Tulliallan Castle

Tulliallan Castle stands beside the Firth of Forth in Kincardine, Fife. It is a large house built in Gothic and Italian styles across 36 hectares of parkland. The first castle on the site, Old Tulliallan, was built by 1304 and strengthened by Edward I. It later passed through the hands of the Douglas earls, the Edmonstones and the Blackadders before falling to the Bruces of Carnock. By the 17th century the old fortress had been abandoned. The present building was erected between 1812 and 1820 for Admiral Lord Keith, who paid for it with prize money. The castle has served many purposes since then. During the Second World War it housed the headquarters of the Polish Armed Forces in the West. In 1954 it became the home of the Scottish Police College, created to centralise police training across Scotland. The site was bought in 1950 and modernised to provide classrooms, accommodation and catering for inspectors and sergeants. Today it is the administrative centre of the college and the official residence of the Chief Constable of Police Scotland. Visitors find a mix of historic architecture and modern facilities. The Gothic and Italian styles give the house its distinctive appearance. The surrounding parkland stretches north from the Kincardine Bridge. Inside, rooms have been adapted for teaching and administration while keeping the character of the building. The college trains officers from across Scotland and the castle remains a working base for Police Scotland.