| History | Originally one of MacDonald of Clanranald’s old shooting lodges, it was enlarged in 1828 by Major General Sir Alexander Cameron with the proceeds of a military pension, a propitious marriage and French loot brought home from the Battle of Waterloo. During the nineteenth century the family created a Roman Catholic chapel on the first floor of the back or east portion of the original house. This evocative timber-lined chapel may well be in the earliest part of the building.
In 1940 Inverailort and its 12,000 acres was requisitioned by the War Office at the end of May 1940 for use in the training of irregular forces as the Special Training Center. – out of which was born Britain’s first Commando unit. The Cameron-Heads watched impotently from the nearby Inn as their pictures, china and furniture were carted off in Army trucks. Within days the entire estate was converted to a barracks and assault course for 3,000 commandos. The wife of the Castles owner Christian Cameron is said to have died of a broken heart after much of the contents of the house were badly damaged by the army when they emptied it.
The army moved out of the house in 1942 and it was then taken over by the Royal Navy when it became HMS Lochailort and used for the training of naval cadet ratings to be officers on small craft used by Combined Operations. The Royal Navy moved out in January 1945. When the war ended, the Cameron-Heads’ sole heir, Francis, returned with his young bride Lucretia to take up residence they described what they found as “a broken-down Victorian biscuit factory”.
When Francis Cameron-Head died in 1957 his widow invited Barbara Mackintosh to join her as a companion and general factotum in running Inverailort. Old-fashioned standards continued to be strictly maintained. An unmarried Australian couple were ferried to different railway stations and put on separate trains to London after they had been found sharing a bath. Since the River Ailort was well-known for its early run of sea trout and the deer forest was one of the best in the West Highlands, there were seldom fewer than 20 guests in the house for 11 months of the year, despite the rooms being, in the words of an American journalist, “as cold as the kiss of death”.
Following Mrs Lucretia's death in 1994, Barbara carried on living at the castle, entertaining visitors, welcoming former commandos and continuing her duties for the Met Office and the Royal Mail. “Barbara Mackintosh, who has died aged 83, was the last surviving chatelaine of Inverailort Castle where, for more than half a century, she and her friend and companion, the late Mrs Lucretia Cameron-Head, dispensed Highland hospitality.”
I really enjoyed this place, spent a good amount of time in the castle it has around 50 rooms so plenty to see, some rotten others in better condition lots of the stuff from previous reports has vanished but someone is definitely keeping an eye on it
Thanks for Looking
In 1940 Inverailort and its 12,000 acres was requisitioned by the War Office at the end of May 1940 for use in the training of irregular forces as the Special Training Center. – out of which was born Britain’s first Commando unit. The Cameron-Heads watched impotently from the nearby Inn as their pictures, china and furniture were carted off in Army trucks. Within days the entire estate was converted to a barracks and assault course for 3,000 commandos. The wife of the Castles owner Christian Cameron is said to have died of a broken heart after much of the contents of the house were badly damaged by the army when they emptied it.
The army moved out of the house in 1942 and it was then taken over by the Royal Navy when it became HMS Lochailort and used for the training of naval cadet ratings to be officers on small craft used by Combined Operations. The Royal Navy moved out in January 1945. When the war ended, the Cameron-Heads’ sole heir, Francis, returned with his young bride Lucretia to take up residence they described what they found as “a broken-down Victorian biscuit factory”.
When Francis Cameron-Head died in 1957 his widow invited Barbara Mackintosh to join her as a companion and general factotum in running Inverailort. Old-fashioned standards continued to be strictly maintained. An unmarried Australian couple were ferried to different railway stations and put on separate trains to London after they had been found sharing a bath. Since the River Ailort was well-known for its early run of sea trout and the deer forest was one of the best in the West Highlands, there were seldom fewer than 20 guests in the house for 11 months of the year, despite the rooms being, in the words of an American journalist, “as cold as the kiss of death”.
Following Mrs Lucretia's death in 1994, Barbara carried on living at the castle, entertaining visitors, welcoming former commandos and continuing her duties for the Met Office and the Royal Mail. “Barbara Mackintosh, who has died aged 83, was the last surviving chatelaine of Inverailort Castle where, for more than half a century, she and her friend and companion, the late Mrs Lucretia Cameron-Head, dispensed Highland hospitality.”
I really enjoyed this place, spent a good amount of time in the castle it has around 50 rooms so plenty to see, some rotten others in better condition lots of the stuff from previous reports has vanished but someone is definitely keeping an eye on it
Thanks for Looking
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