... Or you could just buy a castle for £199!
FOR centuries, it has been the ancestral home of the Dukes of Argyll.
But now Inveraray Castle is up for sale – or at least a miniature version of it.
A limited edition toy brick set is being sold through the real castle’s gift shop, allowing anyone with patience and nimble fingers to create a blocky replica of the stately pile . Costing £199, the model features 1,966 bricks, including materials to build the castle’s towers and turrets, plus a flagpole with Campbell flag.
Each set is signed by Torquhil Campbell, the 13th Duke of Argyll, who shares the mansion with his Duchess wife Eleanor and their three sons.
The replica has proved popular and has already been snapped up by many from overseas – including those claiming to be ‘direct descendants’ of the Clan Campbell.
Yesterday the Duchess of Argyll said: ‘We had fun designing it with lots of little details being added as the process went along. We’re delighted with it.
‘We have one on display in the shop and of course sell online and the tourists love it – especially the children. I think we naturally love things in miniature, don’t we?’
Perched on the shores of Loch Fyne, an hour from Glasgow,
Inveraray Castle has a colourful history.
Archibald Campbell, the 3rd Duke, commissioned the castle which was inspired by a sketch by Sir John Vanbrugh, the architect of Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire.
One of the earliest examples of Gothic Revival architecture, it was completed in 1789, with corner towers added with the conical roofs after a fire in 1877.
In 1953, the then Duchess opened the castle to the public.