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| A 600-Year-Old Money Pit in the Scottish Highlands | A 600-Year-Old Money Pit in the Scottish Highlands |
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| ISLE OF MULL, Scotland — Anyone who has despaired over home improvement should spare a thought for Sir Lachlan Hector Charles Maclean of Duart and Morven. | ISLE OF MULL, Scotland — Anyone who has despaired over home improvement should spare a thought for Sir Lachlan Hector Charles Maclean of Duart and Morven. |
| The Scottish lord has been repairing his home since he inherited it from his father in 1990, with no end in sight. | The Scottish lord has been repairing his home since he inherited it from his father in 1990, with no end in sight. |
| His is no ordinary house. Rather, it is a crumbling 14th-century castle — with a dungeon — that has collapsed ceilings and rainwater seeping through its 16-foot-thick walls pretty much all of the time — even during summer, which can be exceedingly wet and blustery in Scotland. | His is no ordinary house. Rather, it is a crumbling 14th-century castle — with a dungeon — that has collapsed ceilings and rainwater seeping through its 16-foot-thick walls pretty much all of the time — even during summer, which can be exceedingly wet and blustery in Scotland. |
| The cost of repairs? So far, 1.5 million pounds, or $1.94 million, and counting. | The cost of repairs? So far, 1.5 million pounds, or $1.94 million, and counting. |
| Located on the Isle of Mull, off the western coast of Scotland, his home, Duart Castle, is the ancestral seat of the Macleans, one of the oldest clans in the Scottish Highlands. The 74-year-old chatelain’s ancestors have been involved in centuries of battles pitting Catholics against Protestants and the Scottish against the English in rivalries that still resonate. | Located on the Isle of Mull, off the western coast of Scotland, his home, Duart Castle, is the ancestral seat of the Macleans, one of the oldest clans in the Scottish Highlands. The 74-year-old chatelain’s ancestors have been involved in centuries of battles pitting Catholics against Protestants and the Scottish against the English in rivalries that still resonate. |
| “What does one do with a property like this?” Sir Lachlan, the 28th chief of the clan, asked rhetorically one recent afternoon as he sipped tea in his living room, probably one of the snugger parts of the castle where he and his wife, Rosie, have retreated, though it was still mildly damp with a whiff of stale curry. | “What does one do with a property like this?” Sir Lachlan, the 28th chief of the clan, asked rhetorically one recent afternoon as he sipped tea in his living room, probably one of the snugger parts of the castle where he and his wife, Rosie, have retreated, though it was still mildly damp with a whiff of stale curry. |
| Strong rains lashed against the windows, and the constant buzz of drilling forced him to speak up. The Macleans’ private living room was cluttered with modern bric-a-brac while, just below, tourists tramped about in the stately banquet hall looking at clan paraphernalia and trying to locate a public toilet. There are, in fact, two toilets, but they are both unusable — one put in nearly a century ago, and another 600 years ago. | Strong rains lashed against the windows, and the constant buzz of drilling forced him to speak up. The Macleans’ private living room was cluttered with modern bric-a-brac while, just below, tourists tramped about in the stately banquet hall looking at clan paraphernalia and trying to locate a public toilet. There are, in fact, two toilets, but they are both unusable — one put in nearly a century ago, and another 600 years ago. |
| “A lot of people wouldn’t want to live here,” Sir Lachlan said, before proceeding to list, like an overly candid real estate agent, the property’s shortcomings. “It’s cold, it’s never really warm. It’s very windy and it’s very wet — and that’s not a very good combination. Some people must be thinking, ‘What a silly old fool living there.’” | “A lot of people wouldn’t want to live here,” Sir Lachlan said, before proceeding to list, like an overly candid real estate agent, the property’s shortcomings. “It’s cold, it’s never really warm. It’s very windy and it’s very wet — and that’s not a very good combination. Some people must be thinking, ‘What a silly old fool living there.’” |
| Perched on a craggy cliff on an island slightly bigger than New York City, the castle has, at various stages in its history, been invaded, attacked and demolished by rival clans loyal to Scottish kings or by troops fighting on behalf of Oliver Cromwell, the antimonarchist revolutionary. | Perched on a craggy cliff on an island slightly bigger than New York City, the castle has, at various stages in its history, been invaded, attacked and demolished by rival clans loyal to Scottish kings or by troops fighting on behalf of Oliver Cromwell, the antimonarchist revolutionary. |
