sheesh! the week is up already?!!!
Okay, well again, no time to participate. busy, busy, busy.
so here goes the reveal, and sorry if things are duplicated, I just cut and pasted into a document to put here-
this weeks peek was suggested by MagsStardustBlack
Just a little link for you to consider for the remote viewing excersise. It is where i grew up as a child in the town of Alness in the Highlands of Scotland, it seems to have a long history. I am sure it is haunted and has an interesting history. When it was vacant, as a child, me and my friends would hang around there looking for ghosts, i recall a story of a Ghostly Green Lady wandering the grounds, they have also built a home there in the grounds for the elderly which also i think is haunted.
Teaninich House, dated 1784, although it probably held an earlier core; former seat of the Munros of Teaninich (or Culmalachie, the old word for Teaninich).
Hugh Munro owned land in Alness and Kiltearn according to the Rent Roll of the Seriffdom of Inverness, in 1644 with a value of £440.16 (Scots). The Munros of Teaninich acquired the Milntown of Alness in February 1660 for £515.12.6 (Sterling). In 1786 Captain James Munro sold the lands of Wester Teaninich, Ballachraggan and Culcraggie to Sir Hector Munro of Novar, reserving the superiority rights for the mill at Teaninich (some say this was a snuff mill). Supposedly Teaninich Castle was in the wall of an old steading and pre dated Teaninich House. The remains of this castle were blown down early in the 19th Century and it is possible that stone from this castle was used to build the mansion.
Teaninich Castle is situated north of the village of Evanton and just south of the village of Alness in Ross and Cromarty, Scotland.
It is not known exactly how long a castle has been on the site of Teaninich Castle but it is thought to date back to at least the 16th century.
In the 16th century, the lands in which Teaninich Castle is situated was an area known as Fyrish. In 1589, the lower quarter of the Fyrish lands were acquired from Keith of Delny by Hugh Munro 1st of Teaninich, son of John Munro 3rd of Coul, whose grandfather Hugh Munro 1st of Coul was a son of George Munro of Foulis (d.1452). These lands at first were just the lower quarter of Fyrish but eventually extended eastward towards the River Alness and Teaninich Castle was bought by the Munros in February 1660. The receipt for which is still preserved in the Teaninich Charter Chest.
Two worn lintel stones dated 1734 and 1770 built into the rear of the present castle cum mansion suggest an earlier building of some size and style. Part of the old Teaninich Castle was pulled down by Hugh Munro of Teaninich, 78th Highlanders, who lost the sight in both of his eyes in Nimeguen, Holland in 1794.
However, later, he occupied himself with improving his farmlands and rebuilding Teaninich Castle. The Blind Captain or blind laird, as he became known, took an enthusiastic interest in the supervision of the building of the present Teaninich Castle, often pacing out the room sizes himself. The asymmetry of the rooms is proof of his “enthusiasm”.
He started a distillery in Teaninich in 1817 and laid out the village of Alness at a time when illegal whiskey gave the best return on the barley crops of Ross-shire. In 1831, Hugh Munro sold the castle to his brother General John Munro and spent the remainder of his life in Coul Cottage, the dower house of Teaninich. He died in 1846. The castle remained in the Munro family until 1923.[1] Teaninich remained a Munro seat until after the First World War when it was bought by an American, Charles Harrison, the man on whom Frances Hodgson Burnett's book 'Little Lord Fauntleroy' was based. He is best remembered for the large American car he drove. [2]
In present day, the Teaninich Castle is a five star hotel. In 2007, Teaninich House sold off 10 acres (40,000 m2) of paddock land immediately behind the house onto which a Property Developer is currently installing 36 houses. Further developments are expected, potentially involving the selling off and cutting down of the remaining woodland to the rear and northeast border of the house and garden ground, thus bringing the already extensive housing estate closer to the property.
Castle History
The face and fortune of Teaninich Castle have changed many times since its original purchase in 1660, and in the tradition of fine Scottish country houses, Teaninich is rich in history. Neither is it without its own tale of romance.
The lovers were Captain Hugh Munro of Teaninich and Jane, daughter of Hector Munro of Novar. Twenty-year-old Hugh had succeeded his father James as the Munro of Teaninich in 1788. He distinguished himself while a captain in the 78th Regiment, now the Seaforth Highlanders, under the command of the Duke of York. While fighting in the Netherlands at the battle of Nimeguen, Captain Munro was hit by a musket shot while aiding a wounded soldier. The injury left him sightless; he was just twenty-four years of age.
