Basic Site Details

Name: Kinloch Castle
Island: Rhum/Rum
City or county: Inverness-shire
Country: Scotland
Parish:  
Status:  
Grid ref:
Notes: Mr George Bullough, proprietor of the Island of Rum, is carrying on important improvements on the island. A mansion-house, the building of which was commenced last summer, is being erected, at a cost of nearly £13,000, on a site facing the entrance to Kinloch Bay, eastward. The main tower is to be 60 feet in height, and the other four towers, which occupy the corners of the rectangular building, 40 feet The basement floor, which contains the wine cellars, larder, and heating - apparatus chambers, is 152 feet by 130 feet On the ground floor is the drawing-room, dining-room, library, and morning-room, boudoir, business- room, smoking-room, hat and cloak rooms, luggage rooms, servants' hall, and kitchen offices. At the south end there is a conservatory, 23 feet by 36 feet The quadrangle in the centre of the building is 45 feet by 41 feet, and to the right of it is the ball-room, 23 feet by 31 feet The entrance-hall is 40 feet by 26 feet On the first floor, besides the upper part of the ball-room, are eighteen bedrooms, dressing - rooms, and bathrooms. The stone employed is red sandstone from the Corrie quarries in Arran. The woodwork generally is to be of oak, and for decorative purposes walnut and mahogany are to be used. The staircases are to be finished in oak, and the bath-rooms and lavatories laid with encaustic tiles. The windows have gunmetal casements, and all the flooring is fireproof, on the Fawcett system. The architects are Messrs Leeming and Leeming, London. The improvements on the island are not limited to the erection of the mansion. New gardens, greenhouses, and vineries are being formed at the cost of over £5,000. Arable ground near the old residence is being utilised for planting trees, and a large area of hill ground is being drained for farming purposes. Two other contracts have been let - one for the construction of half a mile of avenue leading from the pier to the mansion house, and erecting a bridge over the river at a cost of about £2,000; another of £3,000 for making a communication by means of a canal between a fresh-water loch and the sea, for the purpose of rearing trout and salmon. Another part of the improvements going on simultaneously is the construction of a highway from one end of the island to the other. The estate carpenters are also busy erecting accommodation for 25 horses [Building News 14 January 1898 p57]

Leeming & Leeming advertised from Royal Hotel, Oban where they seem to have had a site office. Only the north, south and east sides constructed at that time, complete enough for occupation by 1900, with further work 1901. Richard Fielding Farrar was in charge of the job, James Reid was clerk of works, main contractor John Copeland, joiner, Uddingston, masonwork Renwick & Morton; hydro electric plant etc by G H Woods & Co, Blackburn. It was built of stone from the Corrie quarry, Isle of Arran, cut at Corrie and shopped to site.

Building Type Classification

The building is classified under the following categories:
 ClassificationOriginal classification?Notes
Item 1 of 1Country House  

Events

The following date-based events are associated with this building:
 FromToEvent typeNotes
Item 1 of 7After 1891 Build/constructionMausoleum built to John Bullough (d1891). Partly underground mortuary chapel, richly detailed in marble mosaic etc: not liked, blown up early 20th century, one wall still remains.
Item 2 of 71897   
Item 3 of 722 January 1897 Contracts advertised 
Item 4 of 725 January 1897 Contracts advertised 
Item 5 of 719051906AdditionFurther work for Lady Bullough. West side of house built, extensive redecoration, neo-Adam chimneypieces replaving Leeming & Leeming's original ones. Orchestreon installed by Imhof & Mukle. Gardens designed by Samuel Nash from Alton Towers.
Item 6 of 71906  Partial remodelling of interior
Item 7 of 7Early 2000s AdditionRepacement for first mausoleum, open Doric Temple with grave slabs. No architect as yet identiified.

People

Design and Construction

The following individuals or organisations have carried out design/construction work. Where architects or practices worked together, matching letters appear beside their names in the Partnership Group column.
 NameRolePartnership GroupFromToNotes
Item 1 of 11John Leeming D1891 Mausoleum built to John Bullough (d1891). Partly underground mortuary chapel, richly detailed in marble mosaic etc: not liked, blown up early 20th century, one wall still remains. Leemings perhaps responsible.
Item 2 of 11Joseph Leeming D1891 Mausoleum built to John Bullough (d1891). Partly underground mortuary chapel, richly detailed in marble mosaic etc: not liked, blown up early 20th century, one wall still remains. Leemings perhaps responsible.
Item 3 of 11Leeming & Leeming D1891 Mausoleum built to John Bullough (d1891). Partly underground mortuary chapel, richly detailed in marble mosaic etc: not liked, blown up early 20th century, one wall still remains. Leemings perhaps responsible for design.
Item 4 of 11John Leeming A1897  
Item 5 of 11Joseph Leeming A1897  
Item 6 of 11Leeming & Leeming A1897  
Item 7 of 11Richard Fielding Farrar A1897  
Item 8 of 11John Leeming B1906 Partial remodelling of interior
Item 9 of 11Joseph Leeming B1906 Partial remodelling of interior
Item 10 of 11Leeming & Leeming B1906 Partial remodelling of interior
Item 11 of 11Richard Fielding Farrar B1906 Partial remodelling of interior

Clients

The following individuals or organisations have commissioned work on this building/design:
 NameNotes
Item 1 of 2Bullough, Lady 
Item 2 of 2Bullough, Sir Georgeof Howard & Bullough, cotton manufacturers from Accrington

Related Buildings, Structures and Designs

Child Structures

This structure or site has the following component or child structures (click on an item to view details):
 Building NameNotes
Item 1 of 1Kinloch Castle, Gazebo/Lawn Tower 

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this building:
 Author(s)DateTitlePartPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 2Gifford, John1992Highland and Islands (The Buildings of Scotland) Penguin Booksp263
Item 2 of 2Scott, Alastair2012Eccentric Wealth: the Bulloughs of Rum Birlinn 

Periodical References

The following periodicals contain references to this building:
 Periodical NameDateEditionPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 5Builder16 January 1897  p66
Item 2 of 5Builder18 October 1929CXXXVII Obituary of Joseph Leeming
Item 3 of 5Builder1 May 1931CXL Obituary of John Leeming
Item 4 of 5Building News14 January 1898  p57
Item 5 of 5RIBA JournalAugust 1948 London: Royal Institute of British ArchitectsObituary of Farrar p477

Archive References

The following archives hold material relating to this building:
 SourceArchive nameSource catalogue no.Notes
Item 1 of 2Historic Environment ScotlandListed Buildings Register14125 
Item 2 of 2National Monuments Record of Scotland/NMRS, RCAHMSWatherston Collection IND 263/1-5