Castle Toward

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Castle Toward is an outdoor education facility, based in a nineteenth century country house on the southern tip of the Cowal peninsula in Argyll, Scotland.

[edit] History

The original Toward Castle dates from the 15th century. Now ruined, it was owned by the Clan Lamont until 1809.^[1]

The present Castle Toward was built in 1820 by Kirkman Finlay, former Lord Provost of Glasgow, as his family's country house. Later owned and extended by the Coats family of Paisley, the house is a castellated mansion house with Italian plasterwork installed in the public rooms in 1920. The grounds incorporate the ruins of the sixteenth century Toward Castle, the Chinese lakes, wooded areas, access to the shore, and stunning views over the Clyde estuary.

The Castle and 226 acres of woodland were purchased by the Corporation of Glasgow in the 1940s. The building was used initially as a residential school for children recovering from illness or living in deprived home conditions. It then became available for residential education for children from all Glasgow Primary Schools and operated for 50 years as an outward bound centre, being used by up to 4000 children (?per year) from Glasgow and Renfrewshire.

During the Second World War the castle was used as a combined operations centre (COC No. 2), HMS Brontosaurus.^[2]

With the reorganisation of local government in Scotland in 1996, ownership passed to Argyll and Bute Council and such centres were threatened with closure. A rescue operation was mounted by Castle Toward’s then principal, Peter Wilson, and a company, Actual Reality was formed, which kept the castle in use as an outward bound centre, along with the council-owned centre at Ardentinny.^[3] There have been several attempts by the council to sell the estate, but all have met with fierce opposition.^[4]

[edit] Current uses

Toward Castle is now a residential training centre operated by Actual Reality. With a keen team of instructors lead by Head of centre, Bonita Ellmore the Outdoor education activities include high ropes, kayaking, orienteering as well as gorge walks and hill walks. For younger children there are wide games amongst other activities that are played outside.^[5] Its long history has led to a multitude of ghost stories, much perpetuated by the young people who visit.

The grounds of the outdoor education centre are used as a location for the children's BBC TV series Raven, featuring the actor James MacKenzie.^[6]

As well as outdoor education, the house is also used for residential courses for young people in music and art. The Glasgow Schools' Symphony Orchestra and West of Scotland Schools' Symphony Orchestra visit regularly. The castle's composer-in-residence is John Maxwell Geddes, who wrote a Postlude for Strings in protest at plans to sell the castle.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Footnotes

1. ^ Toward Castle. Dark Isle. Retrieved on 2007-11-11.
2. ^ Combined Training Centre - Castle Toward. Retrieved on 2007-03-04.
3. ^ "Castle Toward Sell Off", Dunoon Observer, 10 October 2003. Retrieved on 2007-03-04. 
4. ^ "Toward Fight Goes On", Dunoon Observer, 6 February 2004. Retrieved on 2007-03-04. 
5. ^ Castle Toward. Actual Reality. Retrieved on 2007-03-04.
6. ^ 'Raven' - the children's TV gameshow. BBC. Retrieved on 2007-11-11.