Lochinch Castle

Lochinch Castle stands in Dumfries and Galloway, two kilometres north of Castle Kennedy and five east of Stranraer. The asymmetrical mansion was built in 1868 for John Dalrymple, the tenth Earl of Stair, by the Edinburgh architects Brown and Wardrop. Its cream sandstone walls mix Scottish-Baronial style with French château motifs, and the interior follows 17th-century Jacobean fashion. The family still owns the estate, which was listed at the highest Scottish category in 1972. Nearby, an 1870 discovery on White Loch yielded a dug-out canoe. The castle’s interiors feature fine stucco and woodwork, while a marble fireplace carries oak carvings. The Earls of Stair have kept the house as their seat since it replaced a burnt-down castle at Castle Kennedy in the 18th century. The grounds include several Category-A outbuildings that form part of the same heritage ensemble. A local loch yielded an ancient dug-out canoe soon after the house was finished. Visitors find creamy sandstone façades rising over two storeys, with Jacobean plaster ceilings and carved oak panelling inside. The asymmetrical silhouette and French rooflines give the exterior a picturesque skyline. The entrance hall opens to a grand staircase lit by tall windows, and the drawing room holds the marble and oak fireplace. Outside, the Rhins of Galloway roll eastward, and the White Loch lies close by where the canoe was found.