Queen Victoria’s Tea House

On her visit to Floors in 1867, Queen Victoria took tea in a small summerhouse filled with Minton tiles adjacent to a vast glass corridor.  Seven further glasshouses were set at right angles to this corridor.  Every conceivable kind of exotic fruit and flower flourished here to the amazement of all who saw them.  The small summerhouse is all that survives to this day, but the south wall of the former corridor is now home to a fine collection of climbing and wall plants.  Today, the visitor can see a triumphant example of diversification and will find an adventure playground, the Terrace Café, herbaceous borders, peach house and vinery with further plans afoot in Spring 2016.

Drawing of Tea House from 1867

The Tea House today

Walled Garden 1721-1857

When William Adam began building Floors Castle for the first Duke in 1721, he undoubtedly had a hand in the improvements to the grounds.  His practical sense, always as strong as his aesthetic, ensured that Floors was protected on its north side by great avenues of trees.  Between 1837 and 1847 W. H. Playfair’s exuberant transformation of the Castle greatly added to the beauty of Floors in its setting and the Riverside walk offers one of the most splendid surviving landscape views in Scotland.  A proportion of the landscape was given over to gardening and the Walled Gardens came to life.  Made up of a four acre Kitchen Garden, a three acre Flower Garden, known as the Queen’s Garden and these were moved, replacing an earlier walled enclosure to their present site in 1857.

In their heyday, the Walled Garden at Floors exemplified the art and craft of gardening of the very highest level.  Mr Hector Rose, Head Gardener of the time of the move and, presumably, the first occupant of the delightful turreted Head Gardener’s House, was a man of outstanding ability and responsible for the first plantings in the glasshouses.

Meet our gardening team

Behind any great garden has to be a great team and at Floors Castle, this is no exception.  Working with The Duchess of Roxburghe and her garden design team on the exciting redevelopment project, is the team of three full time gardeners.

The Head Gardener at Floors Castle is Andrew Simmons and he has 42 years’ experience, including several years on the royal estate of Balmoral Castle working for the Queen. Andrew brings a wealth of knowledge, a keen eye for detail and an unrivalled passion for gardening.

Len Freshwater has been with the Floors Gardening team for 23 years and his pride and joy are the grapes and peaches he cares for.

Simon McManus has been with the team for 11 years and has a varied horticultural background. Simon oversees the growing of all the pot plants and what a wizard he is in growing these.

For more information, read here:

http://www.roxburghe.net/castle/floors-gardens-grounds/our-gardening-team

Floors Castle Gardens

***News Update***
Floors is flourishing......
The Duchess of Roxburghe is leading a major new development project at Floors Castle which will see investment of £200,000 in the walled garden. The redevelopment will enhance the visitor experience with the creation of a super meadow, new areas of fruit and vegetable production, specialist garden features and other related points of interest.
For the first time, the renowned vinery and glasshouses will be opened to the public along with other parts of the garden not previously seen.
This exciting project opens in Spring 2016.  Some of the features will take a few growing seasons to establish but it will be an opportunity to see the redevelopment from its inception stage and to see the unique Victorian Kitchen Garden at Floors evolve.

The Walled Garden with its unique and outstanding herbaceous borders is already a popular attraction and the new development will add to the visitor experience.
Please continue to check the website  for garden development updates and news and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

For further information or press enquiries to Louise Rattray at lrattray@floorscastle.com

The Terrace Cafe opens daily all year round.  10am - 4pm

Love is in the Air

Why not join us at the Terrace Cafe over the weekend of the 13th and 14th February and treat your loved one to a freshly made coffee and receive our Castle made heart shaped shortbread free!

Castle made marmalade - Buy it now

It’s that time of year where the Duke and Duchess Chefs are busy making a new batch of marmalade.  A traditional recipe that has been handed down over the years.  Now available to purchase in our Terrace Café Kitchen Shop & Deli.  The Terrace Café is open daily throughout the season 10am to 4pm.

Butler to the Duke and Duchess

BUTLER

Required for The Duke and Duchess of Roxburghe.  This is an exciting, challenging position for a Butler to carry out the normal Butler duties when the family are entertaining and also help with a small number of corporate events.  Be able to work as part of a team and during the quieter times carry out a variety of maintenance duties both internally and externally to help with the smooth running of the Castle.  To include driving and security.  Applicants do not need to be a fully trained Butler but need to be comfortable working in a dining room and keen to learn.

