A proud piece of Bahrain shines brightly in a display cabinet located in a distinguished Banqueting Hall in a towering ancient castle on the Isle of Mull, an island off the Atlantic coast of Scotland.
Showing the figure of the Late Amir His Highness Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, and carried on a ribbon of the kingdom’s colours, the medal was presented to the castle of Duart’s Charles Hector Fitzroy Maclean, Baron Maclean.
He became the 27th Clan Chief of Clan Maclean of Duart in 1936 and was Lord Chamberlain to Britain’s late Queen Elizabeth II from 1971 to 1984.
The Lord Chamberlain of the Household is the most senior officer of the Royal Household of the United Kingdom, supervising the departments which support and provide advice to the Sovereign.
The office organises all ceremonial activity such as state visits and, it was in this role that he hosted Shaikh Isa during his official journey to the UK, helping coordinate ceremonies and meetings.
His eldest child, Sir Lachlan Hector Charles Maclean of Duart, is the current chief and told the GDN that Clan Maclean was very proud of its treasured link to the kingdom.
“I would love the people of Bahrain to visit us here in Scotland to see this very old castle that was built in 1360 and they would be very welcome,” he told the GDN.
His father had impressive links with the scouting movement, which has strong links with Bahrain too to this day. The Boy Scouts Association appointed Maclean as its Chief Scout of the UK from 1959 to 1971 and Commonwealth from 1959 to 1975.
The World Organisation of the Scout Movement’s committee awarded him its only distinction, the Bronze Wolf, for exceptional services to world Scouting.
The Exhibition area at the top of the Castle is dedicated to the History of the Chiefs of the Clan through the ages. Also in this room, there are wall hangings and memorabilia dedicated to The Scouting Association and its history and links with the Macleans.
The magnificent Great Hall also delights visitors young and old. Adjacent to the Sea Room, the walls are 3m to 7m thick and overlook the Courtyard.
It boasts family portraits and the Coats of Arms and the state bedroom and dressing room is also open to visitors and remains as furnished for the wartime honeymoon of Lord Maclean and his bride.
The wardrobe collection on display includes military uniforms and dresses dating from 1750.
The castle has been used as a location in the 1945 film ‘I Know Where I’m Going!’ It was also featured in the 1971 film When Eight Bells Toll, starring Anthony Hopkins and in the 1999 film Entrapment, starring Sean Connery (who has MacLean ancestry on his mother’s side). It was also the setting for the base of Buffy Summers in the first half of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight.
The Isle of Mull, which can be reached by a car ferry from Oban on the mainland, boasts a coastline of 480km and has witnessed other small screen fame too.
With a population of 3,063, it has the eighth largest island population in Scotland. In the summer, these numbers are augmented by an influx of many tourists.
Much of the year-round population lives in the colourful main settlement of Tobermory, a planned fishing town which was the filming location of Balamory, a popular children’s TV show, the popularity of which caused an increase in families flocking to the destination.
The island is home to the highest mountain and only Munro in the Scottish islands outside of Skye, Ben More, which dominates the skyline. Off the west coast of the island lie many smaller islands, including Iona and Staffa, with Ulva being the largest of the outlying ones. There are boats trips to see the famed puffins nesting and seals resting too.
Duart, however, remains one of the few original clan seats that has survived as the home of the Chief and his family while also being open to the public.
In recent years more than BD600,000 has been invested in upgrading the castle in a determined bid to keep it safe from water penetration.
In the winter of 2013 the castle lost four ceilings and the following year a restoration appeal was launched. Since then, the pointing of the walls, the state of the asphalt on the walkways, and the re-pointing of all the chimneys has been partially covered by family contributions, support from Historic Scotland and generous public donations, with around half the sum still to be raised for ongoing work.
For more than 700 years, Duart Castle, the seat of Clan Maclean, has dominated the view to the Sound of Mull and Loch Linnhe with its huge curtain walls and solid keep.
Bahrainis are now being officially invited to tour the Castle, explore the grounds and learn more about the Clan.
editor@gdnmedia.bh
The beautiful bedroom inside the castle
The GDN edition covering the Amir’s visit
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