dean castle country park: conservation

Transcription

DEAN CASTLE COUNTRY PARK:
CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
FEBRUARY 2015
EAST AYRSHIRE COUNCIL / EAST AYRSHIRE LEISURE
DEAN CASTLE COUNTRY PARK CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
CONTENTS
1.0
Dean Castle Country Park CMP: An Introduction
-
The Country Park
2.0
The Conservation Management Plan
3.0
Character Appraisal
-
4.0
Location and Setting
Historical Value
The Boyds of Kilmarnock and the Feudal Estate
The Estate in Flux
The Portland Family and the Estate
The Scott-Ellis Family and the Estate
The Estate as Country Park
Architectural Value
Architectural Descriptions
Landscape Value
Landscape Overview
Historic Landscape Development
Landscape Character and Natural Heritage Appraisal
The Historical Zone
The Urban Farm
The Countryside Zone
Current Landscape condition
Landscape Conclusions
Landscape Management - Strategic Recommendations
Archaeological Appraisal
Archaeological Value
Social Value
Social Empowerment and Community Use
Social Value Today
Vulnerability and Related Issues
-
5.0
Physical Condition
Ownership and Use
External Factors
Development and Change
Understanding the value and the significance of the site
Conservation Approach
-
6.0
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Conservation Philosophy
Understanding and Knowledge
Economic Sustainability
Minimum intervention
Restoration
New Work
Key Strategic Objectives
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7.0
Conservation and Management Policies
-
Local Plan
General Policies – Use and Management
Understanding the Site: Further Investigation, Archaeology, and Recording
Conservation and Repair of Historic Fabric
8.0
Implementation, Monitoring and Review
9.0
Bibliography and Useful Contacts
-
General References
Legislation and Statutory Instruments
Policy Context
Conservation
Contacts
Appendix 1: Historic Maps
Appendix 2: Landscape Diagrams
Author:
Peter Drummond Architect Ltd / Ironside Farrar / GUARD on behalf of East Ayrshire Council / East Ayrshire
Leisure
Photographs:
Peter Drummond Architect Ltd / Ironside Farrar and East Ayrshire Leisure
Map Data:
Reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of HMSO. Crown copyright and database right 2014.
All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey Licence number (100023409)
Copyright:
Peter Drummond Architect Ltd. unless specifically stated otherwise. The content of this document may be
reproduced in all or part subject to identification of the author and copyright holder, with the exception of
Ordnance Survey material which will be subject to a separate licence.
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1.0
INTRODUCTION
Figure 1-1: The ‘A’ grouping of Dean Castle and the Dower House, September 2013 (Peter Drummond Architects)
1.0
DEAN CASTLE COUNTRY PARK CMP:
AN INTRODUCTION
1.1
The unique character of the Dean Castle Country Park derives from how the landscape
has been shaped through a multi faceted layering of history encompassing Scottish
feudalism, the Scottish enlightenment, Georgian estate planting, the physical impact of
the Industrial Revolution, the idiosyncratic influence of the Edwardian super rich and
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mitigation of the creeping suburbanisation of the 20 century. This mix helps define the
Dean Castle Country Park’s identity and enriches the lives of those who use the park or
live in its vicinity. The historic environment is, however, sensitive to change. The
increasing numbers of visitors to the park, and the demands they place on it, have all
placed pressure on the Dean Castle Country Park.
1.2
Recognising that good stewardship is the key to maintaining and strengthening both the
Park’s landscape and built heritage, and accommodating essential change, East Ayrshire
Council and East Ayrshire Leisure has brought forward a Conservation Management
Plan. This management plan identifies the special character of the Dean Castle Country
Park’s historic core, urban farm and countryside zone, assesses how these areas might
be vulnerable to change and sets out guidelines for future development. The plan will be
a material consideration in the determination of all applications for planning and listed
building consent within the Dean Castle Country Park.
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Figure 1-2: Dean Castle Country Park. Baseline mapping data reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of
HMSO. Crown copyright and database right 2014. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey Licence number (100023409).
1.3
The Conservation Management Plan is therefore an essential reference tool for anyone
managing the Country Park or developing proposals within it. The document sets out to
balance the need to reinstate and enhance the denuded Edwardian landscape of the
Park, protect, conserve and maintain the historic built heritage of Dean Castle whilst
accommodating sensitive sited and designed new visitor facilities while simultaneously
fostering a strong surrounding local community.
