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{{short description|Country house in Scotland}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2012}}
{{redirect|Toward Castle|the ship of the same name|HMS Conway (1814)}}
{{Infobox building
| name = Castle Toward
| native_name = Caisteal an Toll Àird
| native_name_lang = Gaelic
| logo =
| logo_size =
| logo_alt =
| logo_caption =
| image = Castle Toward.jpg
| image_size =
| image_alt = <!-- or | alt = -->
| image_caption = Castle Toward
| map_type = Scotland Argyll and Bute
| map_alt =
| map_caption = Castle Toward within Argyll and Bute
| map_size =
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| relief =
| former_names =
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| etymology =
| status = Private
| cancelled =
| topped_out =
| building_type = [[English country house|Country House]]
| architectural_style = [[Gothic Revival]]
| classification =
| ___location = [[Toward]], [[Argyll and Bute]], Scotland
| address =
| location_city = <!-- or | location_town = -->
| location_country = [[Scotland]]
| coordinates = {{coord|55.869554|-5.0140108|region:GB|display=inline,title}}
| designations = Scheduled Monument: {{Historic Environment Scotland|num=LB5068|short=yes}}
| altitude =
| current_tenants =
| namesake =
| groundbreaking_date =
| start_date = 1820
| stop_date =
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| inauguration_date =
| relocated_date =
| renovation_date =
| closing_date =
| demolition_date = <!-- or | destruction_date = -->
| cost =
| ren_cost =
| client = [[Kirkman Finlay]]
| owner = {{plainlist|
* [[Denice Purdie]], [[Keith Punler]]
* [[Argyll and Bute Council]]
* [[Glasgow Corporation]]
* [[Kirkman Finlay]]
* [[Clan Lamont]]
}}
| landlord =
| affiliation =
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| material = Stone
| size =
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| grounds_area =
| architect = [[David Hamilton (architect)|David Hamilton]]
| footnotes = National {{gbmapping|NS 11515 68151}}
}}
'''Castle Toward''' ({{langx|gd|Caisteal an Toll Àird}}) is a nineteenth-century [[country house]] in [[Argyll and Bute]], Scotland.
Built in 1820, by Glasgow merchant [[Kirkman Finlay]], it replaced the late medieval Toward Castle, formerly the ancestral home of the [[Clan Lamont]]. It was greatly extended in the early 20th century, and in the Second World War it served as HMS ''Brontosaurus''. After the war it was sold to [[Glasgow Corporation]] and was used as an [[outdoor education]] facility until its closure in 2014. After a failed [[community buyout]], Toward Castle and the estate were sold by [[Argyll and Bute Council]] to private owners in 2016. Castle Toward is a scheduled monument (LB5068).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/LB5068|title=CASTLE TOWARD (LB5068)|website=portal.historicenvironment.scot}}</ref>
==History==
===Toward Castle===
[[File:Old Castle Toward.jpg|thumb|left|Ruins of Toward Castle]]
The original Toward Castle dates from the 15th century and was owned by the [[Clan Lamont]] until 1809.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thecastlesofscotland.co.uk/the-best-castles/scenic-castles/toward-castle/|title=Toward Castle | The Castles of Scotland, Coventry | Goblinshead|website=www.thecastlesofscotland.co.uk}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.darkisle.com/t/toward/toward.html |title=Toward Castle |publisher=Darkisle.com |date=1999-07-20 |accessdate=2017-02-10 |archive-date=2 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170902011212/http://www.darkisle.com/t/toward/toward.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> The castle was extended in the 17th century, but was abandoned after an attack by the [[Clan Campbell]] in 1646. The ruins lie around {{convert|500|m}} south-east of the later Castle Toward.<ref name=Inventory>{{Historic Environment Scotland|num=GDL00097|desc=CASTLE TOWARD|access-date=8 March 2019}}</ref> Toward Castle is a [[scheduled monument]] (SM300).<ref>{{Historic Environment Scotland|num=SM300|desc=Toward Castle|access-date=8 March 2019|fewer-links=yes}}</ref>
===Castle Toward===
The present Castle Toward was built in 1820 for [[Kirkman Finlay]] (1773–1842), former [[Lord Provost of Glasgow]], as his family's country house. Finlay purchased the Achavoulin estate and renamed it Toward in 1818.<ref name=listed>{{Historic Environment Scotland|num=LB5068|desc=CASTLE TOWARD|cat=B|access-date=8 March 2019|fewer-links=yes}}</ref> It is built in the castellated [[Gothic Revival]] style, and was designed by [[David Hamilton (architect)|David Hamilton]]. [[Edward La Trobe Bateman]] was involved in garden design work here in the 1880s.<ref name=Inventory/>
