Walled Garden, Castle Kennedy, Lochinch Heritage Estate

The walled garden at Castle Kennedy, part of the Lochinch Heritage Estate, dates to approximately 1607, with later alterations. It has a square plan and covers an area of roughly 6400 square metres. The garden is enclosed by rubble walls, with coped gatepiers and arched wrought-iron gates at the north-east and south-west elevations. The north-east gatepiers have ball finials, while the south-west gatepiers are topped with obelisk finials resting on ball-feet. The remains of two summerhouses are located in the south-west and south-east corners. There are also two advanced alcoves built into the south-east and north-west walls.

The garden walls were likely constructed when the castle was improved around 1607 and were marked into quarters on the first edition Ordnance Survey map of 1848. The south-west gatepiers, with their obelisk finials on ball-feet, are similar to those found near the entrance to Castle Kennedy itself and date from the earlier 18th century.

This garden is part of a group that includes Castle Kennedy and several other buildings and structures within the Lochinch Heritage Estate, such as Balker Farmhouse, Balker Lodge, and Lochinch Castle. Historical references to the garden appear in J Ainslie’s Wigton map of 1782, the Ordnance Survey map of 1848, and publications dating from 1875 to 1996.