that whilst the stone remained with him, he would always have good fortune and that the Campbells would not have a male heir. Both prophecies were said to have come true.The Dundee Telegraph dated 6 April 1937, Page 3 If there is any element of truth in this tale, then it would seem that the Campbell who was leading the witch-hunt may have been Sir Colin Campbell, 2nd Baronet, who died childless in 1640.
Taymouth Castle is said to be haunted.
Taymouth Castle history The landowners of Taymouth Castle, together with dates of ownership and significant events are shown here. Details of Balloch Castle and its ancestral owners, which was demolished in 1806 and replaced by Taymouth Castle are shown further down.
John Campbell, 1st Marquess of Breadalbane (1782–1834) John Campbell inherited the title of 4th Earl of Breadalbane and Holland at the age of 19, from his third cousin, who was John Campbell, 3rd Earl of Breadalbane and Holland. In 1789, he called upon Robert Mylne to prepare plans for a new "chateau", although these plans were never carried out. It is said that he wanted to demolish Balloch Castle and build a new grander castle in its place, in order to overshadow the Duke of Argyll's castle at Inveraray.
However, 10 years later, he did completely transform the castle, using many architects, including Alexander Nasmyth. The main block of the old house was demolished, to be replaced from 1806, by a Gothic building, to the designs of the brothers James and Archibald Elliot. The English-Italian Francis Bernasconi carried out the ornate plasterwork of the staircase and drawing rooms between 1809 and 1812. In 1818, the old east wing was pulled down and replaced by a two-storey wing designed by William Atkinson. Stained glass was supplied by William Raphael Eginton. Circa 1816, he described it thus:
In 1793, John Campbell formed three regiments of fencibles, known as the Breadalbane Fencibles to help defend the land in time of need. He managed to raise 2,300 men, of whom 1,600 were from his own estate. At one time, the castle also had its own fire brigade.The Courier and Advertiser dated 26 July 1950, Page 3