A CASTLE perched on the edge of one of Scotland's most stunning beaches has gone on sale.
Calgary Castle, which overlooks the white sands of the island of Mull’s Calgary Bay, dates from the mid-1700s and is reputed to have once been owned by Major Philip Profumo, the brother of John Profumo whose 1963 sex and espionage scandal that rocked the British establishment.
But prospective owners will have to dig deep if they want to become the next keeper of the castle, with the price tag set at offers over £695,000.
READ MORE: New tourist route for Scotland’s most southerly tip
The castle, which gave its name to the Canadian city of the same name, was extended in the early 19th century by Alan MacAskill – a merchant navy captain whose mausoleum lies in the grounds – and features a crenelated parapet, angled turrets and gothic-style windows.
It is widely believed that after staying at there in 1876, and supposedly falling for the daughter of the house, Colonel James MacLeod of the Canadian North West Mounted Police returned to his homeland and changed the name of Fort Brisebois in Alberta to Fort Calgary.
The then tiny outpost grew into the city of Calgary, which in Gaelic means Cala Ghearraidh and translates to ‘beach of the meadow’.
The house overlooks one of Scotland's best beaches
The eight-bedroom castle, which additionally offers a self-contained two-bedroom apartment, boasts spectacular views over picture-perfect Calgary Bay and across to Coll and Tiree.
READ MORE: Iona Christian community in final bid to save facilities
The estate extends to 27.9 acres and feature an impressive collection of trees from around the world, including a Chilean beech tree, while the grounds are a haven for wildlife
Golden eagles have been spotted on the lawn, and Mull and the surrounding waters are home to, sea eagles, basking sharks, minke whales and dolphins.
Calgary Beach is frequently listed among the top UK beaches and sits 12 miles from the picturesque harbour town of Tobermory, easily recognised for its row of brightly painted buildings lining the main street.
Calgary Bay
Tobermory is famous for its brightly-painted main street
READ MORE: The 20 most picturesque Scottish villages to visit
Malcolm Leslie, head of residential agency for Strutt & Parker in Scotland, who are handling the sale, said: “Calgary Castle is a wonderful, secluded property, steeped in history. It would make an idyllic home and while it offers the romanticism of island life, its proximity to Tombermory makes it a practical option too.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel