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This
late 16th century Z-plan tower house was built by the
Dunbars of Tarbat near Rockfield overlooking the Firth of
Moray, but passed to the Mackenzies in 1623. The
Mackenzie fortunes waxed, and they moved into a classical
mansion in Tarbat about 1693, abandoning "Castlehaven",
as they called Ballone. By the middle of the 18th century
the castle was already unroofed and becoming ruinous. The
ruin was purchased by an architect, Lachlan Stewart, and
his wife Annie, a noted pottery designer, in the mid-1990s
and has been restored. The entire castle with its five
bedrooms, great hall and "theatrical bathroom in a
turreted tower" is available several weeks each year
for £2,500 per week, presumably while the Stewarts are
on holiday. Housekeeping and firewood are included!
Hopefully you'll not need to use the shot-holes. The
photos of the castle below were taken by Dave Caw for his
wonderful Calendonian Castles website, which has recently
vanished from the internet.
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