The young captain and his fiancé never married. Upon his return home, Hugh learned that Jane’s father had withdrawn his consent to the marriage. So afraid was she of displeasing her father, Jane refused to agree to an elopement later arranged by Hugh’s younger brother Murdoch. She eventually married Ronald Crawford Ferguson of Raith, but never forgot her love for Hugh Munro. The story is told that when she found herself in poor health she expressed a wish to see Captain Munro once more. It was arranged that she attend service at the Alness Parrish, where it was Hugh’s custom to worship. As he was being led to the Teaninich Gallery, Jane collapsed and was carried from the church. She died not long after.
Although Captain Munro never married, it is said that he did father a daughter by a young girl from Ardross who had been employed at Teaninich. Eventually his daughter was brought home and raised as a lady. She later founded a school in Evanton, which was known as Miss Munro’s School.
The Blind Captain, as he became known, took an enthusiastic interest in the supervision of the building of the present Teaninich Castle, often pacing out the room sizes himself. The asymmetry of the rooms is proof of his “enthusiasm”.
He also founded a distillery on the estate in 1817, at a time when illegal whiskey gave the best return on the barley crops of Ross-shire. The Commissioners of Supply, fore-runners of the County Councils, tried to encourage landowners to establish legal distilleries. Producing “legal” whiskey, however, came with an excise tax, which rather discouraged honesty. When an 1823 Excise Act reduced the financial burden on legal distilleries, “an extraordinary change” was perceived at Teaninich Distillery; the output of whiskey increased thirty to forty fold by 1830!
Hugh Munro sold the estate to his younger brother John in 1831, and spent the remainder of his life in Coul Cottage, the dower house of Teaninich. He died in 1846.
Melville House, Monimail, Fife
This huge Palladian mansion was built for the 1st Earl of Melville, William and Mary’s Secretary of State for Scotland, in 1697. He died in 1707, the year of the Act of Union, but the family stayed put until 1949, after which the house became a school, then a children’s home. But by 2002, when the present owner bought it, the Grade A listed house was semi-derelict. “About 400 pigeons were living inside,” he recalls. The restoration, supervised by Scottish Heritage, is now complete. “We genuinely spared no expense,” the owner says, “because we wanted to live here for ever.” Personal circumstances have prompted a reluctant move.
The house stands in only 16½ acres of land, including two ornamental gatehouses. The identical front and back elevations, nine bays with wings protruding in a classic H-shape, are imposing in their symmetry and simplicity, and all has been repainted in the original ochre.
A majestic oak-panelled entrance hall, its walls covered with ornate gold mirrors, leads to a grand staircase. Decoration is Highland cliché: tartan and taxidermy. The large reception rooms are dominated by original fireplaces, over which elaborately carved wooden pediments soar to the ceiling. Upstairs is a maze of ten bedrooms and bathrooms (there are also six bedrooms in the guest wings and four in the gatehouses), crowned by a full attic floor (staff quarters are in the basement). The roofed-over stable courtyard, next to a huge cinema room, could house a pool, conference hall or spa.
Melville House was built for grand entertaining, so it would suit those whose job or hobby it is to do so on a lavish scale. Golf is another draw: St Andrews is a 15-minute drive away, and the owner was once offered £70,000 for a week’s hire during the Open Championship. At a guide price of £4 million, any successful buyer would also have the satisfaction of owning one of Scotland’s most expensive houses. Knight Frank, 0131-222 9600
Teaninich Castle, Alness, Easter Ross
Owning a castle in the Highlands has been a property fantasy since Sir Walter Scott’s time. Teaninich Castle, 30 minutes’ drive from Inverness airport, on the edge of the Cromarty Firth, looks the part, with its pink and gold stone, crenellations, turrets and rose window. At £1.25 million, it is also a bit of a bargain.
A receipt exists for its purchase by the Munro clan in 1660. It was remodelled in the late 18th century and stayed in the family until 1923. Since then it has been a 12-bedroom hotel with original cornices, fireplaces, cupola and elegant entrance hall, divided by mock-Gothic columns.
