Walled Garden, Culzean Castle

Walled Garden, Culzean Castle Estate, Ayrshire

Origins, Layout and Significance

This outstanding walled garden was begun in 1752 and enlarged around 1830, with further additions at various points up to the early 20th century. It forms part of the wider Culzean Castle Estate, which is acknowledged as the epitome of the Picturesque movement in Scotland and a work of international importance. Together, the garden's many structures constitute an exceptional grouping spanning the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries.

The garden takes a rectangular plan with rounded corners and is divided east to west by a central internal wall. Glasshouses stand against the south side of this dividing wall; stone sheds occupy the north side. The enclosing garden wall is built of squared rubble on its exterior face and is brick-lined internally, with slab coping along the top. A stone-lined water channel known as the Slip Dyke runs along the outside of the south wall. Within the garden, the north section contains a 17th-century sundial at its centre; the south section contains a timber summerhouse beside the central wall and a rockery with grotto in the southwest quarter.

The garden was established in 1752 by the 8th Earl of Cassillis and employed one of the latest heated wall systems of the time — the remains of the furnace lie buried to the northeast of the central dividing wall. The garden was enlarged at least twice, most significantly in the 1830s, when a new, primarily ornamental south garden was created. The vinery of 1859 and the peach house of 1877 (which also contained aquaria or fish hatcheries) were demolished in the 1950s; the vinery was reconstructed in 2000 by architects ARP Lorimer. The frame yard was designed specifically for growing melons and was installed to the specifications of the gardener John Reid by the 12th Earl, around 1810.

Culzean itself has been associated with the Kennedy family since the Middle Ages. In the 1660s, the barmekin around the earlier tower house was breached to create terraced gardens, orchards and a walled garden for which the estate became notable. Culzean Castle became the principal family seat when Sir Thomas Kennedy (1726–75) became the 9th Earl of Cassillis in 1759. His successors continued a programme of improvements through the 18th and 19th centuries. The 10th Earl began rebuilding the castle to designs by Robert Adam; this work was continued by Archibald (1770–1846), the 12th Earl and later 1st Marquess of Ailsa. From around 1810 onwards he commissioned numerous structures, both practical and ornamental, engaging several important architects and landscape designers. The 3rd Marquess undertook modernisation and enlargement of the castle in the 1870s and was also responsible for the summerhouse and grotto. In 1945, the 5th Marquess divided the property, making over the castle and its immediately surrounding policies to the National Trust for Scotland. The sundial, which appears to be a composite piece, came from Calder House in West Lothian; it was presented to the National Trust for Scotland in 1971 and restored in 1984.

Southeast Entrance

Designed by Robert Adam in 1786, this is a triumphal arch in the classical style, and the most architecturally distinguished of the garden's several entrances. It was probably moved to its present position around the time of the 1830s enlargement, when it became fashionable for the gentry to take visitors to view their glasshouses. On the external east elevation, the stonework to the piers is v-jointed, with a cornice at the springing point and incised crosses in the spandrels; the date is carved into the keystone. On the internal west elevation, the spandrels contain round-headed niches, and a cornice bisects the keystone. The parapet above is surmounted by carved stone urns. The arch is built in ashlar throughout and is fitted with double wrought iron gates with arched tops and scrolled and foliated uprights.

East Entrance

An arched aperture in the centre of the east wall, immediately to the north of the central dividing wall, fitted with double gates in painted timber.

Northeast Entrance

Dating from 1908, the wall is scalloped to each side of the opening to form a single gateway, fitted with a wrought iron gate of scrolled and foliated pattern with pine cone finials.

South Entrance

A pair of detached square piers with panels and corniced coping, each surmounted by a stone urn. The piers are of polished ashlar with droved ashlar block abutments, and are fitted with double timber gates.

West Entrance

An arched aperture with tooled ashlar voussoirs, fitted with a pair of barred timber gates. An ashlar bell cote with bell sits on the parapet above.

Garden's House

Dating from around 1752, with later interior alterations carried out by ARP Lorimer in 1999–2000, the Garden's House is a two-storey, three-bay, rectangular-plan classical dwelling house built integrally into the north section of the garden wall. The south façade is of brick. A late 20th-century glazed timber porch on stone base courses and a pair of single-storey flanking pavilions stand to the north. The main construction is squared rubble with ashlar dressings.

