Plans to build a 10-bedroom castle on a Perthshire estate as part of a £16 million transformation have been given the go-ahead.
Logiealmond Estate was purchased by its current owners Rod and Sheila Flavell from the Mansfield family, of Scone Palace, in 2019.
The owners of the 5,500-acre estate have invested £16m to transform the land.
They have created year-round holiday accommodation, a spa and butchery. The estate also includes a farm shop and brewery.
Castle plans for Perthshire estate
The new building will be known as Logiealmond Lodge.
Planning documents say that although “some interesting features” such as a mini clock tower remain, the existing building does not “give justice to its setting”.
A supporting statement submitted to Perth and Kinross Council by Alan Corfield Architects on behalf of the owners outlined the reasons behind building the castle.
It said: “It is our client’s intention to erect a lodge that will embrace its setting as well as provide the functional accommodation for future generations from where the whole of the estate can be managed.
“This is proposed to be achieved by drawing on the historical context of the estates in Scotland that feature a centrepiece which is a country home or a castle.
“Similarly, it has been established that the proposed lodge should be of the massing and scale to provide the focal point to the estate and of architectural aesthetic that is embedded within the estate historical context dating to medieval times.”
It adds that inspiration for the design has been taken from Skibo Castle in the Highlands.
Castle construction to begin in 2024
Now, proposals to build the castle have been given the green light by Perth and Kinross Council.
A single-storey shooting lodge is to be demolished to allow for the construction of the castle.
The property will be built over three storeys.
It will also include an entrance hall, kitchen, dining room, drawing room and sun room on its ground floor.
Each of the rooms will contain an en suite – while some will also feature balconies. The basement will house a wine cellar.
Estate manager Philip Blount hopes work may begin on the project next year.
He said: “We’re half way through the year and we’ve got seven houses to finish, and then we’re going to get busy with the shooting season.
“I imagine work will begin on the lodge next spring.”
Mr Blount, who manages a team of seven on the estate, said the multi-million-pound investment has transformed the estate.
“When we took over, the estate was pretty much derelict,” he said.
“The owners have invested in full infrastructure for the estate from roads to fencing and farming. We’ve renovated seven new holiday lets as well.”
He said the owners are hands-on with the project, but the day-to-day running of the estate is down to him.
“The owners are here a lot and they really believe in the people who work here,” he added.
History of Logiealmond Estate
The estate, which dates back to medieval times, was sold to Sir John Drummond of Burnbank in 1668.
Thomas Drummond became the second Laird of Logiealmond, having fought at Sheriffmuir in 1715 as a Jacobite sympathiser.
John Drummond inherited Logieamond from his uncle in 1757 and became the third laird.
By 1846 the estate was owned by Sir William Drummond Stewart, who sold it to the fourth Earl of Mansfield. It then became part of the Mansfield Estate.