It was from Castle Toward that the second son of Alexander Struthers Finlay – Alexander Kirkman Finlay – emigrated to the then colony of [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]], Australia, and subsequently married the daughter of the then [[Governor of New South Wales]], [[Hercules Robinson, 1st Baron Rosmead]]. The [[wedding of Nora Robinson and Alexander Kirkman Finlay]] at [[St James' Church, Sydney]], in 1878 attracted enormous attention in the colony and was extensively reported in the press.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article13414065 |title=Family Notices. |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|___location=NSW |date=8 August 1878 |accessdate=10 November 2013 |page=1 }}</ref><ref name=T&C1708>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article70594065 |title=Mr. and Mrs. Finlay |newspaper=[[Australian Town and Country Journal]] |___location=NSW |date=17 August 1878 |accessdate=10 November 2013 |page=17}}</ref>
Later owned and extended by Major Andrew Coats, of the Coats family of [[Paisley, Renfrewshire|Paisley]], Italian plasterwork was installed in the public rooms in 1920. The entire building was restored and enlarged over the course of the 1920s by the architect [[Francis William Deas]], who also laid out most of the current landscaping. The grounds incorporate the ruins of the original Toward Castle, the Chinese ponds, wooded areas, access to the shore, and views over the [[Firth of Clyde]].<ref name=Inventory/>
===HMS ''Brontosaurus''===
During the Second World War the castle was requisitioned as a [[combined operations]] centre (COC No. 2), and was commissioned as HMS ''Brontosaurus'' in 1942.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.combinedops.com/TRAINING_TOWARD.htm| title=Combined Training Centre – Castle Toward| accessdate = 2007-03-04}}</ref> It was a training centre for the amphibious landings that were launched on [[D-Day]], as well as for other raids. Officers and men trained on nearby beaches to use various landing craft.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/z74jpv4/articles/zm3y2sg|title=Castles during World War Two}}</ref> Both [[Winston Churchill]] and [[Lord Mountbatten]] during this time visited ''Brontosaurus''. It closed in 1946.
===Outdoor education centre===
The castle, and {{convert|226|acre|km2}} of woodland, were purchased by the [[Glasgow|Corporation of Glasgow]] in 1948. The building was used initially as a residential school for children recovering from illness or living in deprived home conditions. It then became available for residential education for children from all Glasgow Primary Schools and operated for 50 years as an outdoor education centre for children from Glasgow, Renfrewshire and further afield.<ref name=observer>{{cite news| url=http://www.dunoon-observer.com/archive/arcoct200010.html| title=Castle Toward Sell Off| work=Dunoon Observer| date=10 October 2003| accessdate=2015-01-27| archive-date=4 March 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304211621/http://www.dunoon-observer.com/archive/arcoct200010.html| url-status=dead}}</ref> With the reorganisation of local government in Scotland in 1996, ownership passed to [[Argyll and Bute|Argyll and Bute Council]] and such centres were threatened with closure. Peter Wilson, at the time the principal of the centre, formed a company called Actual Reality to operate the centre, as well as a second council-owned centre at [[Ardentinny]].<ref name=observer/> Activities operated by Actual Reality included high ropes, kayaking, and orienteering, as well as gorge walks and hill walks. The grounds of the centre were used as a filming ___location for the children's [[BBC Television]] series ''[[Raven (game show)|Raven]]'', featuring the actor [[James Mackenzie (actor)|James Mackenzie]], up to and including the seventh series at the start of 2008.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1197596/| title= Raven (2002– ) | publisher=IMDB | accessdate=2015-01-27}}</ref> The house was also used for residential courses for young people in music and art. The Glasgow Schools' Symphony Orchestra and West of Scotland Schools' Concert Band visited regularly. The house has been a category B [[listed building]] since 1971,<ref name=listed/> and the grounds were added to the national [[Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland]] in 2007.<ref name=Inventory/>
==Sale==
On 13 November 2009, Argyll and Bute Council temporarily closed the castle on the recommendation of [[Strathclyde Fire and Rescue]], on the grounds that it was unfit for purpose.<ref name=observer2009/> There followed several attempts by the council to sell the estate, though all met with local opposition.<ref name=observer2009>{{cite news| url=http://www.dunoon-observer.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=26:castle-toward-selloff-threat&catid=1:news&Itemid=19| title=Castle Toward Sell Off Threat| work=Dunoon Observer| date=30 December 2009| url-status=dead| access-date=27 January 2015| archive-date=23 September 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923220941/http://www.dunoon-observer.