The candidate should also be self-motivated and have a pleasant outlook.  Private house experience would be beneficial.

A generous package is offered including an attractive 2 bedroom flat in a courtyard of the Castle. 

Apply in writing with CV to: Debbie Edmondson, Roxburghe Estates Office, Kelso, TD5 7SF or email dedmondson@floorscastle.com

Kelso High School sets up Beehive

Kelso High School Bee Hive at Floors Castle
After months of preparation, the beehive has been installed in the grounds of Floors Castle Estate
with the support of Roddy Jackson, the Factor and Jimmy Fleming the allotment chair. The pupils are celebrating the bees moving into their new home with support from Norman Jarvis of the Borders Beekeeping Association and Pat Stewart, Principal Teacher of Science at the school.

Read more about the success of this local bee keeping club here:

https://beekeepingclub.wordpress.com/about/our-apiary/

Great food at Floors Castle

We are delighted to share the news that we have been accredited with the VisitScotland ‘Taste our Best’ award. 

Taste Our Best is VisitScotland’s certification scheme to recognise and celebrate businesses that provide and promote locally sourced quality food and drink.

Here at Floors Castle, we take great pride in using quality Scottish Borders produce and showcasing some of the best local and Scottish producers in the food we prepare.

 - Our baking is all Castle homemade using the finest oats and flour from John Hogarth Ltd.  Millers of the finest Scottish oatmeal and pearl barley for over 100 year and situated right on our doorstep here in Kelso.

 - The eggs we use are from Ednam West Mains Farm

 - The smoked salmon is produced from the Ettrick Valley Smokery

- Our delicious fisherman's pie ingredients comes from DR Collins and their boats off the East and West coast of Scotland via their Eyemouth base.

- Pheasant from our Estate is sent to Mr C's Pie's in Fife who makes our renowned Pork and Pheasant pies (one of the Duke's favourite)

 - The ice cream we sell at our Massed Pipe Band Day is from Giacopazzi's in Eyemouth

 - We buy our fruit and berries seasonally from Borders Berries here in Kelso ( a skip away)

The Terrace Cafe is open all year round, why not pop in and Taste the Best that Scotland has to offer!

Floors Castle in the movies

Films from all around the world have shot been in Scotland. Its rich array of film locations include ancient mountain ranges, mysterious stone circles, lush green glens, deep lochs, castles, stately homes, and vibrant cities complete with festivals, bustling streets and colourful night life. Little wonder the country has attracted filmmakers and cinemagoers since the movies began. This guide provides an introduction to just some of the many Scottish locations seen on the silver screen.

Scottish Borders

The inimitable landscape of the Scottish Borders always looks fantastic on screen, with a number of film-makers drawn to its sweeping valleys and rolling hills. And with the opening of the new Borders Railway in September 2015, its movie locations are more accessible than ever.

Based on Edgar Rice Burroughs’ 1912 novel, Tarzan of the Apes, Hugh Hudson directed a pre-Highlander Christopher Lambert as he grappled with the role of literature’s most famous loincloth-wearing vine-swinger in the snappily titled Greystoke – the Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (Hugh Hudson, 1984).

Having been raised by primates in the African jungle following the death of his parents, the re-christened “Jean” is shipped over to his family’s stately home in England. In reality, the stately home was actually in Scotland, with the magnificent 18th-century Floors Castle in Kelso being used for the exterior and ballroom shots of Greystoke. Home to the tenth Duke of Roxburghe, the five-star attraction has welcomed more than a million visitors since it first opened to the public in 1977. The castle, which dates back to 1721, boasts beautiful grounds, including walkways along the River Tweed, a vast array of outstanding outdoor activities, stunning architecture and, perhaps most importantly, a coffee shop.

As well as a stately home in Scotland masquerading as a stately home based south of the Border, a number of other things in the film weren’t quite as they seemed, with the distinctive southern drawl of Jane (Andie MacDowell) being dubbed over in post-production by Glenn Close – truly a breathtaking performance.

A very happy New Year!

A very Happy New Year to you! 2015 was an exciting year for Floors Castle and 2016 will be even better with events, upgrades to the grounds and gardens and off course the stunning interiors of the Castle. This blog is here to keep you informed of all that is going on and we invite you to share your comments and thoughts with us so that we can ensure we make Floors Castle your favourite place to visit.