1.4
Following research and consultation undertaken by Peter Drummond Architects the
Conservation Management Plan puts forward recommendations for the continued
preservation and enhancement of the Dean Castle Country Park, the delivery of which
will be considered and determined by East Ayrshire Council and East Ayrshire Leisure.
The Country Park
1.5
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Dean Castle Country Park was registered as Scotland’s 14th country Park in 1979 and
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opened to the general public in 1981. The core of the site consists of the 14 century
Dean Castle(‘A’ listed), a Georgian Dower House (‘B’ listed) and associated outbuildings
(see Fig. 1-1). The Castle is situated in over 80 hectares of woodland including cultivated
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conifer plantations, an early 20 Century Pinetum and ancient woodland. To the south
east of Dean Castle is the Motte and Bailey of the original Kilmarnock Castle. To the
south west of Dean Castle, at the end of the Lime Avenue, is the Edwardian Gatehouse
(‘C’ listed). Directly to the east of Dean Castle is the Dean Bridge (‘C’ listed). Within the
Pinetum, to the north west of Dean Castle, lie the graves of Blanche, Baroness Howard
de Walden, later Baroness Ludlow (1857 – 1911), Thomas Scott-Ellis, 8th Baron Howard
de Walden (1880–1946) and Margherita Dorothy van Raalte, Baroness Howard de
Walden (1890 – 1974). The grave of Blanche, Baroness Howard de Walden is
commemorated by the Blue Angel – a Rodinesque sculpture of unknown provenance.
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Figure 1-3: Dean Castle Gate House, September 2013 (Peter Drummond Architects)
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2.0
THE CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
Figure 2-1: Conservation Management Methodology (HLF, 2007)
2.0 THE CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
2.1
The objective of a conservation management plan is to identify what is important about a
historic area, building, site, or landscape in order that it is properly protected and passed
on to future generations in good order. It explains why the heritage should matter to the
community and sets out what should be done to look after it in any future use, alteration,
development, management or repair. It is different to business plans because it focuses
on heritage rather than financial management.
2.2
The management plan follows the format and methodologies set out in recognised best
practice including Historic Scotland’s Guide to the Preparation of Conservation Plans, the
Heritage Lottery Fund in their publication Conservation Management Plans: Helping Your
Application, (see Fig. 2-2) and also takes account of a range of wider heritage policy
documents including BS7913 Guide to the Conservation of Historic Buildings, the
ICOMOS Burra Charter. It follows the appraisal methodology set out in Scottish
Government’s PAN71 - Conservation Area Management (see Fig. 2-1).
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2.3
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There are five key stages:
Stage 1
Research into all aspects of the site’s historical, architectural, and social
importance through site work, archival work, and other sources.
Stage 2
Analysis of the results of this research in order to identify what is important
about the historic townscape or site.
Stage 3
Consult with stakeholders such as East Ayrshire Leisure Cultural and
Countryside Service, including the Countryside Development, Collection
Care and Cultural Development teams, East Ayrshire Leisure, Ayrshire
Archives, futuremuseum.co.uk, Elected members (MP, MSP and
Councillors) the surrounding Community Councils, Kilmarnock College
Hospitality and Tourism, Historic Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage,
Scottish Civic Trust, Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland, Ayrshire
Architectural Heritage Trust, Kilmarnock and Loudon Ramblers
Association, Kilmarnock and District History Group, Kilmarnock Angling
Club, Kyle and Carrick Civic Society and the local community.
Stage 4
Development of a strategy and guidelines to ensure that the items
identified in stage 2 can be properly recognised and protected.
Stage 5
Ongoing assessment of the impact of the management plan guidelines and
any proposals on the heritage resource and any mitigation which might be
required.
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Figure 2-2:Historic Scotland Guide to the Preparation of Conservation Plans
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3.0
CHARACTER APPRAISAL
(CMP Stage 1)
Figure 3-1: Dean Castle Country Park – landmarks. Baseline mapping data reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey on
behalf of HMSO. Crown copyright and database right 2014. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey Licence number
(100023409).
3.0
CHARACTER APPRAISAL
3.1
Decisions on how best to care for the built and landscape heritage need to be based on a
full understanding of its historical, architectural, landscape and wider value. This
Management Plan is therefore underpinned by research that explores the issues
including historic development, the courses of rivers and tributaries running through the
landscape, the pattern of development of the landscape, architecture, and building
materials.
