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Places to Visit in
the Borders
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Floors Castle - Kelso
Clearly visible from Kelso Bridge, looking
upstream, and just North of the River Tweed and West of Kelso is Floors Castle - the largest inhabited house in Scotland.
The
original house, which was a plain, simple dwelling, was re-designed by
William Adam in the 1720's, as a more grand dwelling for John Ker, 1st Duke of Roxburghe
(c.1682 - 1740), but William Playfair, when he remodelled it in 1849
for the 6th Duke, added all the frills and fripperies which we see today. It
remains the seat of the Dukes of Roxburgh
It has been visited by many
Royal Personages including Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1867.
Within the Estate grounds there is a Holly tree which marks the spot where King James II while besieging the nearby Roxburgh
Castle in1460 was killed by the accidental explosion of a large
cannon, known as The Lion.
The very splendid entrance
gates designed by Reginald Fairlie and were erected in 1929 as a silver wedding gift from the 8th Duchess to
her husband.
On view, within the Castle, are many fine pieces of French
furniture from the 17th and 18th centuries, paintings by Raeburn and Gainsborough, 15th-century
Brussels tapestries, along with oriental and european
porcelain.
Within the grounds are fine walks, a walled garden, picnic areas and a
garden centre and restaurant.
Those who saw the film 'Tarzan of Greystoke' may recognise the building,
as it was the setting of the film. Locals also took part as extras in the
production. Open Easter to October, seven days. Admission charge. |
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Floors Castle in Kelso and home of the Duke
and Duchess of Roxburghe is perhaps the largest inhabited castle in
Scotland.
The rank of a Duke in the British aristocracy is the highest rank bestowed by
the Monarch The Duke of Roxburgh owns Floors Castle and an Estate of
60,000 acres around the Cheviots and the River Tweed as well as hotels in the
area.
If half of the Roxburgh estate is farmland, it will have a market
value of about £66m (£2,200 per acre). The remainder - mixed and hill
country - is worth a further £23m. Fishing rights add significantly and the
family art collection adds at least £10m.
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