Eerie abandoned castle once home to Prime Minister and Hollywood actress' family

Breathtaking photographs reveal a crumbling castle which once provided sanctuary for a Prime Minister and boasted connections to a Hollywood star's lineage. The magnificent Dalquharran Castle stands majestically within a South Ayrshire woodland in Scotland - merely six miles from the picturesque coastal settlement of Girvan.

The property has remained deserted for seven decades following World War 2, deemed too vast and costly to preserve - with vegetation now engulfing and penetrating the structure. Former Prime Minister Herbert Asquith once resided within its walls - alongside Harry Potter star Helena Bonham Carter's great-grandfather.

In 1967, the lead roofing was stripped away, enabling the proprietors at the time to classify the building as uninhabitable and not have to make rate payments, according to reports.

The fortress received category A listed status in 1971, with its designation describing the property as "a castle-style mansion by Robert Adam, circa 1790".

In the years since, the impressive structure has been largely reclaimed by nature.

The interior remained in excellent condition during the late 1960s, but photos released in early 2017 revealed the internal spaces had deteriorated completely in the years that followed.

Access to the structure in recent times has been forbidden due to safety concerns.

Another abandoned structure, Old Dalquharran Castle, is within the 260-estate and is often mixed up with the former mansion.

It was reportedly abandoned around 1800.

The entire estate was put on the market in June 2019 for £800,000, with the sprawling property including "medieval ruins of Dalquharran Castle and the striking Dalquharran Mansion House, productive farmland, mature woodland and a number of smaller development opportunities".

The building estate is no longer on the market.