Deadline looms for offers on 15th century Kilravock Castle in Highlands which is on market at £4m
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A deadline is fast approaching for offers on a 15th century castle near Inverness which is for sale with a price guide of £4 million.
The closing date for offers on Kilravock Castle at Croy has been set for today at noon.
The castle once received Mary, Queen of Scots and was visited by Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Duke of Cumberland on consecutive days at the time of the Battle of Culloden.
The A-listed 13-bedroom, 10-bathroom castle and its estate – including nine cottages, a former hostel and games hall, 481 acres of farmland and woodland plus trout fishing rights – is being sold as whole.
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The sale of the castle, owned by the Kilravock Christian Trust, is being handled by property company, Galbraith.
As the ancestral stronghold of the Clan Rose, it has been owned by the same family for centuries.
In 1971, the clan's 25th laird, Elizabeth Rose, handed the estate over to the trust which ran it as a venue for Christian retreats. She died aged 88 at Nairn in December 2012.
The Inverness Courier revealed in a July that a campaign group had been formed in the hope of buying the castle and its grounds under a community buyout bid as an asset for the people of Croy and Cawdor.
It held a public meeting last month with ideas floated for its potential future use including a community centre with a café, health spa and gym, study centre for summer schools, nursery for pre-school children, office space or a hotel.
But with a closing date having been set, the group now fears it signals the end of a community buyout.
Diana Beattie, a member of the group, said they had been taken by surprise by the closing date as they had been working hard to gauge local community interest and had already spoken several public sector and potential funding bodies.
"Everyone was very keen and enthusiastic," she said.
"I am desperately disappointed. I feel disappointed for the Clan Rose."
When the castle was placed on the market in August, it was expected to attract global interest from potential buyers looking to turn it into a bespoke home, or a hotel and leisure complex.
