Having it all

CHARLES DOUGLAS LOOKS INTO THE RECENT HISTORY OF SKIBO CASTLE AND THE EXCLUSIVE CARNEGIE CLUB WITH ITS RENOWNED GOLF LINKS

It is the classic rags to riches story of all time. The Dunfermline weaver's son returning triumphant to Scotland from America, where at the age of 13 he had started as a bobbin boy in a cotton factory in Pittsburgh. He was now a steel magnate and the richest man in the world, and
he wanted to buy a Scottish home.

Andrew Carnegie married late in life, in 1887. He and his wife Louise had only one child, Margaret, born 10 years later when her father was 62 and her mother past 40. From her birth, both Carnegie and his wife were determined that she should learn about her Scottish roots.

To begin with, the Carnegies were set on buying Clunie Castle, but were unable to persuade Ewen MacPherson to sell his ancestral home. Carnegie then appointed Hew Morrison, a friend of the librarian of the Public Library of Edinburgh, to find him a suitable residence. He laid down three stipulations: a trout stream, a view of the sea, and a waterfall. Morrison soon brought Skibo Castle on the Dornoch Firth to Carnegie's attention. However, as he browsed through the relevant papers, Carnegie noted the dilapidated conditions of the farms, buildings, fields and roads, and quickly lost interest.

Knowing the estate and its potential, Morrison did his utmost to convince him – but to no avail. Carnegie then arranged an expedition to the Highlands with friends in order to view other estates and Morrison was invited along. As the coach party travelled through Sutherland, Carnegie reluctantly let Mor...

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• By : Charles Douglas
• In : Destinations
• Issue : 6
• Page : 14
• Words : 1,533