North West Castle
Encyclopedia
North West Castle is an 18th century four star
country house hotel in Stranraer
, Dumfries and Galloway
, in the south west of Scotland
.
It is noteworthy for being the home of Sir John Ross, a famous Scottish
rear admiral
and Arctic
explorer. Ross built the house and developed its grounds in 1820 after returning from the first in a series of Arctic expeditions aiming to solve the question of the Northwest Passage
. Ross commissioned a life-size model of the cabin on his ship, the Victory, so that the details of polar navigation could be easily explained to visitors to the Castle; it can still be seen today as its structure forms part of the hotel bar .
In 1860, North West Castle became the home of Rev. Robert Cunningham, an influential figure in Scottish education during the 19th Century. Cunningham lived in the Castle after his retirement as Head Master of George Watson's College
in Edinburgh
and founder Head Master of the Edinburgh institution for Language and Mathematics (later known as Melville College
) and of Blair Lodge School in Polmont
. His move to North West Castle also came after his founding of the Free Church of Scotland following the Disruption
in May 1843. Cunningham was resident at the Castle until his death in 1883 .
In 1970, the North West Castle became the first hotel in the world with an indoor curling
ice rink - Hammy McMillan
, a World Champion curler
, has undertaken extensive practice using the facilities there.
Star (classification)
Stars are often used as symbols for classification purposes. They are used by reviewers for ranking things such as movies, TV shows, restaurants, and hotels. For example, one to five stars is commonly employed to categorize hotels.-Restaurant ratings:...
country house hotel in Stranraer
Stranraer
Stranraer is a town in the southwest of Scotland. It lies in the west of Dumfries and Galloway and in the county of Wigtownshire.Stranraer lies on the shores of Loch Ryan on the northern side of the isthmus joining the Rhins of Galloway to the mainland...
, Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfries and Galloway is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland. It was one of the nine administrative 'regions' of mainland Scotland created in 1975 by the Local Government etc. Act 1973...
, in the south west 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...
.
It is noteworthy for being the home of Sir John Ross, a famous Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
rear admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
and Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
explorer. Ross built the house and developed its grounds in 1820 after returning from the first in a series of Arctic expeditions aiming to solve the question of the Northwest Passage
Northwest Passage
The Northwest Passage is a sea route through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways amidst the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans...
. Ross commissioned a life-size model of the cabin on his ship, the Victory, so that the details of polar navigation could be easily explained to visitors to the Castle; it can still be seen today as its structure forms part of the hotel bar .
In 1860, North West Castle became the home of Rev. Robert Cunningham, an influential figure in Scottish education during the 19th Century. Cunningham lived in the Castle after his retirement as Head Master of George Watson's College
George Watson's College
George Watson's College, known informally as Watson's, is a co-educational independent day school in Scotland, situated on Colinton Road, in the Merchiston area of Edinburgh. It was first established as a hospital school in 1741, became a day school in 1871 and was merged with its sister school...
in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
and founder Head Master of the Edinburgh institution for Language and Mathematics (later known as Melville College
Stewart's Melville College
Stewart's Melville College is an all boys boarding and day private school situated in the heart of Edinburgh, Scotland...
) and of Blair Lodge School in Polmont
Polmont
Polmont is a village in the Falkirk council area of Central Scotland. It lies towards the east of the town of Falkirk, north of the Union Canal, which runs adjacent to the village....
. His move to North West Castle also came after his founding of the Free Church of Scotland following the Disruption
Disruption of 1843
The Disruption of 1843 was a schism within the established Church of Scotland, in which 450 ministers of the Church broke away, over the issue of the Church's relationship with the State, to form the Free Church of Scotland...
in May 1843. Cunningham was resident at the Castle until his death in 1883 .
In 1970, the North West Castle became the first hotel in the world with an indoor curling
Curling
Curling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...
ice rink - Hammy McMillan
Hammy McMillan
Hammy McMillan is a Scottish curler and world champion. He won a gold medal as skip for the Scottish team at the 1999 Ford World Curling Championships in Saint John, New Brunswick. He has received five gold medals at the European Curling Championships...
, a World Champion curler
Curling
Curling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...
, has undertaken extensive practice using the facilities there.