Location and Setting
3.2
The location of the Dean Castle Country Park needs to be viewed in tandem with the
growth and development of Kilmarnock as the two are intimately linked. The settlement of
Kilmarnock dates from the end of the sixth, or the beginning of the seventh, century
though some sources refer to a date as far back as 322AD.
3.3
The first reference to Kilmarnock is in a document dating from 1299 where the settlement
is referred to as ‘Kelmernoke’, but the origin of the name is unclear. It may be derived
from St Mernoc, Marnock or Mo-Ernóc, so it is possible that the name commemorates
Ernáin of Midluachair, a 6th century disciple of St.Colomba who died in 625 and,
according to tradition, founded a church on the site of the historic town. The preffix Kil or
Cill is the Celtic word for church, church yard or burial place. This is appropriate, as St
Mernoc was reputedly interred within the precincts of the ground he consecrated. St
Mernoc’s church probably occupied a site on or near the Low Parish Church, or Laigh
Kirk, which is located at the historic heart of Kilmarnock. A possible alternative meaning is
that the suffix is derived from ‘muranach’ – the Celtic word for meadow or moorland and
again appropriate given it location on a floodplain.
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Figure 3-2: Early 19 Century image of the ruined Dean Castle with Kilmarnock backdrop (copyright East Ayrshire Council)
3.4
The town occupies a strategic location on the Marnock, now Kilmarnock, Water, in close
proximity to the River Irvine. It sits on the valley floor of the Garnock Valley at the
intersection of key communications routes leading east and west from Edinburgh to Ayr
and Irvine, north and south to Glasgow, Cumnock and Dumfries. The strategic
importance of its location has been recognised for centuries with first Kilmarnock Castle
and later Dean Castle being established to control movement through the area (refer to
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Fig. 3-2). Kilmarnock was raised to Burgh of Barony status on 12 January 1592 when
James VI granted a charter and investment in favour of Thomas, Lord Boyd. Further
privileges were granted to the town by Charles II in 1672. The Reform Act of 1832
resulted in Kilmarnock being created a Parliamentary Burgh.
3.5
The Dean Castle is located approximately 1600m to the North-east of the Laigh Kirk and
the heart of the Kilmarnock settlement. The name ‘Dean’ is a reflection of its setting – the
word Dean signifies a small valley or hollow where the ground slopes on both sides. The
Castle is situated at the confluence of the Borland, or Fenwick, Water and the
Craufurdland Water which collectively form the Kilmarnock Water. Adjacent to the Castle
is the Motte and Bailey of the original Kilmarnock Castle which predates the construction
of Dean Castle and probably used the watercourse as part of its range of defences. The
first phase of the Castle – the ‘Donjon’ also referred to as the ‘Keep’ (the term we will use
hereafter) - as constructed in sometime after 1360. According to tradition the location was
densely wooded with the trees stretching either side of the Castle, effectively concealing
it and making it inaccessible to raiding parties except from the principal approach from
the south west. This approach would also force raiding parties to pass through the
structures built to accommodate the vassals of the manor i.e. these served as a further
defensive ring breaking apart any sizeable raiding party, diluting its force and allowing it
to be intercepted before reaching and laying siege to the Castle.
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3.6
Surrounding the Castle is what is now known as the Dean Castle Country Park. It
occupies a significant wedge of North-east Kilmarnock. The majority of northern boundary
of the Country Park comprises farmland that was previously part of both the Kilmarnock
and Assloss Estates. In its North-east corner – at its farthest extent - the Country Park
stretches as far as the A77 dual carriageway which bypasses Kilmarnock. The late 1960s
and early 1970’s local authority SSHA type housing estates along Kennedy Drive
comprise the Country Park’s eastern boundary. To the south east of the Country Park the
boundary skirts around a significant pocket of suburban cul-de-sac residential
development comprising the early 1970s private housing developments of Otterburn
Avenue, Largs Avenue, Bannockburn Place, Culloden Place, and Drumclog Place. To the
south west the Country Park boundary aligns with Dean Road, the Dean Park and the
Ford over the Kilmarnock Water. The boundary jumps across Dean Road to take in a
pocket of deciduous trees that back onto the houses of Esson Place. There is a further
detached boundary that encapsulates a belt of deciduous trees directly to the south of the
Kilmarnock Water and the lawns of Dean Park. This belt of trees is bisected and
detached from the remainder of the Country Park by the Dean Road. From the Dean
Road the boundary then skirts along the rear of the properties addressing Landsborough
Drive – a street that initially has an Edwardian character but which changes to a late
1970s suburban character. The south-western boundary then runs along the back of the
large Edwardian properties addressing Glasgow Road before the residential character of
development changes once again to the smaller properties aligning the 1970s suburban
streets of Woodlands Grove, Woodlands Place, and Forest Grove. The boundary then
changes direction to skirt around the early 2000’s suburban cul-de-sac of De Walden
Drive, which backs onto the Fenwick Water, whereupon it meets up with the farmlands
comprising the northern extent of the Country Park (refer to Fig. 1-2 for boundary).
