Kildalton Castle facts for kids
Kildalton Castle is a large, ruined house from the Victorian era (the time of Queen Victoria). You can find it near Port Ellen on the beautiful island of Islay in Scotland. It was built in 1870 using strong stone blocks called ashlar. The castle was designed in a style called Scots Baronial, which looks a bit like old Scottish castles.
Even though the roofs have fallen in, the main walls are still standing strong. The castle has two-story wings where people used to live. These are overlooked by a tall, four-story tower (called a keep) and another five-story tower connected to it. Kildalton Castle is located on a large, open moorland estate that covers about 2,000 acres.
History of Kildalton Castle
Building a Grand Home (1867-1892)
Kildalton Castle was designed in 1867 by an architect named John Burnet. It was finished by 1870 for John Ramsay. Mr. Ramsay was a very successful businessman from Islay. He owned a whisky distillery in Port Ellen. He made the distillery very successful and even helped improve the docks in Port Ellen. He was one of the first people to export Scottish whisky to America!
John Ramsay was also involved in politics. He was a Deputy Lieutenant and a J.P. (which means Justice of the Peace) for Argyllshire. He was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Stirling Burghs in 1868 and for Falkirk Burghs in 1874. An MP is a person elected to represent a group of people in the country's parliament.
Mr. Ramsay passed away in 1892. His wife and son continued to run the distillery. However, in 1920, the distillery was sold to a company called the Distillers Company.
New Owners and a Ruined Castle (1922-Present)
In 1922, Kildalton Castle was sold to John Talbot Clifton. He was a wealthy landowner from Lytham, England. Mr. Clifton loved exploring and was very keen on outdoor activities. He traveled all over the world, visiting places like Canada, Siberia, and Africa. He was known for his adventures and for discovering new types of animals. Some animals were even named after him, like a type of wild sheep found in Siberia. He once even tried eating frozen mammoth meat found in the Arctic!
John Talbot Clifton was married to Violet Beauclerk, who was also a very interesting person. His last big trip was an expedition with his wife to Timbuktu. Sadly, he became ill during the journey and died in 1928 in the Canary Islands while on his way home.
His wife, Violet, had his body preserved and brought it back to Scotland. He was buried on Islay at a place called Cnoc Rhaonastil. After his death, Violet left Islay to live in their house in Lytham. Kildalton Castle was then left empty and uncared for. Over time, the building slowly fell apart. The floors and roofs collapsed, leaving only the outer walls standing. Because of its poor condition, it was added to the Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland.
Today, the owners of Kildalton are George and Fiona Middleton. They bought about 2,000 acres of land, which includes the ruined castle. There have been several attempts to fix up the castle, but so far, none have been successful.
