Inveraray Castle

Inveraray Castle (pronounced /ˌɪnvəˈrɛərə/ IN-vər-AIR-ə or /ˌɪnvəˈrɛəri/ IN-vər-AIR-ee; Scottish Gaelic Caisteal Inbhir Aora [ˈkʰaʃtʲəl̪ˠ iɲɪɾʲˈɯːɾə]) is a country house near Inveraray in the county of Argyll, in western Scotland, on the shore of Loch Fyne, Scotland's longest sea loch.¹² It is one of the earliest examples of Gothic Revival architecture.

It has been the seat of the Dukes of Argyll, chiefs of Clan Campbell, since the 18th century.

History and architecture

James V stayed at the old castle of Inveraray in September 1533. A new lute was bought for him in Glasgow and carried to Inveraray by his servant Troilus.³

The present castle was built in the Gothic Revival style. Improvements on the estate began in 1743 by Archibald Campbell, Earl of Ilay, soon to become 3rd Duke of Argyll.⁴ The foundation stone of the new castle was laid in October 1746,⁵ and it replaced an earlier 15th-century castle.⁴

It is one of the earliest Gothic Revival buildings, together with Strawberry Hill House. It was built of ashlar lapis ollaris.⁵ Originally, all the roofs were flat and . Later, a third floor with pitched roof and dormer windows was added on all four wings, and steep conical roofs were added to the four round towers. In the 1770s, the village of Inveraray was demolished and rebuilt a short distance away, to give the castle a more secluded setting.