Torosay Castle

Torosay Castle stands on the Isle of Mull in the Scottish Inner Hebrides, about two and a half kilometres south of Craignure. The large house was originally called Duart House but was renamed to avoid confusion with nearby Duart Castle. It was designed by David Bryce in the Scottish Baronial style for John Campbell of Possil in the 19th century. Colonel Campbell’s son John inherited the estate, demolished the old house, and commissioned the grander building completed in 1858. The property passed through different owners, including the Guthrie family, who held it until 1911. The castle is surrounded by five hectares of gardens with formal terraces laid out at the turn of the 20th century by Sir Robert Lorimer. A striking feature is the Statue Walk, lined with 19 statues in the style of Italian sculptor Antonio Bonazza. These statues were bought from a derelict garden near Milan and shipped to Scotland as ballast. Notable visitors included Winston Churchill and King George of Greece, who stayed in the 1930s. The novelist Angela du Maurier also lived there and dedicated a book to Olive Guthrie, a family member. The castle itself is now privately occupied and closed to the public. The gardens remain open on the first Sunday of each month from April to October. Inside, a remarkable discovery was made in 2008: the oldest known bottle of Veuve Clicquot champagne, dating from 1893, was found locked in a sideboard. The bottle, in near-perfect condition, is now displayed in France. The estate continues to be cared for by the McLean family, who have invested significantly in its restoration.