Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Record
Daily Record
National
Sarah Ward & Alexander Smail

Scottish 'ghost garden' at historic castle discovered in heatwave

A mysterious 'ghost garden' at a historic Scottish castle has emerged amid the country's heatwave.

The owners of Inveraray Castle in Argyll and Bute were left shocked by an amazing pattern on the property's lawns, and said they had never seen it before.

It was part of the designed landscape of Argyll Estates and Inveraray and was found in archives as far back as 1871.

The castle dates from 1533 but it is unclear when the hidden gardens were from.

Owner Torquhil Argyll, 55, first saw the design about a week ago. The dad-of-three commented: "It came out about a week ago.

"We knew where it was and had seen little bits before but hadn't seen it so clearly. It's very visible.

"We were looking at an ordinance survey map from 1871, we need to do more research. We don't know when it was redesigned.

The 'ghost garden' was found in archives as far back as 1871 (SWNS)

"It tallies up with the 1871 map. There's something underneath there which means it dries out a lot."

He continued: "We are not going to reinstate it. There's lots of other houses and gardens that have old gardens covered by grass, that have something very similar.

"You don't get to see this very often.

"It will be weather dependent when it goes away. It will be when it rains and the grass grows again."

Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our newsletter here.

READ NEXT:

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.