Floors Castle

Floors Castle stands beside the River Tweed in the Scottish Borders, a grand country house rather than a fortress. It was begun in the 1720s for the first Duke of Roxburghe by William Adam, who reused part of an earlier tower house. In the 19th century the 6th Duke called in William Playfair to add turrets and battlements, giving the house its present appearance. The family, originally the Ker earls, trace their Border lands back to the 12th century. Their name later became Innes-Ker after a 19th-century succession. The castle overlooks the Cheviot Hills and the site of Roxburgh Castle, where James II died in 1460. The house is listed at the highest grade and its gardens appear in Scotland’s register of designed landscapes. The 8th Duke married an American heiress who brought Gobelins tapestries and modern paintings by Sickert and Matisse. The castle appeared in the 1984 film Greystoke and in a 2020 television series about great estates. The estate once belonged to Kelso Abbey until the Reformation, when it passed to Robert Ker of Cessford. The first Duke helped secure the 1707 Union and commissioned Adam’s plain Georgian mansion. Playfair’s remodelling in the 1830s created the current romantic style. Inside, visitors find the ballroom enriched by the French tapestries and modern art. The symmetrical wings once held stables and kitchens, now adapted for visitors. Outside, terraces drop to the riverbank and the Cheviot views stretch southward. The grounds include designed landscapes recognised nationally. The castle’s setting opposite the remains of Roxburgh Castle adds a layer of medieval history. The combination of Adam’s classical block and Playfair’s Gothic flourishes defines the exterior. The riverside walk offers changing views of the house and hills.