KINLOCH CASTLE SMOKING AND GAMES ROOM

Billiards, Pool, Pyramids, Skittles, Billiard Skittles, Mah Jong, Roulette, Bridge, Backgammon ...

 George Randall has been researching and photographing Kinloch Castle 

for over  thirty years and posted over 120 fully researched illustrated  blogs under the heading:    

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ART TREASURES OF KINLOCH CASTLE 

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View into the Smoking Room from Games Room.

Note the six Doulton Lambeth white ware spherical match-strikers and the Shell Case,

(later stolen) on the mantelshelf.    

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SMOKING AND BILLIARD ROOM WALLPAPER.

The wallpaper is most likely original.

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BILLIARD TABLE

Manufacturers to H.M. Queen Victoria, 

H.R.H. The Prince of Wales, H.R.H. The Duke of Edinburgh, H.R.H. The Duke of Connaught, 

The King of the Belgians, The King of Greece. &c..

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Location of Smoking and Games Room.

The dais gives spectators a clear view of play. The window overlooks the courtyard.

          View out of dais window: entry to courtyard.  

Right Window: Laundry Room visible, walkway leading on to dining room, Bistro (right).

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Photograph by author during his visit, Thursday 17 July 2025.

Commissioned in 1897 by twenty-seven year old George Bullough as his Highland hunting lodge Kinloch Castle was initially laid out as a male preserve for his wealthy bachelor pursuits.  

With invited friends, a day's shooting on the hill or fishing in the numerous rivers and lochs, followed by lavish meals in the sumptuous dining room would be rounded off 

with  cigars and brandy in the Smoking Room and perhaps a game of billiards, roulette, 

or backgammon, in the adjoining Games Room.

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Inventories of Contents record the table as having being "recovered".

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Stale air extractor vents and control.

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Traditionally played on a full size table, Pyramids was challenging due to the very narrow, 

tight pockets found on vintage British tables such as the one in Kinloch Castle.

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Burroughes & Watts scoreboard.

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BILLIARD SKITTLES

                                   LEFT: George Bullough's hand written Billiard Skittles Rules.

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MAH  JONG

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ROULETTE

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BACKGAMMON

STRIKING WATERCOLOUR

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GAMES ROOM LIGHT FITTINGS

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Original Electric Wall Light Fitting.

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Ceiling three branch light in Smoking Room..    Wall lights in Games Room.

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MISCELANEOUS ITEMS:

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               Inside the Loving Cup.                                                    The base of the Loving Cup..

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STAFFORDSHIRE MUG

Item 441 in 1978 Inventory
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PRINTED BLUE AND WHITE PEARLWARE 

This is the vase on the left which contains some very dry potpourri and is damaged.

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POINTON & CO., LTD., CERAMIC VASE

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Over the years many items, large and small, were moved around or "disappeared".

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PRIEST AT DOOR OF INCA TEMPLE

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1996 Inventory description:

ROCKY COAST, RHUM by Byron Cooper.

Watercolour, Signed and dated 1909. 89 x 36 cms. (35 x 14 inches.) Smoking Room.

The view is near Harris Bay, the Isle of Muck in the distance.

There are three Byron Cooper watercolours displayed in the Smoking / Games Room.

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1996 Inventory description:

KINLOCH BAY (Loch Scresort) by Byron Cooper.

Watercolour.

 Signed and dated 1901 in bottom right hand corner.1. (Not 1909 as in Inventory.)
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1996 Inventory description:

VIEW OF KINLOCH CASTLE IN THE DISTANCE

The trees were planted during the tenure of  Dr. Lachlan Maclean 

 and in this painting will be over seventy years old.

The sail boat is named Mystery.

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OAK CASED CLOCK

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A VETERINARY TOX BOX 

A ready-to-go portable kit used by Victorian veterinarians to treat toxicities immediately.

Located on the floor to right of Smoking Room fireplace.

The ever present casual approach to recording contents!

Although crossed-out the Pointon Floral Vase appears to be included in a long list (below) 

of fifteen identified items all clubbed together  with a total (1996) value of £800.

Unless it refers to a second Pointon vase? ... ... ... missing?

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THE TANTALUS

The handle rotates 90 degrees when unlocked to allow the decanters to be removed.

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.BUSH SKETCHES WITH PEN AND PENCIL

by Harry Stockdale.

The Archive records great detail.

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SMOKING ROOM 

NOW YOU SEE IT                                                  NOW YOU DON'T.

Compare the photograph left, taken May 1995 with the one right taken October 1996. 

The oil painting of Sir George Bullough's Gordon Setter, "Rum Bess" has been removed for the purposes of the professional painting survey  conducted in March 1996 and not replaced.

 It was replaced by the author  during his July 1996 visit.

The BRASS SHELL CASE was STOLEN.

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1996 INVENTORY DESCRIPTIONS:

Brass shell case   (In front of the medal display, was later STOLEN.) 

A late 19th. century rectangular brass and hide upholstered club fender, ring turned uprights.

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Six Doulton Lambeth Art Pottery, London, spherical match strikers. (On mantel shelf.)

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A mahogany case with twenty various medals and five Crufts Shields.

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Samuel Pearl, Irish Setter, oil on canvas, signed, 57½ x 101 cms.

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LET'S NOW TAKE A MUCH  CLOSER LOOK AT THE RUM BESS PAINTING,
CRUFT'S DOG SHOW AND OTHER MEDALS.

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The Scottish Kennel Club, Ayr. 1900.

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On the foreshore of Loch Scresort.

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STABLE YARD, KINLOCH.

This framed photograph is displayed to the left of the rear wall of the Games Room,

it is not identified individually being described as one of 

"Remaining contents of room in framed photographs". 

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THREE PIGS IN A BYRE

Oil on canvas, signed and dated, G. Morland 1796.

74 x 61 cms. (29 x 24 inches)

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          (1996  Inventory description.)     

The work is titled: Part of the Isle of Rum.

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WALNUT DESK

A late Victorian walnut desk the upper stage with swan neck pediment,

decorative panels above two central drawers with two tiered drawers to each side. 

 gilt tooled skiver inset into moulded and carved surface, 

central frieze drawer with further two to each side. 

All above an open stage base. 140 cms. wide. (55 inches.)

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One of the three Rum Forest record books lies on the desk, lower photograph, with a blue backed three volume set of collected Speeches and Verses by John Bullough, (Sir George's father).

 

Two Rum Forest Record Books lie left on the stage base. 

Upholstered Persian Carpet chair with tasselled frieze.

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COUPLE OF SPORTING DOGS IN EBONISED GLAZED FRAME.

Mezzotint by William Ward, A.R.A.*, 1766-1826, after John Nost Sartorious, 1755-1828.  

(* Engraver to H.R.H. Frederick Augustus, Duke of York, second son of King George III.)

Ward's engravings of prized hunting dogs created a veritable craze in England, 

creating an entire genre of sporting art.

The dog on the right is pointing.

SETTERS IN EBONISED GLAZED FRAME

Coloured mezzotint by William Ward after George Morland.

The two prints were published in London on 15 June 1806 by James Linnell.

William Ward is regarded as one on England's greatest mezzotint engravers of the early nineteenth century, he was appointed engraver to the Duke of York in 1803 

and elected an Associate Engraver of the Royal Academy in 1814.  

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AND FINALLY THE LIGHT FITTING IN THE SMOKING ROOM.

(Not recorded in the Inventories.)

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GEORGE W. RANDALL RESEARCH ARCHIVE

10 MAY 2026