Floors Castle

Overview

Floors Castle is the largest inhabited castle in Scotland and has been home to the Dukes of Roxburghe since it was built in 1721 for the 1st Duke. The 11th Duke and his wife live at the Castle most of the year. 

Floors Castle is quite different from many Scottish country houses because it is one of the few that has managed to survive & prosper as a family home.

The visitor gets an impression of vibrancy from Floors Castle. The decor and furnishings of the castle look fresh and bright, and there is a real sense that this is a property which a family still enjoys living in.

Floors Castle is a vast sprawling building and after the tour you may feel that you have only seen a small fraction of the property. The tour starts from the covered porch where you would have disembarked from your carriage in the 1800's. There is then a flight of stairs that leads you into the entrance hall where you can buy a guidebook (~£3) for the tour of the castle. You may wish to purchase the guide as it is a valuable supplement to the information boards in the rooms. However, there are also staff in each room to answer your questions.

From the entrance hall, the main rooms that you pass through are:

• The Ante-room where you learn about the current Duke of Roxburghe and his family,
• The Sitting Room, a relatively modest and cosy room,
• The Drawing Room with its distinctive 17th century tapestries,
• The Ballroom, the largest room on the tour,
• The Billiard Room, as you'd expect,
• The Bird room, a musty smelling room with a vast array of stuffed birds.
• The Dining Room, another room of quite modest dimensions at the end of a corridor lined with colourful collections of porcelain.

The basement of the house also has some exhibition areas featuring a collection of prams, carriages and a variety of other items of historical interest.

Visitors also have access to a large area of the castle grounds which include a footpath by the River Tweed, a children's playpark and a garden centre. You can also see the Holly Tree that marks the spot where King James II was killed in 1460 by the explosion of one of his cannons.