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Accommodation in Ayrshire & Arran
North Ayrshire council Road closures
Isle of Arran information
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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 CastleIn 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. Culzean Castle is open from April through October, though the restaurant and visitor shops
are open on weekends throughout the winter as well.
View Culzean Castle in a larger map
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Other castles in Ayrshire & Arran
Ardrossan Castle
Auchans Castle
Auchenharvie Castle
Blairquhan Castle
Brodick Castle
Culzean Castle
Dean Castle
Dundonald Castle
Dunure Castle
Eglinton Castle
Glengarnock Castle
Kelburn Castle
Kerelaw Castle
Kildonan Castle
Knock Castle
Law Castle
Little Cumbrae Castle
Lochranza Castle
Portencross Castle
Rowallan Castle
Sorn Castle
Thomaston Castle
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