Listed Building: Skibo Castle And Garden Terraces, Walled Garden And Glasshouses (LB597)

Description Dated 1900. Ross Macbeth. Very large Scottish Baronial castellated mansion incorporating earlier house. Tooled ashlar, polished ashlar dressings. Asymmetrical, 4 and 5 storeys, long composite south and west facades opening to terrace. Principal entrance in east elevation with imposing porte cochere. Bowed and canted bay windows, some single storey, some full height; square and round towers and turrets, crenellation, crowsteps and fanciful decorative detailing in Scots idiom including plant forms and animals. Mullioned and transomed windows, corbelled angle turrets. Plainer wings to rear enclosing service court with built-in garages. Interior; ornate interior including baronial hall and library. Gardens and terrace; Thomas Mawson, 1904. Terraces in front of and descending from house with stone balustraded and ball finialled steps; sundial at head of eastern steps. Walled garden; walled garden to east of mansion with lean-to glasshouses and polygonal end tower. Glasshouses; large range of early 20th century glasshouses to north of castle with thistle motif cast-iron ridge cresting and decorative finials. Notes Site of medieval castle belonging to Diocese of Caithness until 1565. Subsequent castellated building included as core to present mansion. Purchased by Andrew Carnegie about 1898, and enlarged by him. For Gate Lodge and Piers, see Creich Parish list. Sold by Mrs Carnegie Mille in 1982. Up-graded from Category B to A 4 March 2003. References William Calder, THE ESTATE AND CASTLE OF SKIBO (1949). National Monuments Record of Scotland.