Strachanbairn Tower

A friend of ours bought a very small ruined tower house on the island of Kerrera near Oban (Argyll, Scotland) with the intention of restoring it. Unfortunately, it was beyond his means, and his wife ran off with a tinker. So METL bought it and finished the work. It is now for lease as a self-catering summer getaway place for those of you who would like to live for a time in a Scottish castle.

It is a very small building (about 30 by 20 feet) and is on a remote peninsula of the island, which in itself is rather hard to get to, except by ferry boat. However isolated, there are remarkable views of the Isle of Mull, spectacular sunsets, frequent rainbows to be seen from this delightful hermitage. Rental of this very fine retreat includes regular provisioning and housecleaning by Mrs Agnes MacKenzie, a local farmer's wife, who is our agent.

History. The tower was built in 1612 by the MacDougalls on the supposed site of the death of King Alexander II in 1249 during an expedition against the Norsemen. It was called Alex Regis castle for a few years until it was given to an illegitimate heir after Cromwell's troops destroyed the nearby Gylen Castle. Little is known about subsequent history of the building, except that it became part of the MacKenzie farm properties. It was used, but not well maintained, for over 300 years, apart from a brief period in the 1870s when it was renovated as a hunting lodge for Sir Caspar Kresstein, a munitions entrepreneur. Sam Smyff from New Brunswick, NJ, bought the ruinous structure in 1982 with the intention of restoring it as a holiday cottage. It is now owned by the Marshmount Estate Trust Limited.

Description. Never intended to be a major fortress, this is a simple square block of four stories, with two extensions -- a stair turret and a kitchen wing. The ground floor is a vaulted cellar, with a separate entrance (inserted later) as well as access from the sprial stair; it is now used for storage, and also contains a generator and hot-water heater. The underfloor of the kitchen wing is a larder and a fuel store. The main floor, which might have been called the 'great hall' except that this place was never so grand, is now the principal dining/living area, abutting on the kitchen (fully equipped with microwave oven and refrigerator and hot-and-cold water, for those who care about this). It is reached via an external staircase, the primary entrance. There is also a mural chamber containing a lavatory. The second floor is the very comfortable sitting room, with a small private room over the kitchen. At this level there are two projecting roundel turrets in the typical Scottish Baronial style -- probably not original, but added by an earlier Victorian owner. The top floor is the bedroom, with a fully equipped bathroom/sauna in the wing. A very small balcony and parapet overlooks the entrance, and provides fine views to the west. There is a garret chamber under the roof with its crow-stepped gables, but this is only accessible by trap door from the stair head. If need be, you can accommodate kids up there (ask Mrs. MacKenzie).

Rentals. Please contact METL at their home office. The rates, for terms of a week up to three months, are very reasonable for this sort of thing. We will not quote prices on this web page, because they vary depending on demand and the economic situation. As already stated, all provisions and amenities will be provided by the MacKenzies, including transportation arrangements.

(Agnes is a very nice lady, although she talks very fast and voluminously in a barely comprehensible Scots accent. Sorry, Ag, but you really overdid it last time. -- Seth)