Verenigd Koninkrijk (UK) 0 LEUCHARS • ST ANDREWS • FIFE

ONE OF THE BEST KEPT 16TH CENTURY HOUSES IN SCOTLAND IN WORLD-FAMOUS WALLED GARDEN BEAUTIFULLY RESTORED BY SIR ROBERT LORIMER


ABOUT THIS PROPERTY
Earlshall takes its name from the hunting lodge of 'The Erlishall' owned by the Earls of Fife, relatives of King Robert de Bruce. Sir William Bruce began building the castle in 1546. The castle was built with large windows rather than narrow slit windows used for defence. Musket loops and smaller windows were provided in strategic places as an insurance against armed incursion. Sir William Bruce received Mary Queen of Scots at Earlshall in 1561. Later James VI of Scotland who became James I of England also visited. Both monarchs would have ridden from the royal palace of Falkland to hunt at Earlshall.

Alexander Bruce had his marriage commemorated on the granite fireplace in the Great Hall. William, and Agnes Lindsay were responsible for the painted ceiling in the Long Gallery. Painted the full length of the 50 foot long roof are the coats of arms of European royalty, the Prince of Orange and the King of Friesland, Scottish noble families and imaginary nobles. The Baron would sit directly beneath the royal coat of arms when holding his Courts of Barony - signifying that his powers of justice came directly from the King. Sir Andrew the Bloody Bruce was the most notorious Baron of Earlshall. An officer of Claverhouse's dragoons he won the Battle of Killecrackie and earned his name in his brutal putting down of the Covenanters. His footsteps are said to be heard on the spiral stairs of Earlshall to this day.

The line of Bruce's died out in 1708. The castle was inherited by Henderson of Fordell. His family sold the castle in 1824. No maintenance was carried out and it gradually slipped into a state of dereliction. Robert Mackenzie from Perth, purchased the castle in 1890 and employed a young Robert Lorimer to carry out its restoration. Lorimer was later considered Scotland's greatest architect. Earlshall was one of his finest works. Earlshall is closest to the 'Z' plan principle, having a central block with off-set towers and a romantic and pleasing aspect from the gardens. The castle was built in two parts with Dummy Daws forming a separate building. It is approached through the arched Gate House. There is a gateway to a Courtyard which gives entrance to the castle.


GARDENS
Adjoining the castle are magnificent listed walled gardens laid out by Robert Lorimer to reflect and complement the castle. Ancient stone walls various 'rooms' or 'gardens within a garden' divided by yew and holly hedges and encompass the topiary lawn, orchard, rose terrace, bowling green, yew walk and secret garden. The topiary lawn is Earlshall's best known feature and are now over 250 years old. To the west of the castle a haha divides off parkland grazing. Woodland surrounds the parkland on three sides. The grounds extend to 34 acres in all. There is an additional 19 acres with a rotating crop of wheat, barley, et cetera available.


HISTORY - ORIGINS OF THE CASTLE
Earlshall is believed to have taken its name from the site of the hunting lodge of 'The Erlishall' owned by the ancient Earls of Fife, relatives of Robert de Bruce, King of Scotland. The first recorded mention of Earlshall was in 1495 when Sir Alexander Bruce was granted the lands and barony. His successor Sir William Bruce - a counsellor to successive Scottish Monarchs - was granted additional lands and revenue. With this revenue he began the building of the castle in 1546. It is likely that he built the smaller structure which is now called Dummy Daws before building the main castle.

Surprisingly the castle was built with large windows re?ecting the architectural changes in the large new houses which were being built at that time in England, rather than the narrow slit windows used for defensive purposes in Scotland. However, musket loops and smaller windows were provided in strategic places as an insurance against armed incursion. A curtain wall was built between the main castle and the building to the south (Dummy Daws) and probably supported a small stone sentry post above the main gate. Dummy Daws apparently took its name from an 18th century coachman called Daws who resided in these buildings and was unable to speak.

Mary Queen of Scots
Tradition has it that Sir William Bruce received Mary Queen of Scots at Earlshall in 1561 when she was a young girl of 19. Later James VI of Scotland who became James I of England also visited. Both monarchs would have ridden out from the royal palace of Falkland to enjoy the hunting on the lands of Earlshall. Sir William died in 1584.

His grandson Alexander Bruce had his marriage to Euphemia Leslie commemorated on the granite ?replace in the Great Hall on which is carved their quartered coats of arms and initials. Alexander also built the doocot (dove cot) which lies at the end of the lime tree walk - his initials and the date 1599 appear on a stone lintel on the west wide of the building.

The Long Gallery
His son, also called Sir William, and his wife, Dame Agnes Lindsay were responsible for the famous painted ceiling in the Long Gallery which many consider to be the castle's crowning glory. Painted the full length of the 50 foot long roof in grey and black tempera, are the coats of arms of the principal noble families of Scotland as well as those of European royalty and totally imaginary nobles such as David, King of Jerusalem, Hector, Prince of Troy, and Arthur, King of Britain.


GREAT HALL
The Baron would sit directly beneath the royal coat of arms of James VI of Scotland and I of England when holding his Courts of Barony - signifying that his powers of justice came directly from the King. On the opposite side of the ceiling are the allegorical ?gures of the Seven Virtues, and numerous smaller squares contain fabulous creatures and mythological beasts. There are also a number of maxims contained in arcades painted on the walls. The most romantic of the paintings is a simple locket of hearts containing the initials of Sir William and Dame Agnes and the date 1620.

