Exterior Of Culzean Castle On Visit Near Maybole On Coast Of Ayrshire Scotland

Tour Scotland travel video of the exterior of Culzean Castle, a Scottish castle overlooking the Firth of Clyde, near Maybole, Carrick, with Scottish music, on visit to the Ayrshire coast. It is the former home of the Marquess of Ailsa, the chief of Clan Kennedy. Culzean Castle was constructed as an L-plan castle by order of the 10th Earl of Cassilis. He instructed the architect Robert Adam to rebuild a previous, but more basic, structure into a fine country house to be the seat of his earldom. The castle was built in stages between 1777 and 1792. Robert Adam was born in 1728 in Kirkcaldy, Fife, but his family moved that year to Edinburgh. He attended Edinburgh High School from 1734 and joined Edinburgh University in 1743. Robert joined John Adam as an architect apprentice to his father William Adam in 1746. Robert Adam’s father died in 1748 and was buried at Greyfriars Churchyard, Edinburgh. Robert then became John’s partner in the family business. The Adam brothers’ first major commission started in 1750 at Hopetoun House, west of Edinburgh. In 1754 Robert Adam left for his grand tour of Europe; he moved to London, England, in 1758. In 1761 Robert was appointed Architect of the King’s Works, jointly with William Chambers, a role later taken on by his brother James. In 1792 Robert Adam died at his home, 11 Albermarle Street, London and is buried at Westminster Abbey. In Scotland Culzean Castle is generally recognised as the key building by Robert Adam. Dwight D. Eisenhower first visited Culzean Castle in 1946 and stayed there four times, including once while President of the United States. The surname Kennedy was first found in Ayrshire, Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir, formerly a county in the southwestern Strathclyde region of Scotland, that today makes up the Council Areas of South, East, and North Ayrshire, where the earliest record of them dates from 1185, during the reign of King William the Lion, when a Henry Kennedy was reported to have been involved in a rebellion in Galloway but died in battle. The Kennedys derived from a branch of Celtic Earls of Galloway, not to be confused with Galway, which is in Ireland. Their power and influence in that region was great. In fact, there is a rhyme handed down through clansmen and bards from the year 1300 which runs as follows: " Twixt Wigtown and the town of Ayr, Portpatrick and the Cruives of Cree. No man need think to bide there, unless he court with Kennedy. " This castle is closed at present due to the coronavirus pandemic. All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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