Skibo Castle

Etymology

According to William J. Watson, Skibo is the anglicisation of Scottish Gaelic Sgìobal, which in turn comes from an Old Norse name meaning either firewood-steading or Skithi's steading.

History

The first record of Skibo Castle is a charter from 1211. From its early history, the castle was a residence of the Bishops of Caithness. Skibo Castle remained the residence of subsequent bishops until 1545, when the estate was, as a tactical measure by the church, given to John Gray in order to reinforce its alliance with a powerful family as the threat of a Protestant uprising spread towards the north.

In 1745, Robert Gray surrendered the estate. It was later bought by a relative who built a modern house before 1760.

Skibo stayed with the Carnegie family until 1982. It was later purchased by businessman Peter de Savary and used as the foundation of a private members club, The Carnegie Club. Establishment of the club required restoration of the castle to recreate the luxury of an Edwardian sporting estate. Similar renovation was undertaken on the many lodges located amongst the castle grounds to provide additional accommodation for club members. De Savary sold the club to Ellis Short in 2003, for £23 million. Following the Shorts' purchase of the club, some £20 million has been invested in the refurbishment and restoration of the 8,000 acre estate. Aware of the historic significance of the category-A listed castle and its contents, the Club have undertaken a programme of conservation over the last decade with the aim of preserving as much as possible of the building whilst improving the existing facilities on the estate. This includes the redevelopment of the golf course, a sympathetic restoration of Carnegie's magnificent swimming pool, ongoing restoration of the Mackenzie and Moncur glasshouses and the refurbishment of all bedrooms in the castle and lodges.

The Carnegie Club

The Carnegie Club is a members-only club, with its accommodation and facilities available to its members and their guests. Non-members who wish to be considered for membership are invited to apply to the club's committee for a one-off visit before deciding whether to apply or not.

The Carnegie links golf course has fewer than 4000 rounds played on it per annum. As it is so quiet, residents of the club do not need to book tee times and can play whenever they wish. A limited number of public tee times are available to non-members/non-residents throughout the summer from May to October.

A nine hole course was created for Andrew Carnegie on the estate in 1898, laid out by Royal Dornoch Golf Club's secretary, John Sutherland. But by the 1940s the course was fallow. In 1995 a new 18 holes opened for play, designed by Donald Steel and his young assistant, Tom MacKenzie. In 2023 MacKenzie was called back to oversee a redesign, working alongside The Carnegie Club's own David Thompson and Gary Gruber. It included eight new holes as well as sand-capping, returfing and top dressing to bring out the essential links character. The course plays out on a peninsula surrounded by the waters of Loch Evelix and the Dornoch Firth. In National Club Golfer's 2026 Top 100 Scottish course ranking, The Carnegie Links is number 14.

The funds raised from membership fees and accommodation are reinvested into the upkeep of the estate.

The Carnegie Club hosted Madonna's wedding to Guy Ritchie on 22 December 2000. In 1995, it had hosted the marriage of golfer Sam Torrance and actress Suzanne Danielle. On 28 December 1997 it hosted the marriage of actor Robert Carlyle and Anastasia Shirley.

On 3 December 2006, the BBC Television programme Landward featured the Burnett family who for several generations had been tenants of a farm on Skibo estate. The programme highlighted their search for a new farm following their eviction by the estate. The farmhouse is now part of guest accommodation on the estate.

Castle grounds

The grounds include Lake Louise, a very small artificial lake, and one of only a few bodies of water in Scotland known as lakes. The estate is listed on the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland, the list of nationally significant designed landscapes.

References

References

1. {{Historic Environment Scotland
2. {{Historic Environment Scotland
3. "Wool Past the Winning Post, A history of the Chirnside family" by Heather B Ronald. Published in Australia by Wilke and Company. 1978. ISBN 9596522 0 5. Pages 79-82
4. See Watson, William J.: "Scottish Place-name Papers", Steve Savage (publisher) 2002, pp40, 68, 234
5. {{Historic Environment Scotland
6. Coventry, Martin. (2006). "The castles of Scotland". Birlinn.
7. "Dictionary of Scottish Architects - DSA Architect Biography Report (October 4, 2021, 11:53 am)".
8. "Carnegie Links - Skibo Castle".
9. "Skibo Castle - Carnegie Links {{!}} United Kingdom {{!}} Top 100 Golf Courses".
10. "The best Scottish course you've (probably) never played".
11. Golfer, National Club. "Best Golf Courses in Scotland".
12. (2000-12-08). "Madonna's wedding will be the Highlands' biggest fling". [[The Daily Telegraph]].
13. Ryan Parry, [http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Secret+weapon+won+us+Ryder+glory+..+my+wife%3B+THE+STUNNING+ACTRESS+WHO...-a092259917 Secret weapon won us Ryder glory] at thefreelibrary.com
14. Greenstreet, Rosanna. (23 February 2008). "Q&A: Robert Carlyle". The Guardian.
15. (15 July 2000). "Clear as mud When the Burnett family was ordered to leave the land it had farmed for almost half a century, a shudder went through the Highlands. Yet the family and the entire community have been left in limbo ever since . . .". Herald Scotland.
16. "Lake Louise". Gazetteer for Scotland.