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Eccentric Wealth: The Bulloughs of Rum
In Eccentric Wealth, Alastair Scott traces the life of Lancashire industrialist Sir George Bullough in this absorbing biography which explores his family’s connection with the Hebridean island of Rum, particularly the building of Kinloch Castle, the most intact preserve of Edwardian highliving to be found in Britain.
Based on new information, the book offers a fascinating insight into the life and times of one of the great eccentrics of his age, including the Bullough myths and scandals which continue to make extraordinary reading more than a hundred years later.
Based on new information, the book offers a fascinating insight into the life and times of one of the great eccentrics of his age, including the Bullough myths and scandals which continue to make extraordinary reading more than a hundred years later.
272 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 20, 2024
About 20 years ago I went on a guided tour of Kinloch Castle on the Isle of Rum, which is one of the Inner Hebrides. Despite its name, the building is an Edwardian country house/shooting lodge, built at the opening of the 20th century by the island’s then owner, Sir George Bullough. He was the son and grandson of textile magnates from Accrington in Lancashire. His grandfather was born into a working class home and made his fortune through having a keen brain and a talent for technological innovation. His father, who bought the island, was also a successful and innovative businessman, but George himself left the business to be run by his managers and dedicated his life to spending as much of his inherited fortune as he possibly could. At the beginning of the 20th century he had an annual income of around £300,000, a staggeringly large sum at the time. There was enormous extravagance in and around the house, including for example heated pools containing turtles and alligators.
The house is not, in my opinion, a very attractive building. The author comments that “it is far from pretty and lacks elegance, resembling a squat pastiche of Balmoral in miniature.” What makes it interesting is that it still has all the original contents, to the extent that Sir George’s boots are still located next to his bed. It is a sort of time capsule of the Edwardian upper classes. The book’s cover is a photo of part of the interior. Sir George had several different homes and only visited Kinloch Castle once a year during the shooting season, from roughly mid-August to mid-October.
One of the reasons I read the book was that there are all sorts of stories and rumours about what went on at Kinloch Castle during the annual visits. Even the content of the guided tour I went on was a bit livelier than you might normally expect from a tour of a stately home. Sir George’s wife, Lady Monica, had something of a racy reputation, and much speculation also arose from the design of the castle ballroom. Its windows are set high up, so that passers-by could not see in, and the orchestra played on a stage behind a thick curtain. Servants were not present during the balls, and drinks orders were dealt with via a “dumb waiter” device. All this was to ensure no outsiders could see what was going on, which of course raised in everyone’s mind the question, “What was going on?”
On the whole the author tends to play down this aspect. He dismisses entirely one popular story, about a young woman dancing on top of a Steinway grand piano, and comments that most of the others are nothing more than rumour, without any evidence to back them up. I support his commitment to accuracy, although it did detract from the book’s potential entertainment value!
The book is an easy read, and the local history aspect appealed to me. The author is reasonably sympathetic to Sir George and Lady Monica, suggesting they were relatively benevolent landlords and employers, at least by the standards of the day. However, if I was to try and be objective, Sir George isn’t an especially interesting subject for a biographer. He led a life of leisure, his main interests being horseracing, shooting, fishing and foxhunting.
It seems that the house is suffering increasingly from damp, rot, and leaks. It is, I believe, still open for tours, timed to take place with the arrival of ferries from the mainland, but for how much longer? I personally feel it is worth preserving, but there are those who don’t agree.
The house is not, in my opinion, a very attractive building. The author comments that “it is far from pretty and lacks elegance, resembling a squat pastiche of Balmoral in miniature.” What makes it interesting is that it still has all the original contents, to the extent that Sir George’s boots are still located next to his bed. It is a sort of time capsule of the Edwardian upper classes. The book’s cover is a photo of part of the interior. Sir George had several different homes and only visited Kinloch Castle once a year during the shooting season, from roughly mid-August to mid-October.
One of the reasons I read the book was that there are all sorts of stories and rumours about what went on at Kinloch Castle during the annual visits. Even the content of the guided tour I went on was a bit livelier than you might normally expect from a tour of a stately home. Sir George’s wife, Lady Monica, had something of a racy reputation, and much speculation also arose from the design of the castle ballroom. Its windows are set high up, so that passers-by could not see in, and the orchestra played on a stage behind a thick curtain. Servants were not present during the balls, and drinks orders were dealt with via a “dumb waiter” device. All this was to ensure no outsiders could see what was going on, which of course raised in everyone’s mind the question, “What was going on?”
On the whole the author tends to play down this aspect. He dismisses entirely one popular story, about a young woman dancing on top of a Steinway grand piano, and comments that most of the others are nothing more than rumour, without any evidence to back them up. I support his commitment to accuracy, although it did detract from the book’s potential entertainment value!
The book is an easy read, and the local history aspect appealed to me. The author is reasonably sympathetic to Sir George and Lady Monica, suggesting they were relatively benevolent landlords and employers, at least by the standards of the day. However, if I was to try and be objective, Sir George isn’t an especially interesting subject for a biographer. He led a life of leisure, his main interests being horseracing, shooting, fishing and foxhunting.
It seems that the house is suffering increasingly from damp, rot, and leaks. It is, I believe, still open for tours, timed to take place with the arrival of ferries from the mainland, but for how much longer? I personally feel it is worth preserving, but there are those who don’t agree.
July 30, 2018
Having sailed to Rum this year and having seen the castle, I was intrigued by this book.
Very well researched, well written and interesting.
Very well researched, well written and interesting.
August 8, 2012
Enjoyed this story of eccentric Sir George Bullough even though it made him appear a lot less eccentric than the rumours about him. We visited Kinloch Cadtle a couple of summers ago. A fascinating place in a time warp. The structure is crumbling away but the trappings of luxury and wealth experienced in the early twentieth century are still visible. A much more accessible place than a National Trust property. We were invited to play the Steinway piano - one of the first made. Sir George was third generation and inherited huge wealth. He lived a life of leisure touring the world in his steamer, enjoying his Scottish island and his passion for horses and racing. The book gave depth to his story and clarified some misconceptions. However the real George remained elusive. No words from him or his wife appear. It's impossible to know what they were like as people with such an absence of letters or diaries. However I very much enjoyed the book and might well visit the island of Rum again one day.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews