Dunans Castle is a historic structure located in Glendaruel

Glendaruel

Glendaruel is a glen in the Cowal Peninsula in Argyll, Scotland.The main village in Glendaruel is the Clachan of Glendaruel.-Features:The present Kilmodan Church was built in the Clachan of Glendaruel in 1610...

, in the Argyll and Bute

Argyll and Bute

Argyll and Bute is both one of 32 unitary council areas; and a Lieutenancy area in Scotland. The administrative centre for the council area is located in Lochgilphead.Argyll and Bute covers the second largest administrative area of any Scottish council...

 region of Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

. Shown on maps in 1590, the building was elaborated into a castle

Castle

A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...

 in 1860, the castle sits on 16 acres (64,749.8 m²) of ground and in 2001, was ruined by fire.

History

For over two centuries Dunans was home to the Fletcher Clan

Clan

A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clan members may be organized around a founding member or apical ancestor. The kinship-based bonds may be symbolical, whereby the clan shares a "stipulated" common ancestor that is a...

 who moved to the site c.1745 carrying with them the door of their previous home at Achallader Castle

Achallader Castle

Achallader Castle is a ruined 16th century tower house under the shadow of Beinn Achaladair, about 3.5 miles north of Bridge of Orchy, Argyll, Scotland. Its name is from Gaelic, meaning field of hard water.-History:...

. The original mansion-style house (to the left in the picture) was converted into its present dramatic Franco-baronial form by the architect Andrew Kerr and consisted of four main apartments and 6 bedrooms. The building passed out of Fletcher hands in 1997. The B-listed castle was gutted by fire on 14 January 2001 while being run as a hotel and the building was left as a ruin. The fire began in the attic space and destroyed three floors only the west wing remained undamaged.Now under new ownership, the site, including a Victorian path network, has undergone some restoration.

Bridge & Mausoleum

Leading to the castle is Dunans Bridge

Dunans Bridge

Dunans Bridge is a category A-listed structure, designed by Thomas Telford. It is located at Dunans Castle on the Cowal peninsula in Argyll, Scotland. It was built for John Fletcher of Dunans, to commemorate the battle of Waterloo. The bridge was completed in 1815, and predates the 1864 elaboration...

, an A-listed structure, designed by Thomas Telford

Thomas Telford

Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE was a Scottish civil engineer, architect and stonemason, and a noted road, bridge and canal builder.-Early career:...

 in 1815 and constructed to commemorate the battle of Waterloo

Battle of Waterloo

The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...

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Associated with the site, but still in the ownership of the Fletchers is the Fletcher Mausoleum, a grade C listed structure.