On the south elevation, the central doorway has been blocked and a small window inserted in its place. The lower level has bipartite windows, with small square windows above; a window to a later extension is set into the garden wall to the left (west). On the north elevation, a central doorway is flanked by rectangular windows, with square windows above. A lean-to extension with one window to the north is attached to the right (west), and a timber-fronted lean-to structure adjoins to the left (east). Windows throughout are 6-, 8-, and 12-pane timber-framed sash and case.

Internally (as seen in 2010), the living room contains an early 19th-century timber fire surround, installed in the 20th century. The main room retains timber window shutters. Other features include panelled timber doors with moulded architraves, a timber staircase, and a scullery in an outshot to the west. No discernible original 18th-century features survive. The house probably dates from the establishment of the garden in 1752 and may originally have served as a boarding house for gardening staff; the internal partitions are likely to have been altered to create family rooms when it became the head gardener's house in the 19th century.

Garden's Cottage

A mid-19th-century single-storey gardener's cottage of Z-plan, formed from an L-plan with a later extension to the north. The entrance is in the re-entrant angle, and the east elevation is built integrally into the garden wall. Construction is squared rubble with droved ashlar dressings; the extension is harled. On the east elevation (within the garden), there is one square window and one ocular window. The north elevation has two bays — a window and a door — with a gabled section containing a window to the right. The west elevation has a two-bay extension to the left with a single window in the centre of the gable, and two further bays beyond. Windows are lying-pane sash and case in timber frames. There is a glazed timber door. The slated roof has exposed rafter ends and two polygonal stone chimney stacks. Internally (as seen in 2010), no original features survive.

Summerhouse

Built in 1886 and described as a tea house in the Gardener's Magazine of 1901, this single-storey, rectangular-plan rustic summerhouse has a piended (hipped) roof and a veranda to the front (south) and sides, supported on unplaned tree trunk columns. The structure is timber-framed with timber cladding panels decorated with horizontal, vertical and diagonal timber strips. On the south elevation, a central door is flanked by full-width glazing above spandrel panels faced with diagonal timber strips. The east elevation has a biforate (twin-opening) central window; the north and west elevations are blind. Windows are timber-framed with leaded upper lights. The door is glazed timber. The roof is thatched with heather.

Internally (as seen in 2010), timber benches with panelled backs are fixed to the walls on the north, east and west sides. The wall panels are timber-framed and papered. The ceiling is coombed (follows the slope of the roof) and the floor is timber, with a pebble floor to the veranda.

The summerhouse was erected by estate masons and joiners and is thought to have been designed by the 3rd Marquess of Ailsa, based on Laugier's rustic cabin. It was built for Lord Charles to assist his recovery from diphtheria.

Grotto

Built in 1903, this is an irregular-plan rockery of ornamental stones enclosed by rubble retaining walls. A barrel vault runs through the centre, with apsidal recesses to the sides of the vault. The vault is of squared rubble with rubble voussoirs; the walls below the springing point are random rubble. The grotto was also commissioned by Lord Charles and appears to revive an 18th-century fashion for such structures.

Sundial

A 17th-century sundial consisting of a pink stone obelisk serving as the pedestal, with a polyhedral carved and incised grey stone multiple dial at the top, fitted with bronze gnomons (fins). The base is a plinth of grey ashlar blocks. The sundial appears to be a composite piece and came from Calder House in West Lothian.

Potting Sheds

Dating from 1815, these form a single-storey lean-to range against the north side of the central dividing wall. There is a gabled bay with a window to the left (east) of centre. Construction is rubble, with timber-framed windows and vertically boarded timber doors. The roofs are slated with skylights and there are two brick chimney stacks. Internally (as seen in 2010), floors are cement screed with exposed timber rafters above. An aperture through the central wall is located in the centre of the range.

Frame Yard

Dating from around 1810, this is a low rubble-walled enclosure with cylindrical entrance piers on the west side. Within the yard are two brick-lined frame pits. A single-storey range of lean-to sheds runs along the east side of the yard, built against the exterior of the west garden wall, in rubble construction with slated roofs. The range is arranged as an open loggia, with some bays fitted with vertically boarded timber doors incorporating inset windows. The frame yard was designed specifically for growing melons.