Buchanan Castle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Buchanan Castle |
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Buchanan Castle in the 1890s
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Listed Building – Category B
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| Designated | 5 September 1973 |
| Reference no. | LB4045 |
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Former Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland
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| Designated | 1 July 1987 |
| Delisted | 1 August 2016 |
| Reference no. | GDL00077 |
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Buchanan Castle is a grand old house in Stirlingshire, Scotland. It's mostly a ruin now, located about 1 mile west of Drymen village. A powerful family, the Montroses, built it between 1852 and 1858. It was their home until 1925. The castle replaced an older house, Buchanan Auld House, which burned down in 1852. The land originally belonged to the Clan Buchanan. But it later became the property of the Clan Graham in the late 1600s. The roof of Buchanan Castle was taken off in 1954. This caused the building to fall into disrepair. Even so, it is still considered the main home, or seat, of the Clan Graham.
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History of Buchanan Castle
The land around Buchanan Castle belonged to the Clan Buchanan for a long time. They owned it from at least the year 1231. However, the main line of the Buchanan chiefs ended in 1682. The Clan Buchanan leader at the time, John Buchanan, had a lot of debt. Because of this, the Buchanan estate was slowly sold off to pay what was owed.
The estate was bought by James Graham, 3rd Marquess of Montrose. His son later became the 1st Duke of Montrose in 1707. The Montrose family moved into the existing Buchanan Auld House. This house eventually became the main home for the Clan Graham. It was seen as a more suitable home for a Duke. The original house was greatly rebuilt starting around 1724.
Building the New Castle
Buchanan Auld House was destroyed by a fire in 1852. After this, the Duke of Montrose hired a famous architect named William Burn. Burn was asked to design a new castle to replace the old one. He created a very fancy mansion in the Scottish baronial style. This style often includes towers, small turrets, and stepped gables (fancy roof edges).
The new Buchanan Castle was built between 1852 and 1858. It stands about half a mile southeast of where the old house was. The Montrose Dukes lived at Buchanan Castle until 1925. At that time, they decided to sell it.
Later Uses and Decline
In the 1930s, Buchanan Castle became a hotel. A golf course was also built on its grounds. Plans to build homes on the estate were put on hold when World War II began. During the war, the house was taken over by the government. It was used as a hospital for injured soldiers.
One famous patient was Rudolf Hess. He was a high-ranking German official who flew to Scotland in 1941. After the war, the building was briefly used as an army school. In 1954, the roof was removed from the house. This was done to avoid paying property taxes. Some smaller parts of the building were also torn down. Later, several new homes were built in the castle's gardens and grounds.
Current State
There have been ideas to turn the ruined house into apartments. Proposals were made in 2002 and 2004, but they were not approved. Buchanan Castle is a category B listed building. This means it's an important historical building that needs to be protected. It is also on the Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland. This list includes historic buildings that are in danger of falling apart.
The grounds of the house were once listed as important gardens. However, they were removed from this list in 2016. The walls of the house are still standing tall and are in good condition. Trees and plants are slowly growing over the ruins. A fence surrounds the area to protect it.
Gallery
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Facade of the ruins of Buchanan Castle in 2012.
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Northwest wing of the ruins of Buchanan Castle in 2012.
