You Can Now Buy This 16th-Century Castle In Scotland

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This 16th-Century Castle In Scotland Is For Sale — And It’s Hosted British Royalty For Centuries

If you’ve always wanted to live like royalty, then we may have just the right property for you. Earlshall Castle, a massive 34-acre estate in Scotland currently for sale, was once the playground of British monarchs such as Mary Queen of Scots and Robert the Bruce, and it still very much exudes the same Old World grandeur and opulence it did five centuries ago. By Dobrina Zhekova

More about the castle that is for sale

Located in St. Andrews, also known as the home of golf, the castle’s new owners will have seven world-class golf courses (including the Old Course, the oldest golf course in the world) to practice their swing while enjoying the sprawling estate.

Castle for sale — Credit: Courtesy of Savills

Built in 1546, Earlshall features oversized windows, unlike other structures from that period (small and narrow windows were often preferred at that time in case of an attack). The three-level, 8,398-square-foot property features 10 bedrooms with ornate ceilings, stone fireplaces, and even a secret stairway leading up to the majestic Long Gallery. This 50-foot-long dining room features a stunning ceiling, hand-painted with various Scottish royal families’ coats of arms.

Other highlights of the main castle include eight reception rooms, six bathrooms, a library, a gun room, a kitchen, and, apparently, a ghost. Yes, you read that right. The spirit Andrew ‘Bloody’ Bruce, a former army officer, and a Baron, who gained his nickname after killing Covenanter Richard Cameron before hacking off his hands and feet, supposedly haunts the castle.

At the end of the 19th century, Sir Robert Lorimer, who would later become Scotland’s most prominent architect, was tasked with restoring the property. With great attention to detail and utilising the best materials, Lorimer “modernised” the home and built three more cottages that can now be used as guest houses. But his most prominent feat was the castle’s famous walled gardens; Separated into different “rooms,” the green spaces are divided by hedges and include a topiary lawn, orchard, rose terrace, bowling green, yew walk, and a secret garden, home to 125-year-old yews, brought from Edinburgh.

A quote by Shakespeare (“here shall ye see no enemy but winter and rough weather”) is inscribed in one of the castle’s gateway walls. And a five-car garage complements the fairy-tale castle. The price for Earlshall Castle is available upon request via Savills.