The ruins of Cargill’s Castle stand on a promontory overlooking the Pacific Ocean in New Zealand’s southern city of Dunedin. It is one of only two castles in New Zealand, the other being nearby Larnach Castle. More a castle in name than in fact, this mansion was built for Edward Cargill, one of the sons of city founder William Cargill, in the late 19th century, who called it The Cliffs. Designed by the architect Francis Petre, it was largely destroyed in a fire in the 1940s and is today just a shell. Plans have been made on several occasions to restore the building to its former glory, but none have ever proceeded. Rocky landscape with ruins, by Nicolaes Berchem, ca. ... Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, located in coastal Otago. ... The Alcázar of Segovia, Spain A castle (from the Latin castellum, diminutive of castra, a military camp, in turn the plural of castrum or watchpost), is a fort, a camp and the logical development of a fortified enclosure. ... Larnach Castle (often incorrectly referred to as Larnachs Castle), is an imposing mansion on the ridge of Otago Peninsula within the limits of the city of Dunedin, New Zealand. ... Mansion near Almelo, The Netherlands Introduction A mansion is a large and stately dwelling house. ... William Cargill was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, 1784. ... Francis Petre 1847–1918 Francis (Frank) William Petre ( 27 August 1847– 10 December 1918) was a prominent New Zealand-born architect based in Dunedin. ... Centuries: 19th century - 20th century - 21st century Decades: 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s - 1940s - 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s Years: 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 Events and trends Technology First nuclear bomb First cruise missile, the V1 flying bomb and the first ballistic missile, the...

Close to the castle is Tunnel Beach, so named because this quiet beach is only accessible through a steeply sloping tunnel cut into the 60-metre high cliffs by the Cargill family. The beach is reached via a public walking track, some six kilometres southwest of the city centre.

References

Herd, J. & Griffiths, G.J. (1980). Discovering Dunedin. Dunedin: John McIndoe. ISBN 0-86868-030-3.