Kelburn Castle and Country Centre | |
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Location | Fairlie, North Ayrshire |
Coordinates | 55°46′15″N 4°50′36″W / 55.7708°N 4.8433°W |
Built | 16th century (tower) 1722 (north-west range) 1880 (north-east range) |
Built for | David Boyle, 1st Earl of Glasgow (1722) George Boyle, 6th Earl of Glasgow (1880) |
Listed Building – Category A | |
Designated | 14 April 1971 |
Reference no. | LB7294 |
Criteria | Work of Art Historical Architectural Scenic |
Designated | 1 July 1987 |
Reference no. | GDL00233 |
Kelburn Castle is a large house near Fairlie, North Ayrshire, Scotland. It is the seat of the Earl of Glasgow. Originally built in the thirteenth century (the original keep forms the core of the house) it was remodelled in the sixteenth century. In 1700, the first Earl made further extensions to the house in a manner, not unlike a French château which is virtually how it appears today. In 1977 the house and grounds opened to the public as a country park. It is one of the oldest castles in Scotland and has been continuously inhabited by the same family for longer than any other. The castle is protected as a category A listed building,[1] while the grounds are included in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland.[2]
When it was found in 2007 that the castle's concrete facing would soon need replacing, Lord Glasgow invited four Brazilian graffiti artists to decorate the walls. This was still in place in 2011, when the Earl sought permission from Historic Scotland to keep the graffiti permanently.