Historical Value
3.7
The Dean Castle Country Park is central to our understanding of the development of
Kilmarnock and its hinterland from the its Dark Age roots, through the Feudalism of the
Medieval era, the impact on the land and our built heritage of new thinking arising out of
the Renaissance and later the Scottish Enlightenment, Georgian Estate planting, the
physical impact of the Industrial Revolution on the landscape surrounding the settlement,
the idiosyncratic influence of the Edwardian super rich and mitigation of the creeping
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suburbanisation of the 20 century.
3.8
The history of the Castle and the lands of the surrounding Estate, later Country Park, is
intimately connected to a series of Historic and powerful families who controlled both the
Castle and its surrounding hinterland. The first of these families is the Boyd Family.
The Boyds of Kilmarnock and the Feudal Estate
3.9
The origins of the Boyd family are not known, it is not clear whether they were a Norman
family like the de Morvilles and the de Roses, or an indigenous family who rose to
success under the feudal system. However, their ascendency was rapid, within the space
of a few generations they rose from Knights through Lords before becoming Regents of
the Realm. However, their downfall was equally spectacular - a fall from grace from which
the family never quite recovered their former esteem.
3.10
The first record of the family is for a Robert Boyd who witnessed a contract for land in
Irvine as Dominus Robertus de Boyd, Miles in 1205. This suggests that, at this time, the
family were vassals of the de Morvilles. In a charter in 1262 Sir Robert Boyd of
Noddsdale and his company of soldiers are recorded as having put the forces of the
Norwegian king Haakon to flight at Goldberry Hill, south of the Battle of Largs, near
Portincross. As a result, Boyd was granted lands in Cunninghame by Alexander III.
However in 1290, during the occupation of Scotland by Edward I, Boyd was hung in an
atrocity at Ayr along with members of the Wallace family resulting the Boyd’s son – also
Robert - joining the cause for independence.
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3.11
Following Edward I’s defeat of King John Balliol at the Battle of Dunbar on 27th April 1296,
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Sir Robert Boyd is recorded as having sworn an oath of allegiance to Edward I on 28
August. However, this is unsurprising as Edward I instructed his officers to receive formal
homage from some 1,800 Scottish nobles - many being prisoners of war at that time.
Despite this, Robert joined William Wallace’s rebellion against Edward I, fighting
alongside Wallace at the defeat at the Battle of Falkirk in July 1298 where he was
described as ‘wys and wicht’ (wise and strong) and that ‘he governyt them [the army]
quhen Wallace was absent’
3.12
The same Sir Robert Boyd then went on to serve under Robert the Bruce at the Battle of
Bannockburn in 1314. Boyd was placed on the crucial right wing of the Scots army so
that he could help Edward Bruce, the King’s brother, direct his troops: ‘Ranged on the
right the Southron legions stood, and on their front fiery Edward rode, with him the
experienced Boyd divides the sway, sent by the King to guide him thro’ the day’. Clearly
Boyd’s experience helped as the division withstood the onslaught of the English cavalry
and helped win the battle. For his efforts Bruce rewarded Boyd with various parcels of
land, being recorded in a charter of 1316:
Robertus, etc. Sciatis nos dedisse concusisso et hae presenti carta nostra confirmasse
Roberto Boyde militi dilecto et fideli nostro, pro homagio et servicio suo, omnes terras de
Kylmernoc, de Bondingtone et de Hertschaw, que fuerent Johannis de Balliolo in
dominico, totam terram de Kilbryde et totam terram de Ardnel, que fuerant Godfridi de
Ros, filii quondam Reginaldi de Ros, et totam terram que fuit Willelmi de Mora in
tenemento de Ardnel, cum pertinenciis. Tenendas et habendas dicto Roberto et
heredibus suis de nobis et heredibus nostris in feodo et hereditate, et in unam integram
et liberam baroniam, per omnes rectas metas et divisas suas, cum libere tenentibus
predictarum terrarum, videlicet de terra de Meneforde, de terra Ricardi Brune, de terra
