"Heaven on earth" was how 'Steel King' Andrew Carnegie described Skibo Castle, his beloved summer retreat in the glorious Highlands of Scotland. "Scotland's Dreamiest Castle" is how one writer for Conde Nast Traveler Magazine described it.
And the tenth century Celtic people called it Schytherbolle, "Fairyland" or "Land of Peace". Its newest acclaim is as the setting of Madonna and Guy Ritchie's fairytale million-dollars-plus wedding reception in December 2000.
The celebrity-studded celebration for the couple included a ceilidh, pronounced "kay-lee", the Gaelic word for 'a gathering of people' following a Scottish-themed banquet. The groom wore the traditional kilt down the aisle at the Dornoch Cathedral, which was bedecked with $75,000 worth of lilies and roses from a local florist.
Skibo Castle today overshadows what remained of an ancient castle when it was first rebuilt into a massive Gothic mansion by owner Evan Sutherland Walker back in the 1870s. When the estate fell on hard times it was purchased by Carnegie in 1898 and rebuilt with grand new wings and extensions into one of the world's great residences.
The current owner of the castle, Peter DeSavary, purchased the 7,500-acre estate in 1990, after the previous owner ran into financial difficulties. De Savary fell in love with the castle and bought back furnishings, which had been sold off from the days when the castle hosted guests such as Rudyard Kipling, Booker T. Washington, Helen Keller, and the Rockefellers.
De Savary reinvented the castle as the Carnegie Club - a unique and private sporting club with 28 guest rooms and nine private lodges - with hunting, hiking, and golf.
Skibo Castle has been the setting for other weddings of the rich and famous, including actors Ewan McGregor and Robert Carlyle (Trainspotting) and a reputed favorite with Sean Connery, Jack Nicholson, and Bill Gates.
If you can't join the stars at Skibo, make the Skibo Castle Ginger Crunch Cookies and daydream about buying your own castle in Scotland, the Palace of Crimonmogate. Recently featured in the Change of Address section of The National Post, this palace entitles you to proclaim yourself 'Laird' of the Manor.
Pat Rioux