| At one point, the castle’s dungeon held Spanish prisoners after a failed attempt to invade England in the 16th century. The clan had lands on the Isles of Mull, Coll, Tiree and Jura — all also along the west coast of Scotland. | At one point, the castle’s dungeon held Spanish prisoners after a failed attempt to invade England in the 16th century. The clan had lands on the Isles of Mull, Coll, Tiree and Jura — all also along the west coast of Scotland. |
| In modern times, however, Duart Castle has been under assault primarily by Scotland’s relentlessly bad weather. | In modern times, however, Duart Castle has been under assault primarily by Scotland’s relentlessly bad weather. |
| Befitting a modern-day clan chief, whose complete title is Sir Lachlan Hector Charles Maclean of Duart and Morven, 12th Baronet, Commander of the Royal Victorian Order, Deputy Lieutenant and Eighth Lord Maclean (he goes by Sir Lachlan), his primary job is to defend the castle from decay and, more important, from oblivion. | Befitting a modern-day clan chief, whose complete title is Sir Lachlan Hector Charles Maclean of Duart and Morven, 12th Baronet, Commander of the Royal Victorian Order, Deputy Lieutenant and Eighth Lord Maclean (he goes by Sir Lachlan), his primary job is to defend the castle from decay and, more important, from oblivion. |
| There are 283 days of rainfall on average per year on the Isle of Mull. When winds are particularly strong, he said, the only way to leave the castle, which is surrounded on three sides by water, is by crawling on his hands and knees down the steps of the main entrance. | There are 283 days of rainfall on average per year on the Isle of Mull. When winds are particularly strong, he said, the only way to leave the castle, which is surrounded on three sides by water, is by crawling on his hands and knees down the steps of the main entrance. |
| Duart, which means black point in Gaelic, a nod to the black volcanic rock where the castle stands, is one of the last surviving clan castles still privately owned. | Duart, which means black point in Gaelic, a nod to the black volcanic rock where the castle stands, is one of the last surviving clan castles still privately owned. |
| Maintaining it is a moral responsibility, Sir Lachlan said. “It is a sort of focal point for the clan,” he added, as he carefully descended a narrow staircase that was designed in 1360 to be just wide enough to allow one man wielding a sword. (A sign nonetheless read: “We apologize for any congestion on the stairs.”) | Maintaining it is a moral responsibility, Sir Lachlan said. “It is a sort of focal point for the clan,” he added, as he carefully descended a narrow staircase that was designed in 1360 to be just wide enough to allow one man wielding a sword. (A sign nonetheless read: “We apologize for any congestion on the stairs.”) |
| The castle receives about 25,000 visitors a year, some of them part of the Maclean diaspora living in the United States, Canada and Australia. The name Maclean can be spelled in at least 15 ways. | The castle receives about 25,000 visitors a year, some of them part of the Maclean diaspora living in the United States, Canada and Australia. The name Maclean can be spelled in at least 15 ways. |
| People are increasingly searching for their heritage and their identity, Sir Lachlan said, leading some to visit Duart Castle. | People are increasingly searching for their heritage and their identity, Sir Lachlan said, leading some to visit Duart Castle. |
| In a globalized world, “people are becoming less sure about themselves,” he said. “And they want to find home.” | In a globalized world, “people are becoming less sure about themselves,” he said. “And they want to find home.” |
| He recalled meeting one visitor, a Maclean from Australia, who had promised his family back home that he would visit Duart Castle. As the visitor was leaving, he turned to Sir Lachlan and said, “Thank you for looking out for us.” A young woman in Florida, another Maclean, sends monthly donations from her supermarket wages. | He recalled meeting one visitor, a Maclean from Australia, who had promised his family back home that he would visit Duart Castle. As the visitor was leaving, he turned to Sir Lachlan and said, “Thank you for looking out for us.” A young woman in Florida, another Maclean, sends monthly donations from her supermarket wages. |
| But Sir Lachlan is worried that he will be unable to finance repairs to the castle after 2017. | But Sir Lachlan is worried that he will be unable to finance repairs to the castle after 2017. |
| In 2013, four ceilings crumbled when water came through the chimneys. Water has also washed away some of the mortar between the stones of the castle’s walls. | In 2013, four ceilings crumbled when water came through the chimneys. Water has also washed away some of the mortar between the stones of the castle’s walls. |
| A year earlier, Sir Lachlan had convened a clan congress, announcing then that the family was no longer able to afford the repairs undertaken at the castle over the past century. | A year earlier, Sir Lachlan had convened a clan congress, announcing then that the family was no longer able to afford the repairs undertaken at the castle over the past century. |
