Cessford Castle, Medieval castle ruins in Scottish Borders, United Kingdom
Cessford Castle is the ruins of a fortress in southeastern Scotland that consists of a main block and a wing. The main building rises three stories tall while the wing reaches four stories, and the walls are thick and solid throughout.
The castle was built around 1450 by Andrew Ker and served as the main fortress of his family for many years. The family abandoned the fortress around 1650, and since then the walls have slowly decayed.
The castle shows the building style that was common along the Scottish border, with thick walls that displayed the Ker family's wealth and power. Today you can still see at the ruins how such noble families expressed their importance through architecture.
You can reach the ruins by taking minor roads south of the B6401, about 6 kilometers from Kelso. Parking is available on site, making it easy for visitors to access the location.
In 1523, the Earl of Surrey rated this fortress as Scotland's third strongest castle and noted it would require specialized tactics to capture. This assessment by an English commander shows how feared the fortress was at that time.
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