Scottish Castles

Local information

Culzean Castle, Ayrshire & Arran

Location: Culzean Castle & Country Park, Maybole KA19 8LE (map and directions)

Located near Blairquhan Castle near Maybole is Culzean Castle on the Ayrshire coast of Scotland. This majestic castle sits within Culzean Castle Country Park, and both the castle and the park are open to the public.

Culzean Castle © Stara Blazkova

History of Culzean Castle

In 1569, Sir Thomas Kennedy received the castle as a gift from his brother, 4th Earl of Cassillis. The castle was then enlarged and renovated repeatedly, with major additions being made in the 17th and 18th centuries which transformed Culzean into a trophy mansion.

In 1945, the Kennedy family gifted Culzean to the National Trust for Scotland, stipulating that the apartment at the top of castle be given to US General Dwight Eisenhower due to his role as Head of the Allied Forces in Europe during WWII. Eisenhower stayed at the castle 4 times, including once during his presidency. One of these rooms is now dedicated as an Eisenhower exhibition. Not only does Culzean have international political connections, but the castle has also seen its fair share of film and television exposure as well, in the 1973 film The Wicker Man, and a television series called Most Haunted explored the stories of Culzean Castle’s paranormal activity and ghost spotting.

Map and directions

Other castles in Ayrshire & Arran