Balnagown Castle – Ross Clan Round Clock

Balnagown Castle, the former seat of the Earls of Ross, was a derelict castle in 1972 when Egyptian businessman Mohamed Al-Fayed purchased and restored it at great expense. The mediaeval tower house at Balnagown is documented back to 1490, but is listed as having been built about 1375. Over the centuries, it passed from one branch of the Ross family to another but remained in the clan until purchased by Al-Fayad. King Robert 2nd granted royal confirmation of the ownership of the 30,000 or so acres in a charter to William Ross, first true chief of Clan Ross and the 1st Laird of Balnagown (sometimes spelled Balnagowan). The castle features a pink-harled facade and was situated on a bend in the Balnagown River for the natural defence of having cliffs on two sides. It is located near the village of Kildary and the banks of Cromarty Firth, north of Inverness. As the personal residence of Al-Fayad, the castle is not open to the public, but the gardens are. They are listed in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland. Photo By sylvia duckworth, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13189130 Modified for contrast, colour, size and text