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=26:castle-toward-selloff-threat&catid=1:news&Itemid=19}}</ref> The castle's former composer-in-residence, [[John Maxwell Geddes]], wrote a ''Postlude for Strings'' in protest at plans to sell the castle.<ref name=Scotsman>{{cite web|url=http://www.scotsman.com/mobile/lifestyle/heritage/5-600-sign-petition-to-save-argyll-s-castle-toward-1-3670908 |title=5,600 sign petition to save Argyll's Castle Toward |work=The Scotsman |date=26 January 2015}}</ref> The Council placed the building on the market in 2010, and in response the South Cowal Community Development Company (SCCDC) was formed to explore [[community ownership]] of the castle, though their initial bid was rejected by the [[Scottish Ministers]] in 2011.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.dunoon-observer.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3023:community-bid-rejected&catid=1:news&Itemid=19| title=Community Bid Rejected| work=Dunoon Observer| date=16 September 2011| url-status=dead| access-date=27 January 2015| archive-date=23 September 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923220942/http://www.dunoon-observer.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3023:community-bid-rejected&catid=1:news&Itemid=19}}</ref> An agreement was reached with a holiday company, which then pulled out of the sale in 2013 forcing the council to market the property once more.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.dunoon-observer.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6182:castle-toward-for-sale-again&catid=1:news&Itemid=19| title=Castle Toward For Sale – Again| work=Dunoon Observer| date=29 June 2013| url-status=dead| access-date=27 January 2015| archive-date=23 September 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923220949/http://www.dunoon-observer.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6182:castle-toward-for-sale-again&catid=1:news&Itemid=19}}</ref> SCCDC launched a second community ownership bid which was accepted by Scottish Ministers in November 2013.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.dunoon-observer.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6827:castle-toward-community-purchase-a-step-closer&catid=1:news&Itemid=19| title=Castle Toward – Community Purchase One Step Closer| work=Dunoon Observer| date=27 November 2013| url-status=dead| access-date=27 January 2015| archive-date=23 September 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923220952/http://www.dunoon-observer.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6827:castle-toward-community-purchase-a-step-closer&catid=1:news&Itemid=19}}</ref> However, in December 2014, the Council rejected SCCDC's offer, claiming that at £865,000 it was below market value, and instead offered to support SCCDC with a loan.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/news/2014/dec/castle-toward |title=Castle Toward |work=Argyll and Bute Council |date=22 December 2014 |access-date=27 January 2015 |archive-date=28 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161128050342/https://www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/news/2014/dec/castle-toward |url-status=dead }}</ref> SCCDC dismissed the council's proposal in January 2015, stating that securing the community purchase before a 31 January deadline now had "very little chance of succeeding".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.savecastletoward.com/#!NO-to-%C2%A31-Million-pound-loan/c1zo4/54c0d2170cf2ad5dc6c3e545 |title="NO" to £1 Million pound loan |work=SCCDC |date=22 January 2015}}</ref> By 26 January, 5,600 people had signed an online petition calling on the council to reconsider their decision.<ref name=Scotsman/> The council sold the castle in October 2016, for £1.51 million, to Scottish entrepreneurs and married couple Denice Purdie and Keith Punler, who planned to restore the mansion house and grounds to their former glory.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thenational.scot/news/14898328.Castle_at_centre_of_community_buyout_controversy_is_sold_to_developer_for_just___1_5m/ |title=Castle at centre of community buyout controversy is sold to developer for just £1.5m |work=[[The National (Scotland)|The National]] |date=2015-06-27 |accessdate=2017-01-14}}</ref>
==References==
<references/>
==External links==
{{Commons category|Castle Toward}}
* [http://www.secretscotland.org.uk/index.php/Secrets/CastleToward/ Castle Toward on Secret Scotland]
* [http://www.combinedops.com/TRAINING_TOWARD.htm/ Combined Operations, No 2 Training Centre (HMS Brontosaurus) - Website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200810215910/https://www.combinedops.com/TRAINING_TOWARD.htm |date=10 August 2020 }}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Castle Toward}}
[[Category:Castles in Argyll and Bute]]
[[Category:Category B listed buildings in Argyll and Bute]]
[[Category:Listed castles in Scotland]]
[[Category:Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes]]
[[Category:Clan Lamont]]
[[Category:Cowal]]
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