Lemlair House
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Lemlair House was originally built as a fortified seat for the chief of the Clan Munro in 1643. However it soon became the home of Colonel John Munro of Lemlair, a near relative of the chief. Lemlair is situated halfway north of Dingwall and south of Evanton, and is just a short distance from Foulis Castle. The name "Lemlair" is thought to come from the Gaelic for "a bare place suitable for grazing horses".
History
The house is closely associated with Colonel John Munro of Lemlair, who fought in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms.
Rebuilding
In 1859, it was bought from Sir Charles Munro of Foulis by "Red John" Munro and it was Red John's grandson, another John, who rebuilt it into the present mansion with its internal fittings featuring the Munro eagle in 1876. He moved into the house in 1879 and it has had only three owners since then.
Lemlair today
The mansion is set in 6 acres (24,000 m2) of grounds. The building features a Rennie Mackintosh tiled fireplace and mantelpiece, a snooker room, a tiled-floor veranda overlooking the firth, a tennis court, eight bedrooms, stained-glass windows and Munro clan features such as a fireplace depicting the famous eagle emblem. The house has recently been extensively referbished including exterior woodwork to bring the house back to original standard.
The area boasts excellent fishing, shooting and stalking and countryside walks.