View from NE Digital image of SU/852

Description View from NE Digital image of SU/852

Date 1982

Catalogue Number SC 772700

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of SU 852

Scope and Content Swimming Pool from north-east, Skibo Castle, Highland This shows the north block of the c.1900 swimming pool. The entrance porch is battlemented and is pedimented above the arched entrance. The crowstepped gables have scrolls on each step and the central gable has an oculus (round) window. The octagonal louvered ventilator has a double curved (ogee) top and the glass skylights in the roof allow more natural light into the building. This block originally contained the changing rooms for the swimming pool which was in the building behind. It was extremely unusual for a swimming pool to be constructed at a country house at this time. Andrew Carnegie built this pool for exercise and enjoyment for himself, family and guests. He also donated swimming pools to communities throughout his life in an effort to improve the standard of living of ordinary people. Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919) was born in Scotland and made a fortune in the steel industry in the United States of America. Once his daughter was born he decided that she should have a Scottish home, and at the end of the 19th century he bought a large Baronial house at Skibo built in 1880 by Clarke & Bell. In addition to the £85,000 purchase price, he spent a further £2 million in the creation of an even larger mansion, constructed between 1899 and 1903 to the designs of Ross & Macbeth. In 1981 his daughter Margaret decided to sell the estate, and the castle lay empty until 1990 when Peter de Savary paid £10 million for the castle and the 2,832-hectare estate. Some £30 million was then invested in its transformation into the Carnegie Club, a private residential golf and sporting club. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/772700

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap