Taymouth Castle: Apollo's Temple, Kenmore

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Ordnance Survey licence number AC0000807262. All rights reserved. © Copyright and database right 2024.

General Details and Location

Category
AT RISK
Name of Building
Taymouth Castle: Apollo's Temple
Other Name(s)
Address
Kenmore
Locality
Postcode
Planning Authority
Divisional Area
Reference No
2164
Listing Category
B
OS Grid Ref
NN 78136 45571
Location Type
Rural
HS Reference No
12089

Description

Circular, surmounting mound; semicircular arches with triple keystones, low ogee roof. Harled with margins. One of the spectacular and complete group of structures making up the Taymouth Castle estate (Historic Scotland) .
There is some evidence that the entrances were enclosed with doors and there are references to a "metal cast of a god, now lying at the base with disemembered limbs" suggesting the building originally housed a sculpture. (RPS Consultants Ltd)

The castle and its contents were sold in 1922 and it became a hotel. The site operated as a Polish hospital during the war and was later leased to a civil defence school.
Building Dates
Possibly circa 1774
Architects
Probably John Baxter

Category of Risk and Development History

Condition
Very Poor
Category of Risk
High
Exemptions to State of Risk
Field Visits
June 1990, 04/09/2009, 19/2/2014
Development History
June 1990: External inspection reveals the temple to be ruinous and disused within the grounds of Taymouth Castle. 20 June 1997: The Scotsman reports that Taymouth Castle and its grounds are for sale, at £5.5 million. 29 November 2002: The Metro reports that the castle and its grounds have been purchased by the Four Seasons Hotel Group. 21 April 2003: The Dundee Evening Telegraph reports that a formal application for a hotel development has been lodged. This is to be followed by a separate application for developments in the grounds. 22 April 2003: The Perthshire Advertiser repeats the story. December 2003: Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust notes that despite reports to the contrary, the estate remains in the ownership of Taymouth Castle Estates.
August 2008: The Herald reports that the company undertaking the restoration of Taymouth Castle and estate have gone into administration. The Scotsman repeats the story and states that the Castle's windows and roof had been restored by the developers before works stopped in April 2008
September 2009: External inspection finds the building is close to ruinous. A large tree trunk has fallen across the roof, demolishing half of it. Many cope stones have fallen off and most of the remainder have moved, often to precarious positions. The interior is full of debris and plant matter. The building is now within the grounds of the golf course with no road access.
September 2010: The Courier reports on a potential purchasor for the Taymouth Castle. A pensions and investment company, Meteor Asset Management, is reported to have been in discussions with KPMG, as administrators, on the potential purchase of the 425 acre estate.
August 2011: Local planners report the owners of the estate Meteor Asset Management have been in discussion with the local authority with ambitions for the wider designed landscape surrounding Taymouth Castle, including the listed buildings within it, as part of the plan for restoration and conversion of the Castle into a hotel.
28 March 2013: Local planners advise the owner of the site is understood to be Taymouth Castle Estates Ltd.
19 February 2014: External inspection finds the building remains in much the same condition as seen previously. The fallen tree remains lying across the building. The consented revised development plan for the estate (11/00533/FLM) notes a continued commitment to the conservation of all listed structures within the estate, as proposed within the original (03/02250/PPLB ) consents.

Guides to Development

Conservation Area
Planning Authority Contact
PAC Telephone Number

Availability

Current Availability
Not Available
Appointed Agents
Price
Occupancy
Vacant
Occupancy Type
N/A
Present/Former Uses
Building Uses Information:
Present Use 1: N/A Former Use 1: Folly
Present Use 2: N/A Former Use 2: N/A
Name of Owners
Type of Ownership
Company

Information Services

Additional Contacts/Information Source
Bibliography
Haynes (2000), p125. Taymouth Castle Conservation Statement p 48 (Dec 2003) RPS Consultants Ltd
Online Resources
Classification
Ancillary Buildings
Original Entry Date
19-JUN-90
Date of Last Edit
31/05/2022