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Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
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Sean Murphy & Alexander Smail

'Haunted' Scottish castle with 'spook room' available to buy for reduced price

A beautiful castle in the Scottish Highlands has gone back on the market for a new reduced price.

However, the property is said to be haunted by the ghost of a White Lady, and even has a 'spook room' that is known for its particularly high number of unusual incidents.

The stunning Carbisdale Castle in Sutherland, which is believed to be the last grand castle built in Scotland, is available to buy after a recent sale fell through.

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Since going back on the market, the price of the property has also been slashed from £1.5 million to £1.2 million, as reported by the Daily Record.

The 40-room castle was reportedly built between 1907 and 1917, and was used a bolthole for Norwegian royalty in World War II.

Since then, there have been numerous reported sightings of a pale white figure called "Betty".

The Scottish Youth Hostel, who at one point ran the property, stated that one of the bedrooms on the top floor — which was previously used as a nursery — experienced so much paranormal activity that it is now called the 'spook room'.

Other apparitions that visitors claim to have seen include a ghostly piper and even a sword-wielding warrior.

The B-listed building lies close to the NC500 coastal route, and is a whopping six storeys — including a clock tower with a functional bell — and in total covers approximately 20 acres of land as well as a loch.

It is often referred to as the 'Castle of Spite', due to the fact that it was built after a bitter family argument.

According to estate agents Strutt & Parker, the property has the potential to be converted into a "world-class resort" and is a "superb blank canvas" with appeal for those who love salmon and trout fishing, golfing or outdoor pursuits.

The inside of Carbisdale Castle (Strutt & Parker)

History - Castle of Spite

Mary Caroline — more commonly known as Duchess Blair — was the second wife of George Sutherland-Leveson Gower, the 3rd Duke of Sutherland, whom she married in 1889.

Following his death, and a dispute regarding his will, the Duchess was found guilty of destroying documents in an effort to secure the inheritance from his son.

Following a six-week prison sentence, the family decided to give her a major settlement, as well as a castle outside of Sutherland.

Choosing the most prominent and closest site to the Sutherland Estate, it is said that the Duchess picked a hilltop that would be visible to the main road and rail line that the Sutherland family would have to use to travel south.

The tower of the castle only has clock faces on three out of its four sides — with the blank side facing Sutherland — as the Duchess reportedly did not want to give her late husband's family 'the time of day'.

Because of this, Carbisdale is sometimes referred to as the "Castle of Spite".

Eventually bought by Colonel Theodore Salvesen in the 1930s, a wealthy Scottish businessman of Norwegian extraction, it provided a safe refuge for King Haakon VII of Norway and Crown Prince Olav, who would become King Olav V, during the Nazi occupation of Norway in WWII.

At the end of the war, it was bought by the Scottish Youth Hostel Association (SYHA), which ran it as a hostel before selling it in 2016.

Significant interest

Robert McCulloch, director of the estates and farm agency at Strutt & Parker, said the property had "attracted significant interest" since going up for sale earlier this month.

Adding that its close proximity to the North Coast 500, with the rise in domestic tourism, makes it an ideal opportunity for someone looking to take advantage.

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