16th Century Scottish castle for sale for £150,000

A 16th Century Scottish castle bought by its current owner to fulfil a childhood dream is on the market for just £150,000 with hopes of a quick sale.
Baltersan Castle near Maybole, Ayrshire, was bought by its current owner to fulfill a childhood dream. PIC: www.geograph.co.uk.Baltersan Castle near Maybole, Ayrshire, was bought by its current owner to fulfill a childhood dream. PIC: www.geograph.co.uk.
Baltersan Castle near Maybole, Ayrshire, was bought by its current owner to fulfill a childhood dream. PIC: www.geograph.co.uk.

Baltersan Castle, near Maybole in Ayrshire, was built in 1575 with the semi-ruined property “ripe for restoration,” according to owner James Brown.

Mr Brown, a marketing manager from Ayr, bought the castle in 1992 but his hopes to turn Baltersan into a private residence club, with five bedchambers and a grand banqueting hall, never materialised.

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He secured a substantial grant from then Historic Scotland to help restore the property but the private investment needed to release the cash could not be found.

Mr Brown has carried out extensive maintenance and ground works at the site but now hopes to shed the tower, which sites just six miles from Trump Turnberry, as quickly as possible.

It was previously on the market for £195,000.

Mr Brown, a member of the Scottish Castles Association, described Baltersan on his website as “a beautiful tower-house... packed with rare and fascinating architectural detail.”

He added: “Today it is an empty shell ripe for restoration. As such it is a better candidate for reconstruction than an old building with floors, roofs, windows and dry rot as inserting vital services can be extremely difficult to do without harming the historic fabric.

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“By being an empty shell, Baltersan’s reconstruction will be easier to manage for routing of plumbing and electrics.”

Mr Brown has built up a “vivid picture “ of life over the centuries at the castle with information on its gardens, orchards and residents carefully collated.

A succession of famous visitors have visited the ruins over time including Robert Burns, Robert Adam and John Keats.

Baltersan was also sketched by Charles Rennie Mackintosh in 1895 during one of his holiday trips to Dunure with friends from the Glasgow School of Art.

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Several years ago, Mr Brown went on television show Dragon’s Den to try and secure the funding required for the restoration but was unsuccessful in his bid.

He now hopes to attract fresh interest in the property with the lower asking price.

Mr Brown added: “High-quality Scottish castles, especially those of manageable size, that are ripe for reconstruction, are incredibly rare. As Mark Twain might have said, “Buy an historic Scottish castle – they’re not making them any more.”

In an earlier interview, Mr Brown admitted to “gazing balefully” at castles since he was five year’s old after discovering McGibbon & Ross’s classic work on the Scottish castles and architecture.

He now hopes someone else can revive Baltersan for the future.