Ghost of the Bloody Bruce and Decline of the Castle
Sir William was succeeded by his son Sir Andrew who in turn was succeeded by his son of the same name. He was the most notorious Baron of Earlshall and was known as the Bloody Bruce. An o?cer of Claverhouse's dragoons in the last quarter of the 17th century, he won the Battle of Killecrackie and earned his name in his brutal putting down of the Covenanters. Ironically he became a Presbyterian himself prior to his death in 1696. His footsteps are said to be heard on the spiral stairs of Earlshall to this day. The direct male line of the Bruce's of Earlshall died out in 1708 with the death of Robert Bruce. The castle passed to his daughter Helen who married James Henderson and it was inherited by Sir John Henderson of Fordell on her death. He was succeeded by his younger brother Sir Robert Bruce Henderson of Fordell and Earlshall who su?ered ?nancial misfortune and in 1824 was forced to sell Earlshall to Colonel Samuel Long of Bromley Hill in Kent.

Colonel Long never lived in the castle which ceased to be a family home. A family of farm workers occupied the castle during this period, no maintenance was carried out and it gradually slipped into a state of dereliction. By 1890 more than half a century's decay and neglect had taken their toll. Although the roof was substantially present, all the window frames and shutters had disappeared and been replaced with wooden bars. In addition a colossal growth of ivy was threatening the stability of the west tower.


Restoration by Robert MacKenzie and Sir Robert Lorimer
Robert Mackenzie, a bleach merchant from Perth, purchased the castle from the Trustees of Colonel Long in 1890 and employed a newly- quali?ed young architect and family friend to undertake its restoration. The concept of restoring an old dilapidated building to live in was unique in the 19th century. The young architect was Robert Lorimer who was later knighted and earned the reputation as arguably Scotland's greatest architect. He considered Earlshall to be one of his finest works.

Lorimer set about its restoration with sympathy and sensitivity - sparing Earlshall from the excesses of Scottish baronial architecture. He created a workable home without compromising the building’s character - including building new kitchens and service accommodation cleverly concealed behind the curtain wall. Lorimer employed only the best workmen and used only the nest materials. He paid great attention to the smallest detail including the design of door hinges and light settings. He installed the beautiful oak screen dividing the dining room from the Great Hall and added stained glass windows in the smaller window openings formerly intended for defensive purposes. At the very top of the main spiral staircase is a pierced iron screen, possibly the product of Thomas Haddon of Edinburgh. His new works were notable but perhaps his greatest single achievement was rescuing the Long Gallery and its painted ceiling.

* Lorimer also constructed the arched Gate House in 1890, which features 3 double bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1 dining room, 1 sitting room, and 1 kitchen.

* Dummy Daws, dating back to 1495. This house is named after the deaf-mute coachman who was called Daws and comprises a sitting-dining room, dining kitchen, 2 double bedrooms, and a bathroom.

* Lindsay's Cottage, adorned with five stone monkeys frolicking along the roof ridge, offers a kitchen dining area, 1 mezzanine sitting room, 2 bedrooms, and 1 bathroom.

* The Dowry House, built in 1890, encompasses a kitchen and a bathroom on the ground floor, and an upstairs bedsitter, accessible via an external staircase. The Garden Pavilion, also from around 1890, completes the ensemble.


LOCAL INFORMATION
Earlshall is set in 34 acres of its own parkland and policy woodland near the village of Leuchars in north east Fife.
St Andrews is renowned worldwide as the home of golf. There are now seven golf courses at St Andrews including the Old Course, regular host to the Open Championship. There are many other golf courses in the area including two courses at St Andrews Bay, The Duke's Course, Kingsbarns, Crail and Elie.

As well as being famous for golf, St Andrews is well known for its University which is one of the oldest in Britain and for the Byre Theatre. It also provides good state schooling at Madras College and private schooling at St Leonards. There are also public schools near Perth (Glenalmond and Strathallan) and Dundee High School is within easy reach. The town has a good range of shops, supermarkets, hotels, restaurants and a cinema.

Beyond St Andrews is the East Neuk of Fife with its spectacular coastline which boasts fishing villages built around picturesque harbours and sandy unspoilt beaches. The venue for the annual Fife Hunt point-to-point is nearby at Balcormo, which also hosts various horse shows and Pony Club events. Both racing and polo take place at Perth. There are some good pheasant shoots in There is a long sandy beach nearby at Tentsmuir.

Access by rail, road and air is good. Leuchars railway station is on the main Aberdeen to London line and provides a fast link to Dundee and Edinburgh. Edinburgh Airport, with its increasingly wide range of domestic and international flights, is only 50 miles away.


KEYFIGURES
Castle with 53 acres (21.45 Ha)
Potential to mitigate LBTT
Three cottages
Outbuildings
Dutch Barn 320 m²
Tractor shed
Kennels / bothy
Dovecote (1599)
Five car garage
Magnificent walled garden
Parkland and policy woodlands
8,398 sq ft (780.20 m²)
10 bedrooms
6 bathrooms
6 reception rooms
1 gunroom
1 wineroom
EPC Rating: G
Tenure: Freehold
Council Tax Band: H

Askingprice: 8.000.000 pound