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Menstrie Castle Self-catering accommodation Near Stirling, Scotland 01259 212478 |
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Accommodation History |
History Menstrie Castle,
a three-storey castellated house, was home to a branch of
the Clan MacAllister who anglicised their name to
Alexander. He advised King James VI to found the Order of Baronets of Nova Scotia as a money making scheme. For the payment of 1,000 merks, new baronets were granted a 16,000 acre estate in the developing colony. The scheme failed and in 1631, Charles I ceded the lands to Louis XIII of France, and ordered the 4 settlers to burn their buildings. After the failure of the scheme, William died a bankrupt in Londonin1644. His embalmed body was brought North and interred in the family vault in the High Kirk of Stirling. There are still about 100 Baronets of Nova Scotia in existence. Many of them are descended from ancestors who once nominally owned territory which they would never see. From the middle of the 18th Century, Menstrie Castle fell into a steady decline. The building was so badly dilapidated that it was only saved from demolition after a campaign led by the actor and conservationist Moultrie R. Kelsall. In 1951, the castle was listed as a building of national importance which cannot be altered or demolished without the consent of the Secretary of State for Scotland and it now provides housing accommodation, as well as a commemoration room to the Baronets of Nova Scotia. Menstrie was known in the 1800s as a producer of woollen blankets and tartans. However the most significant industrial development in Menstrie was the Glenochil Distillery. The Dolls Distillery started in 1746, but was later known as the West Dolls Distillery. In 1846 it was acquired by the MacNab Brothers, and was rebranded as the Glenochil Distillery. They took out the old pot stills which were used to produce malt whisky, and installed Coffey stills that would produce grain whisky on an industrial scale. By the 1880s the distillery production had grown, producing around a million gallons per year, making it one of the most productive distilleries in Scotland at the time. It even had its own railway sidings. Unfortunately production of whisky stopped in 1929, but Glenochil remained an important research and yeast production centre until recently for the giant DCL company. The yeast production plant is now owned by another multinational company, Unilever. We would love to hear fr0m you so please do not hesitate to contact us with your holidays dates and we will be pleased to offer further information. |
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Menstrie Castle, Menstrie, Near Stirling, Clackmannanshire, Scotland |
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