Discovering Dunans Castle

Situated in Glendaruel, on the Cowal peninsula, Argyll and Bute, Scotland is the ever so beautiful Dunans Castle. It is an exquisite castle that was previously part of a much larger estate though now the property includes 16 acres (65,000 m2) of ground and in 2001 it was sadly ruined by fire. However, that fire wasn’t the end of the castle and it came back even stronger than ever to become the beautiful destination it is today.

Dunans Castle - A granite structure with high walls surrounded by trees and grass
Dunans Castle. Source: Wikimedia Commons

The history of Dunans Castle

For two centuries, Dunans Castle was home to the Fletcher Clan who had moved to the site somewhere between the years of 1715 to 1745. When they moved, they carried along with them the door of their previous home at Achallader Castle. The door from their previous residence was used for the private chapel and was reported missing in the year 1999.

The original and exquisite mansion-style house was extended to its present glory that is in a Franco-baronial style designed by famous architect Andrew Kerr. He helped with plenty of designs including the four main apartments as well as six amazing bedrooms. In 1997, the building passed out of Fletcher hands when the entire estate consisting of 3000 acres was split up and sold off by Colonel Archibald Fletcher’s heirs.

A series of misfortune

Following on from this, there were a number of large financial problems running rampant. Unfortunately, the misfortune wasn’t coming to an end and it got worse on a very tragic day back in January of 2001. Dunans Castle fell victim to an intense fire on the 14th of January 2001 while it was being run as a hotel and the building was essentially left as nothing more than a ruin.

The fire began in an attic space within the castle and raging with heat it swept through with ease and destroyed three floors with only the pre-Victorian west wing surviving undamaged. The owner at the time of the fire, Ewa Lucas-Gardener, had ignored all of the warnings, even the ones provided by fire safety experts, about the building’s fireplaces and how they were incredibly unsafe. Ewa proceeded to abandon the castle and disappear when the insurers refused to payout.

Now, the new and beautiful Dunans Castle has undergone some serious and extensive restorations that have been wholeheartedly supported by the Dunans Charitable Trust. However, there is some serious talk amongst people that the castle is said to play home to three resident ghosts.

The present day

The present day at Dunans Castle is absolutely beautiful. As soon as you step foot on the grounds you can see all of the hard work that has been put in to return it to the stunning structure it once was. There are beautiful tours on the grounds and before you visit, make sure that you make a booking because you won’t be allowed in without one.

The history you will hear about on the tour is so in-depth and the tour guides know so much about Dunans Castle that you will leave with far more knowledge than you came with.

Dunans Castle Limited

After the castle had turned to extreme ruin, Dunans Castle Limited was formed in February 2010 to help the restoration of the castle, bridge, and grounds through the sale of decorative titles and tartan merchandise. From here, you are able to buy a title which means that you can officially become a lord, laird, or lady for only a small amount of money. When you purchase a decorative title, you can look forward to your own plot of land in Argyll, Scotland, a free guided tour of the project, a title, and you will also be supporting a unique Scottish heritage conservation project.

Through this, you are also able to have your very own Dunans Castle tartan outfit. With every single purchase made, you will be contributing to the very important and extensive conservation of the castle and its surrounding estate. This also means that anyone wearing, purchasing, or even promoting the tartan acquires the right to call the Dunans Rising tartan their very own. You will be able to wear your beloved tartan to weddings, parties, or every day for the rest of your life.

People particularly love the Dunans Castle lord title as it seems to be the perfect gift for Christmas, birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, and even ‘just because’. It also means that you can own land in Scotland even if you’re thousands of miles away which makes it so much cooler than ever before. People from all over the world can have their own little slice of beautiful Scotland.

You may enjoy reading about other Scottish castles such as Fasque Castle.

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