The cut-price castle...with a £1m saving
Historic 14-bed pile now on the market for just £795,000
A CASTLE built on land once hunted by Robert the Bruce has had almost £1million slashed from its asking price after sellers struggled to find a buyer.
Dalmoak Castle in Dumbarton is a Grade A listed building and features what are thought to be the largest stained-glass windows to be created in a private home in the UK.
Its lavish interiors include a central hall with an imperial staircase and a drawing room with sumptuous ceiling plasterwork. It also comes complete with a wine cellar, offices and studies.
The 19th century 14-bedroom castle originally went on the market for £1.7million last year but that has been cut to £795,000.
Its celebrated windows were created by craftsmen who also worked on those in Glasgow Cathedral.
The estate dates to the Middle Ages and was at one time part of the royal hunting ground of Robert the Bruce.
It was converted to a nursing home for the elderly in the 1980s and fully restored in the 1990s with the help of a significant grant from Historic Scotland. Permission is in place to turn the property into a hotel.
It was given the nickname ‘Brandy Castle’ by locals because it was built for John Aiken of Glasgow, a wealthy wine and spirits dealer who passed it down through his family.
A sales brochure for the castle describes it as an ‘extraordinary Victorian Gothic mansion’ with ‘outstanding’ original features.
It adds: ‘There is a wealth of original features including gun loop details, square plan tower, armorial plaque and monograms of the owner, James Aiken, on keystones.
‘The sumptuous interior includes a tripartite etched glass vestibule door, magnificent scagliola Corinthian columns, hardwood imperial staircase and three beautiful round-arched stained-glass windows on the landing depicting Celtic mythological scenes.
‘These beautiful windows show the origins of the owner, James Aiken, and are a tribute to glaziers WG and JJ Keir who are known for their work in Glasgow Cathedral.’