Castles · Scottish Lowlands
Floors Castle
In or near Eccles.
Floors Castle — country house in Roxburghshire, south-east Scotland.
Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 1.5 h–3 h
- Paid entry
- Family-friendly
- Limited wheelchair access
About
Floors Castle is a castle in the United Kingdom — fortified architecture from the medieval, Tudor, or Victorian-revival period. Designed by William Henry Playfair. Heritage designation: category A listed building. Wikidata describes it as: "country house in Roxburghshire, south-east Scotland". Coordinates: 55.6048°, -2.4601°.
Photo gallery
Heritage listing
Floors Castle, in Roxburghshire, south-east Scotland, is the seat of the Duke of Roxburghe. Despite its name it is an estate house rather than a fortress. It was built in the 1720s by the architect William Adam for John Ker, 1st Duke of Roxburghe, possibly incorporating an earlier tower house. In the 19th century it was embellished with turrets and battlements, designed by William Playfair, for The 6th Duke of Roxburghe. Floors has the common 18th-century layout of a main block with two symmetrical service wings. Floors Castle stands by the bank of the River Tweed and overlooks the Cheviot Hills to the south.
From Historic Environment Scotland under OGL v3.
Summary from the official site
Floors Castle is Scotland's largest inhabited castle, built for the 1st Duke of Roxburghe in 1721. Visitors can explore the evolving story of the house, which reflects the tastes and ideas of its successive generations, as well as enjoy the beautiful walled gardens and plant centre.
Read more on the official property page.
From the Wikipedia article
Floors Castle, in Roxburghshire, south-east Scotland, is the seat of the Duke of Roxburghe. Despite its name it is an estate house rather than a fortress. It was built in the 1720s by the architect William Adam for John Ker, 1st Duke of Roxburghe, possibly incorporating an earlier tower house. In the 19th century it was embellished with turrets and battlements, designed by William Playfair, for The 6th Duke of Roxburghe. Floors has the common 18th-century layout of a main block with two symmetrical service wings. Floors Castle stands by the bank of the River Tweed and overlooks the Cheviot Hills to the south. Floors Castle is now a category A listed building, and the grounds are listed in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes, the national listing of significant gardens in Scotland. It is open to the public.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
History
The Ker family, Earls and Dukes of Roxburghe, have held lands in Roxburghshire since the 12th century. Their origins are not certain, but they were likely of Norman stock originally. Since the accession of Sir James Innes as Duke in 1812, they have used the double-barelled name "Innes-Ker". The name of Floors Castle is thought to come either from "flowers" (or the French fleurs), or from the "floors", or terraces, on which the castle is built.
Description
John, Earl of Roxburghe (1680–1741), played a role in securing the Union of England and Scotland in 1707, and was rewarded by being created Duke of Roxburghe. He commissioned the Scottish architect William Adam (1689–1748), father of Robert Adam, to design a new mansion incorporating the earlier tower house. It was built between 1721 and 1726, and comprised a plain block, with towers at each corner. Pavilions on either side housed stables and kitchens. Around 1837, James Innes-Ker, 6th Duke of Roxburghe (1816–1879) commissioned the fashionable architect William Henry Playfair to remodel and rebuild the plain Georgian mansion house he had inherited. The present form of the building is the…
Visiting
The castle featured in the 1984 movie Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes and was also featured on an episode of An American Aristocrat's Guide to Great Estates on the Smithsonian Channel and Amazon Prime Video: it first aired in 2020. <gallery> Floors Castle Morris edited.jpg|Floors Castle in 1880, viewed across the Tweed Floors Castle4.jpg|Floors Castle 10th Duke of Roxburghe 4 Allan Warren.jpg|Guy, 10th Duke of Roxburghe outside Floors Castle, by Allan Warren </gallery>
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 55.6048, -2.4601
- District
- Scottish Borders
- Postcode
- TD5 7RW
- Parliamentary constituency
- Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk
- Opening
- May 12:00-16:00; Jun-Sep 11:00-16:00
- Official site
- web.archive.org
Sources
- wikidata: Q11838960 (CC0)
- wikipedia: Floors Castle (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- commons: Floors Castle, Roxburghshire.jpg (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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📷 4Frequently asked questions
- Where is Floors Castle?
- Floors Castle is in central Scotland, United Kingdom (postcode TD5 7RW).
- What is Floors Castle?
- Floors Castle — country house in Roxburghshire, south-east Scotland.
- How do I get to Floors Castle?
- Drivers can use postcode TD5 7RW.
- Is Floors Castle a listed building?
- Floors Castle is officially recognised as category A listed building listed.
- Does Floors Castle charge admission?
- Floors Castle typically charges admission. Check the official site for current ticket prices and opening hours.
- How do I get to Floors Castle?
- Drivers can navigate to postcode TD5 7RW. It sits within the Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk parliamentary constituency.