Monument record MHG4316 - Achnacarry Castle

See also:
NN18NE0008 Mansion
NN18NE0013 Stables
Jhooper, 4/3/2002


NN18NE 2 1750 8797.

(NN 1740 8794) Achnacarry House (NR) (Remains of)
OS 6"map, Inverness-shire, 2nd ed., (1903)

The first castle at Achnacarry was built towards the end of the 17th century by Sir Ewan Cameron, 17th chief, to which he removed from Tor Castle. (NN17NW 2) It was burned by the Hanoverian soldiers after Culloden. Lord Macaulay described it as "a large pile built entirely of fir wood and considered in the Highlands a superb palace", but there is reason to doubt that it was composed entirely of wood as the ruin of a stone building near the stables of the present Achnacarry Castle is reputed to be part of the old castle. The present Lochiel, K.T., however, considers these ruins to be earlier than this as they have turned the beech avenue, planted shortly before Culloden, slightly out of line, and that the site of the 17th century Achnacarry Castle was elsewhere and its site has disappeared entirely, any stone it may have possessed in its construction having been taken away and re-used (MacCulloch 1938).
The present castle is an imposing square structure, in the modern castellated style (Anderson 1834), of early 19th century date (MacCulloch 1938).
G Anderson 1834; D B MacCulloch 1938.

The remains of Achnacarry House, 140.0m west of the present mansion, consist solely of an ivy-covered chimney, built of dressed stone of mixed sizes, well mortared together. It is in good condition and shows signs of having been restored and rebuilt in part. It measures 4.0m by 1.3m, and is about 8.0m in height.
From the arrangement of the four fireplaces, each with a separate flue, it can be seen that the chimney was centrally placed, the building extending to NE and SW of it, of two storeys, and probably of timber construction. The chimney is complete in itself showing no evidence of adjoining walls, but in the SE end is a small wooden beam to which a timber frame may have been secured.
One of the fireplaces had a wooden lintel.
The avenue of trees would appear to lead directly up to the site of the house and no further and no turn in the line could be observed.
Visited by OS (A S P) 12 July 1961.

The remains of Achnacarry House, as described by Phillips, are at NN 1750 8797.
Visited by OS (N K B) 11 May 1970.

This site was photographed by John Lewis of Scotia Archaeology during a walkover survey in June 2011. <1>