Kellie Castle

By 1266 Kellie had passed to the Siward family, who had hailed from Northumbria and had assisted King Malcolm Canmore to overthrow Macbeth.

In about 1360 Helena, or Elena, assigned Kellie to her kinsman Walter Olifard (or Oliphant) of Aberdalgie who was married to Elizabeth, a daughter of Robert the Bruce.

It is likely that the ceiling of what is now the library in the 1573 east tower was decorated in plaster in anticipation of a Royal visit by King James.

This room may be the first in Scotland where plaster decoration was used ‘in the London style’ in preference to the painted beams and boarded ceilings that were generally fashionable in the early 17th century.

The castle is a fine example of Scots Baronial domestic architecture, with an imposing mix of gables, corbelled towers, and chimneys.

Alexander Erskine (1615-1677), the third earl of Kellie, was an investigator in the 1666 case of Margaret Guthrie, an accused witch from Carnbee.

The walled garden is 17th century, with late Victorian additions, and contains a fine collection of old-fashioned roses, fruit trees and herbaceous plants.

[4] The castle and gardens are open to the public, and there is a permanent exhibition of Hew Lorimer's work and studio in the old stables.

Phoebe Anna Traquair, who was an outstanding proponent of the Arts and Crafts philosophy, completed the painted panel above the fireplace in the drawing room in 1897.

The painting is based on Botticelli's Primavera and was completed when John Henry Lorimer lived in the castle.

The painting was restored in 1996 by the National Trust for Scotland following the death of Hew Lorimer who had remained at Kellie and lived in part of the east tower of the castle until 1990.

The Latin inscription, which does not refer or relate to the main tapestry –‘The young man has saved his wounded father, carried him back and put him on his horse'.

On the west wall are two mirrors with eagle cresting, designed by Sir Robert Lorimer and made by Whytock and Reid of Edinburgh.