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| The History of Duncraig Castle |
| from an account by Anne Hamilton,
June 1995 |
| Duncraig Castle is a young castle by Scottish standards. It was
built in the 1860s by one of the Matheson family who belonged to the
wealthy shipping firm, Jardine Matheson. |
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| This firm traded especially in the Far East, where they
played an important part in the opium trade. |
| The Castle and its extensive estate were part of their
owner's ambition to be able to walk across Scotland on Matheson land.
He realised his ambition in time, but by doing so he bankrupted himself
and his dream fell apart. |
| After two further occupants, Duncraig was finally bought
in 1928 by Sir Daniel Hamilton. In addition to Duncraig, Sir Daniel
bought Balmacara House and its estate on the shores of Loch Alsh,
and the village of Plockton itself, which was then a small fishing
village. He donated money to build the present village hall and helped
all those who wanted to build their own house. |
 |
Sir Daniel had made his money in India working with the MacKinnon/MacKenzie
shipping agency. However, he was a philanthropist first and a business
tycoon second. |
| His motto was 'Fear God. Work hard. Do good and be honest.'
(This motto can be seen carved in the stone at Duncraig Square.) |
| He certainly lived up to it. When he bought the Castle
and much of its contents, he and his wife supplemented these with
beautiful furniture, rugs and hangings from India and China. They
had a Chinese drawing room and an Indian drawing room in which to
entertain. |
| They were joined in the Castle by Duncraig's only ghost
— that of an absentminded builder who forgot to build the staircase
to the top room of one of the Castle's towers and solemnly bricked
himself in without anyone noticing, or so it is said. |
| When Sir Daniel died at the beginning of the last war,
followed soon after by Lady Hamilton, he left his entire estate to
be administered for the good of the people of the Highlands, with
Duncraig Castle and Balmacara House as educational centres for their
benefit. The administration was placed in the hands of the National
Trust and the County Council. |
| During the war the Castle was used as a Naval Hospital
and an extra wing was built and equipped. More recently, Duncraig
was run for many years as a successful Domestic Science College. |
| Now it is in limbo — a unique castle with no attackers
and defenders, while those responsible for it fail to find a suitable
use for its wonderful facilities. Yet it is a potential centre for
further education second to none, where courses in natural history,
leisure activities such as sailing, climbing, canoeing, windsurfing,
painting, drama and music could be held in idyllic surroundings. Duncraig
is indeed a centre which most universities would jump at, if they
knew of its existence and worth. |
| But year after year it stands empty, apart from the
occasional usage by the BBC, waiting in vain to fulfil the purpose
of Sir Daniel's will. |
| For how much longer will this be so? |
|
| Thanks to Calum MacKenzie and family
for allowing us to reproduce this. |
| Update June
2002: After attempts to let the Castle for an education-based
purpose, the Highland Council, with the (weary) agreement of the village,
had the Will set aside, and are now actively
seeking to sell the castle on the open market. |
| Update February
2003: The Castle has been finally sold to private buyers, as
a home for a large family. Final arrangements are still on-going. |
