Castle Kennedy is a small village 3 miles (4.8 km) east of Stranraer in Dumfries and Galloway, south-west Scotland.

The 2nd Earl retained the ruin as a focal point for new formal gardens laid out from 1720 to 1730, following his time as ambassador at Versailles upon which it was based.

The earl used troops to landscape the estate, including several focal features such as "The Giant's Grave", "Mount Marlborough" and the "Dancing Green".

[2] In the 1860s the 9th and 10th Earls built Lochinch Castle on the estate, in a "Franco-Scottish style", and partially restored the 18th-century gardens that had fallen into disrepair.

Because of the Gulf Stream and the proximity of the sea on two sides, the gardens enjoy a mild climate which permits the cultivation of a range of rhododendrons and other plants not often seen in Scotland.