- Torosay Castle
Torosay Castle is a large house situated 1½ miles south of
Craignure on theIsle of Mull , in the ScottishInner Hebrides .It was designed by architect
David Bryce in theScottish Baronial style , and completed in 1858. Torosay is surrounded by 12 acres of spectacular gardens including formal terraces laid out at the turn of the 20th century and attributed to SirRobert Lorimer . While remaining a much-loved family home, the castle and gardens are open to the public, being linked to the Craignure ferry terminal by theIsle of Mull Railway .The garden's magnificent Statue Walk is made up of 19 statues in the style of Italian sculptor
Antonio Bonazza . Considered by experts to be the finest example of 18th century statuary outside Italy, they were acquired by then-owner Walter Murray Guthrie from a derelict garden near Milan and shipped to Scotland for next to nothing as ballast in a cargo ship.Torosay Castle was acquired in 1865 by Arburthnot Charles Guthrie, a wealthy London businessman. It served as his "getaway" and must have been ideal for that purpose as the castle has over 60 rooms and is surrounded by an estate of over 12,000 acres. The current owner is now the sixth generation of the Guthrie family to have lived in the castle. Following the sale of
Guthrie Castle out of the Guthrie family, Torosay is now generally acknowledged as the seat forClan Guthrie .The novelist
Angela du Maurier , older sister of Dame Daphne du Maurier, is said to have spent some time residing at Torosay after her close companion Olive Guthrie (Great Grandmother of the present owner) was left a widow by the death of her husband Walter.Trivia
In
July 2008 the oldest still-existing bottle ofVeuve Clicquot champagne was discovered inside asideboard in Torosay Castle. The1893 bottle was in mint condition, having been kept in the dark. The champagne is now on display and regarded "priceless". [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/glasgow_and_west/7528691.stm Priceless champagne discovered] ]Notes
External links
* [http://www.torosay.com/ Torosay Castle]
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