Scotland’s largest clan selling Armadale Castle on Isle of Skye

The largest clan in Scotland and arguably the world - Clan Donald - is selling its Armadale Island Castle surrounded by 40 acres of garden. The reason - lack of money to maintain the property.

Armadale Castle on the Isle of Skye is to go on the market this spring after the Clan Donald Lands Trust took a "difficult decision" to sell off its land and property assets. In a statement, the Clan Donald Lands Trust said: “…after a thorough review, the board of trustees of the Clan Donald Lands Trust has taken the difficult decision to sell its land and property assets, including Armadale.”

The estate, considered one of the largest on the Isle of Skye, consists of a castle and the historic lands of Clan MacDonald occupying the Sleat peninsula in the south of the island.

Clan Donald settled in on the Isle of Skye in the 15th century close to Armadale. But from the 1650s the Macdonald chiefs began to stay at Armadale, in a house located further west than the present-day residence. Some 150 years later, a new mansion was built. Its white part can still be seen today. In 1815 architect James Gillespie Graham was commissioned to extend the mansion house to form Armadale Castle, which used to have lavish interiors with arcaded public halls and a great marble staircase.

The 19th century castle was once the seat of the Macdonalds of Sleat. The estate was abandoned by the clan in 1925 and has been derelict ever since. Much of it has been demolished and what's left is now a ruin.

The Clan Donald Lands Trust was established by members of the Clan Donald community throughout the world to promote and preserve the history and heritage of the Clan. The Trust purchased the castle in 1972 following the death of Alexander Godfrey Macdonald, 7th Lord Macdonald and High Chief of Clan Donald.

"We have been open about the financial challenges facing our charity. Due to the high-cost, low-income nature of Armadale, we have always been reliant on external grant funding to cover our operating costs. The availability of this funding has been reduced by the impact of ongoing investment market volatility,” the trust statement goes on to say.

“At the same time, our core costs – including electricity, insurance and essential building repairs – have massively increased.” According to the trustees, the sale of the property will allow the charity to feel secure and grounded for the first time, as it will no longer be reliant on "unstable external grant funding".

The estate will go on the market March 27, while Armadale will be marketed separately by Strutt & Parker later this spring.

Sources: BBC, The Scotsman, The P&J