Earlshall, Category A listed castle in Leuchars, Scotland
Earlshall is a Category A listed castle in Leuchars, Fife, Scotland, built in the 16th century around a central courtyard block with corner towers and stair turrets. The building has three floors and eight reception rooms spread across its levels.
Sir William Bruce had the castle built in 1546, not long after surviving the Battle of Flodden, one of Scotland's most costly defeats. The building fell into disrepair over the following centuries until the architect Robert Lorimer restored it in the 1890s.
The gallery on the second floor is decorated with painted ceiling panels from the 1600s showing animals such as ostriches and armadillos, creatures that were almost unknown in Scotland at the time. The images give a sense of how people in this part of the world imagined faraway lands they had never visited.
The castle is east of Leuchars and can only be visited by prior arrangement, so it is worth planning ahead before making the trip. The grounds around the building are also open during these arranged visits.
The entrance archway still carries the original arms of Sir William Bruce carved in 1546, making it one of the oldest surviving details on the building. It is one of the few elements that directly connects what visitors see today with the man who first had the castle built.
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