Kelburn Castle

There is no written record of when Kelburn Castle was first built but it is thought to be around 1200. The original Norman Keep was added to in 1581 and the new castle and old castle so skilfully joined and re-roofed that the two periods are now difficult to distinguish from the outside. In 1581 the door was moved to the south side, now a window above which you can see the carved initials of the Laird at the time, John Boyle, and his wife Marion Crawford.

In 1700, the 1st Earl doubled the size of the building by adding a William-and-Mary style mansion house onto the Castle at a slight angle, built to the Earl's instructions by the well known mason, Thomson Caldwell. Defence was then no longer a function of castles and the 1700 addition was of a more comfortable and ornamental design rather more in the style of a French chateau than an English Stately Home.

The Victorian Wing was built in 1879-80, possibly by Alexander Crum, M.P. for Renfrew, who rented Kelburn from 1875 to 1886 from the 6th Earl of Glasgow, who spent most of his time in one of his other Scottish homes.

The Centre Buildings

The Centre Buildings were built in 1700 as the Home Farm. They were once home to cows, pigs, horses and hens as well as the community of estate and domestic workers who lived in the cottages. The Home Farm had a laundry to service the castle and a dairy supplying milk and butter. The rooms on the top floors acted as sleeping quarters for the milk maids and laundry maids. The farm buildings were in active use up until the First World Ware. Now the sawmill is the only part that has retained its original function.

In 1977, the buildings were converted into an information office, a cafe, a shop, an exhibition room, two houses and a flat.

The Weeping Larch

One of Scotland's 100 Heritage Trees

The most remarkable of all trees at Kelburn is the Weeping Larch, which spreads over about a quarter of an acre between the tennis court and the Plaisance. This unique mutant is thought to be 180 years old and is like no other. Its branches grow out in all directions and those that touch the ground seem to regenerate themselves, travelling sometimes upwards again and sometimes along the ground like a snake. Some of the branches have fused into other branches and, unless closely inspected, it is difficult to believe that this great monster is in fact all one tree.

The Monterey Pine

The Monterey Pine on the east side of the tennis court is the oldest and tallest of it's kind in Scotland. It is over one hundred feet tall and is easily recognisable because it is half as tall again as any other tree in the garden area.

The 1000 Year Old Yews

A Pair of Scotland's 100 Heritage Trees

In the garden are two magnificent yew trees which have been dated at over one thousand years old and are thus older than the castle and the estate. They are deemed to be two of the finest in Scotland.

The Plaisance (Walled Garden)

'Plaisance' is a French word meaning a pleasant place. It is a formal garden walled on three sides. Old paintings show it was likely to have been built in the late 18th century, The iron gate on the north side of the garden was a present given to the 8th Earl and his wife by the estate workers in 1956 on their Golden Wedding Anniversary. On the gates you will see the dates of their marriage and the double headed eagle, which is the Boyle family crest.

The Children's Garden

In 1769 the 3rd Earl ordered this box garden to be planted for his son and three daughters. It forms the shape of the Scottish flag with the children's initials planted in miniature hedges in the inside corner of the four individual gardens. The initials stand for Lady Elizabeth, Lady Helen, Lady Jane and Lord George (later the 4th Earl of Glasgow) Boyle.

The Waterfall Pool

At the bottom of the Glen and only one hundred yards from the castle, the burn drops a sheer 20 feet into a spectacular grotto surrounded on three sides by overhanding cliffs of sandstone. Up until 1951, the fall of water from a smaller waterfall that also spills into the grotto, was used to generate electricity for the castle.

The Monument

The Monument is to the memory of the 3rd Earl. It was designed by Robert Adam and erected in 1775 by the 3rd Earl's wife shortly after his death. It is situated in the 3rd Earl's favourite part of the Glen and its romantic inscription clearly shows the affection his wife had for him.

The Sundial

The sundial was erected in 1707 by the 1st Earl and is regarded as one of the most important in Scotland. It has recently been partly renovated. Behind it on the west wall of the castle is the double headed eagle crest. This family crest of the Boyles appears in several places in the castle and around the estate.

The Museum and Pond

The 7th Earl of Glasgow was appointed Governor of New Zealand in 1892. The museum at the end of the duckpond was built in 1898 to house his New Zealand collections. Some of these articles can still be seen in the museum as part of a display there.

The pond in fron of the Museum was originally a Lily Pond but was converted into a Curling Pond before the 1st World War. However it fell into disrepair as the winters during the middle of the century got mysteriously warmer. It was re-landscaped into a duck pond when the Country Centre opened in 1977.