A Florida sea captain has bought one of Scotland's unusual castles after a three-year search for the right property.
asserted
captain → buy → property
Lance Holmquist and his wife, Suzanne, purchased Carbisdale Castle in Sutherland for just under £3.9 million, describing their first visit to the Highland landmark as love at first sight, according to the BBC.
uncertain
Holmquist → purchase → BBC
The castle is known as the “Castle of Spite” because of the family dispute surrounding its construction, and it is also said to be haunted by a ghost called Betty.
asserted
it → know → ghost
Lance has spent 44 years in the maritime industry, including more than 30 as a captain based in Key Largo, Florida, while Suzanne, who was born in London and grew up in Glasgow, runs a boat charter business with him and previously worked as a TV editor before moving to the United States about 25 years ago.
asserted
who → spend → States
How Lance and Suzanne Holmquist found Carbisdale Castle after 3 years searching Ireland and Scotland
The couple had been looking to buy a castle in Ireland or Scotland for about three years before discovering Carbisdale.
asserted
couple → find → Carbisdale
Suzanne said Lance loved the countryside in Ireland, so she suggested he visit the Scottish Highlands as well.
uncertain
he → say → Highlands
They looked at several properties but repeatedly found they were too late to act on places they liked.
asserted
they → look → places
Then they saw Carbisdale.
asserted
they → see → Carbisdale
Suzanne said they fell in love with the castle on their first day there, after they returned for a viewing a few months after discovering it.
asserted
they → say → it
Lance, a self-confessed fan of castles and old pirate stories, had long wanted to own one.
asserted
Lance → confess → one
The couple plan to begin by offering the castle for short-term stays before developing it into a boutique hotel.
asserted
couple → plan → hotel
Law firm Thorntons' Inverness team advised on the acquisition, while their friend David Walton became a 10% investment partner.
asserted
friend → advise → acquisition
The Castle of Spite: how a family feud shaped Carbisdale Castle and its 3-faced clock tower
Carbisdale Castle was built in the early 20th century for Mary Caroline, the Dowager Duchess of Sutherland, following a dispute over her late husband's estate.
asserted
Castle → shape → estate
The Highland Historic Environment Record dates the building to 1907.
asserted
Record → date → 1907
The settlement following the dispute allowed the Duchess to have a residence built outside the Sutherland family's estate.
asserted
residence → follow → estate
Carbisdale was constructed on a hillside in a position from which it could be seen from Sutherland.
uncertain
it → construct → Sutherland
The location later became associated with the nickname “Castle of Spite”, reflecting the long-standing story that the Duchess chose the site to spite her husband's family.
asserted
Duchess → associate → family
The castle's clock tower has clock faces on three sides, with the side facing Sutherland left blank.
asserted
tower → have → side
It has traditionally been said that this was a snub to her former in-laws, with the blank side linked to the story that she did not want to give them the time of day.
asserted
she → say → day
That explanation is part of the castle's long-running folklore rather than a documented statement of the Duchess's motive.
asserted
explanation → run → motive
Carbisdale is a Category B-listed building.
asserted
Carbisdale → list → ?
It later passed to the Norwegian Salvesen family and was used as a refuge for members of the Norwegian royal family during the Second World War.
asserted
It → pass → War
In 1945, it was given to the Scottish Youth Hostels Association and operated as a youth hostel until 2011, when it closed amid the need for repairs.
asserted
it → give → repairs
What comes next for Carbisdale Castle, from short-term lets to a boutique hotel
The Holmquists plan to begin by offering the castle for short-term stays before developing it into a boutique hotel.
asserted
Holmquists → come → hotel
The couple have said they want the venture to preserve the history of the property and its surroundings.
asserted
venture → say → property
Suzanne said each of the castle's windows has its own story.
asserted
each → say → story
The couple have also received messages of welcome from the local community, while Lance plans to continue running his charter business in Florida.
asserted
Lance → receive → Florida
Lance joked that after decades of Florida sunshine, Scottish weather could mean finally wearing a jumper.
uncertain
weather → joke → jumper
He also said he was looking forward to seeing his first deer in the Highlands and joked that his love of boats could lead him to take a small rowing boat onto a nearby loch.
uncertain
love → say → loch
In Florida, he is used to encounters with manatees, which are also known as sea cows.
asserted
which → use → cows
The Aporia