| Repairs are paid in part by Historic Scotland, a government agency that looks after important monuments. There is the revenue from tourists’ entrance fees, a small cafe and a shop on the castle grounds. But work done in the 1990s by builders advised by the Scottish government turned out to be shoddy, Sir Lachlan said, forcing a new round of repairs. The builders went bankrupt soon after. | Repairs are paid in part by Historic Scotland, a government agency that looks after important monuments. There is the revenue from tourists’ entrance fees, a small cafe and a shop on the castle grounds. But work done in the 1990s by builders advised by the Scottish government turned out to be shoddy, Sir Lachlan said, forcing a new round of repairs. The builders went bankrupt soon after. |
| Now, work on the castle is increasingly dependent on donations from the public. “I really would like to redo the whole thing,” he said. “But is one able to raise that amount of money?” | Now, work on the castle is increasingly dependent on donations from the public. “I really would like to redo the whole thing,” he said. “But is one able to raise that amount of money?” |
| The castle was founded in the 14th century and was well maintained until the 1600s when the Macleans aligned themselves with the House of Stuart, a losing cause, leaving them poor and eventually landless. | The castle was founded in the 14th century and was well maintained until the 1600s when the Macleans aligned themselves with the House of Stuart, a losing cause, leaving them poor and eventually landless. |
| Duart was seized and sacked by the rival Campbell clan in 1688 and was garrisoned by government troops until 1751. | Duart was seized and sacked by the rival Campbell clan in 1688 and was garrisoned by government troops until 1751. |
| The Macleans were monarchists who summoned clan members from France to participate in the Jacobite risings of 1715 and 1745 on the side of the Stuart family against government forces. That culminated in the 1746 Battle of Culloden near Inverness in the Highlands, when the Jacobites were defeated and the Stuart pretender to the throne, Bonnie Prince Charlie, escaped into exile. | The Macleans were monarchists who summoned clan members from France to participate in the Jacobite risings of 1715 and 1745 on the side of the Stuart family against government forces. That culminated in the 1746 Battle of Culloden near Inverness in the Highlands, when the Jacobites were defeated and the Stuart pretender to the throne, Bonnie Prince Charlie, escaped into exile. |
| Duart was restored in 1911 when Sir Lachlan’s great-grandfather, Sir Fitzroy Maclean, bought back the castle, which had been left in ruins for 150 years. | Duart was restored in 1911 when Sir Lachlan’s great-grandfather, Sir Fitzroy Maclean, bought back the castle, which had been left in ruins for 150 years. |
| The clan animosity with the Campbells is deeply ingrained, possibly the fruit of family disputes, including the failed attempt by the 11th chief of the Macleans, Lachlan Cattanach, to murder his wife, Elizabeth, a Campbell, because she had failed to produce an heir. | The clan animosity with the Campbells is deeply ingrained, possibly the fruit of family disputes, including the failed attempt by the 11th chief of the Macleans, Lachlan Cattanach, to murder his wife, Elizabeth, a Campbell, because she had failed to produce an heir. |
| According to the castle’s history, she was marooned on a rock in seas off Duart Castle and left to drown when the tides rose. She was rescued by fishermen and returned to her family, but not before her husband, thinking she had died, offered his condolences to her father, the Earl of Argyll. | According to the castle’s history, she was marooned on a rock in seas off Duart Castle and left to drown when the tides rose. She was rescued by fishermen and returned to her family, but not before her husband, thinking she had died, offered his condolences to her father, the Earl of Argyll. |
| In a twist worthy of a telenovela, the earl invited him to dinner at the Campbell castle, where, to the Maclean chief’s astonishment, she was found sitting at the table. He later married twice more, but was eventually murdered by a Campbell around 1523. | In a twist worthy of a telenovela, the earl invited him to dinner at the Campbell castle, where, to the Maclean chief’s astonishment, she was found sitting at the table. He later married twice more, but was eventually murdered by a Campbell around 1523. |
| That rivalry is long gone now, though Sir Lachlan has vowed never to wear a kilt with the Campbell pattern. | That rivalry is long gone now, though Sir Lachlan has vowed never to wear a kilt with the Campbell pattern. |
| There is a greater, more urgent matter at hand. “Scotland cannot let this building fall into disrepair because it’s too important for history,” he said. | |
| Another uncertainty is whether his eldest son, Malcolm, 43, will move into the castle when he inherits it. | Another uncertainty is whether his eldest son, Malcolm, 43, will move into the castle when he inherits it. |
| “I was brought up here. I love living here,” Sir Lachlan said thoughtfully. “It’s an old building that I’m very fond of.” | “I was brought up here. I love living here,” Sir Lachlan said thoughtfully. “It’s an old building that I’m very fond of.” |