Culzean Castle is a dramatic setting on the cliffs overlooking the Firth of Clyde.
The present building is C18th and was built as a status symbol for the Kennedy family, one of the oldest clans in Scotland, whose ancestry that can be traced back to Robert the Bruce. Designed by Robert Adam, it incorporated parts of a C16th tower house which had been built on the site of an older castle, Coif Castle.
The 9th Earl of Cassillis, had begun to modernise the tower house. He died without a male heir and the estate passed to his brother, David Kennedy. He was a barrister and MP and, on assuming the title of the Earl of Cassillis, asked Robert Adam, the most fashionable architect of the time, to transform his boyhood home into a house worthy of his new status. It was designed to look like a castle but with a country house feel. Building began in 1777 and was eventually completed in 1792. Adam was also responsible for designing other buildings on the estate including the Home Farm. It was a massive undertaking and, when the 10th Earl died in1792, he left debts of £60,000, most of which were from the rebuilding of the Castle.
The 10th Earl never married and on his death, the estate passed to a distant cousin who lived in the United States. His descendants, who were also the Marquesses of Ailsa, divided their time between Culzean and London, improving the estate and castle. The 3rd Marquess embarked on a major programme of modernisation and redecoration around 1870. Little had been done to the castle and it was uncomfortable and difficult to heat. This included new rooms for the children, new kitchen and servant’s quarters. The main entrance was enlarged with a new portico. The library and dressing room became a new dining room and the old dining room was turned into a library. Original Adam fixtures were retained when possible and new ones were made in a similar style.
The different stages of building can still be identified. The original tower house is at the centre of the castle surrounded by the 1777 Adam building. The 18790 additions are to the left, and are a slightly different colour stone.
The 4th Marquess had no children and knew his brother couldn’t afford to run the estate. The castle and the estate were given to the National Trust for Scotland in 1945 in lieu of death duties. The family stipulated that the top of the castle be converted into a flat for the use of General Dwight D. Eisenhower in recognition of his role as Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe during the Second World War. The General first visited Culzean Castle in 1946 and stayed there four times, including once while President of the United States.
Now one room is on display as the Eisenhower room. The rest of the top floor is now hotel accommodation.
The present building is C18th and was built as a status symbol for the Kennedy family, one of the oldest clans in Scotland, whose ancestry that can be traced back to Robert the Bruce. Designed by Robert Adam, it incorporated parts of a C16th tower house which had been built on the site of an older castle, Coif Castle.
The 9th Earl of Cassillis, had begun to modernise the tower house. He died without a male heir and the estate passed to his brother, David Kennedy. He was a barrister and MP and, on assuming the title of the Earl of Cassillis, asked Robert Adam, the most fashionable architect of the time, to transform his boyhood home into a house worthy of his new status. It was designed to look like a castle but with a country house feel. Building began in 1777 and was eventually completed in 1792. Adam was also responsible for designing other buildings on the estate including the Home Farm. It was a massive undertaking and, when the 10th Earl died in1792, he left debts of £60,000, most of which were from the rebuilding of the Castle.
The 10th Earl never married and on his death, the estate passed to a distant cousin who lived in the United States. His descendants, who were also the Marquesses of Ailsa, divided their time between Culzean and London, improving the estate and castle. The 3rd Marquess embarked on a major programme of modernisation and redecoration around 1870. Little had been done to the castle and it was uncomfortable and difficult to heat. This included new rooms for the children, new kitchen and servant’s quarters. The main entrance was enlarged with a new portico. The library and dressing room became a new dining room and the old dining room was turned into a library. Original Adam fixtures were retained when possible and new ones were made in a similar style.
The different stages of building can still be identified. The original tower house is at the centre of the castle surrounded by the 1777 Adam building. The 18790 additions are to the left, and are a slightly different colour stone.
The 4th Marquess had no children and knew his brother couldn’t afford to run the estate. The castle and the estate were given to the National Trust for Scotland in 1945 in lieu of death duties. The family stipulated that the top of the castle be converted into a flat for the use of General Dwight D. Eisenhower in recognition of his role as Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe during the Second World War. The General first visited Culzean Castle in 1946 and stayed there four times, including once while President of the United States.
Now one room is on display as the Eisenhower room. The rest of the top floor is now hotel accommodation.