Johannis de Kylmernoc, de terra Willelmi de Gobenskethe, de terra Jacobi de
Templetone, de Achendolosk, de terra Roberti Scot in Ralphistone, de terra Laurencii de
Mora in tenemento de Dalry, et de terra de Yngles Ardnel, libere quiete plenary et
honorifice, in boscis planis viis semetis moris maresiia pratis pascuis et pasturis in aquis
stangnis vivariis, molendinis et multuris, in aucupacionibus piscacionibus et venacionibus,
cum furca et fossa soc et sac thol et them et infangandthefe, et cum omnibus aliis
libertatibus commoditatibus aysiamentis et justis pertinenciis suis tam non nominatis
quam nominatis. Preterea concessimus predicto Roberto Boyde ut ipse et heredes sui
habeant teneant et possideant predictam terram de Hertschaw per omnes rectas metas
et divisas suas tantum in liberam forestam firmiter prohibentes ne quis sine licencia dicti
Roberti vel heredum suorum speciali infra dictam terram de Hertschaw secet aucupet aut
venetur super nostrum plenariam forisfacturam Faciendo nobis et heredibus nostris
dictus Robertus et heredes sui pro omnibus terris supradictis servicium unius militis in
exercitu nostro, et unam sectam ad curiam nostram de Are ad singula placita nostra
ibidem tenenda. In cujus rei, etc.
3.13
This document specifies that Robert Boyd received:



All the lands of Kylmernoc (Kilmarnock), of Bondingtone and of Hertschaw that had
belonged to John Balliol
All the lands of Kilbryde and all the lands of Ardnel which had belonged to Godfridi
de Ros, son of Reginaldi de Ros;
All the lands of Willelmi de Mora in the tenement (lands) of Ardnel.
It also details that he should hold in free barony the lands of:




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Meneford
Ricardi Brune
Johannis de Kylmernoc
Willelmi de Gobenskethe
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




Jacobi de Templetone
Achendolosk
Roberti Scot in Ralphistone
Laurencii de Mora in the tenement of Dalry
Yngles Ardnel (‘English Ardneil’).
This document reveals the esteem Boyd was held in by the King – he received no less
than the lands that had belonged to the former King, John Balliol who, after the Battle of
Dunbar, abdicated from the Scottish throne in July 1296 and died on his family estate in
France in circa 1314.
3.14
The document also marks the point at which the feudal estate at Kilmarnock came into
being though the Castle itself dates from a half century, possibly two generations later.
Sir Robert Boyd was later captured at Halidon Hill in 1333 and died soon afterwards. He
was succeeded by his son, the first Sir Thomas Boyd who died in 1365 being in turn
succeeded by his son, also Sir Thomas, who died in 1410. The Keep at Dean Castle was
probably built by one or other of these men sometime after 1360. The younger Sir
Thomas had two brothers: William being the progenitor of the Boyds of Badenheath, near
Kirkintilloch, and Robert the first of Portencross.
3.15
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Sir Thomas’ great-grandson, Robert, was raised to the peerage as 1 Lord Boyd of
Kilmarnock in 1454 becoming one of the most important men of his age. In 1460, during
James III’s minority, Boyd – who had a reputation for honesty - was created regent of the
realm. In 1466 he took possession of the young king and was made the sole governor of
the realm. As a mark of his status and prestige, in 1460 Lord Boyd felt secure enough in
his position to build the palace wing at Dean Castle. In 1469, Boyd negotiated the
marriage between James and Margaret of Norway and in the process secured the
Orkney and Shetland islands for Scotland as part of the wedding dowry. His son,
Thomas, married the king’s sister Mary in 1467, and was given the titles of Baron
Kilmarnock and Earl of Arran in the same year.
3.16
Unfortunately, the family’s great power was to lead to its downfall – other nobles had
become jealous and suspicious of their control of the king. Later in 1469, Robert and his
brothers, Alexander and Thomas – Earl of Arran, were summoned to Edinburgh to
answer charges of treason against James III. Robert and Thomas fled to England and
Denmark respectively, but Alexander was executed. Robert died in the same year, and
was succeeded as Lord Boyd by his grandson, James. Though the Boyd family continued
to take part in national life, it would not again be at such an exalted level. The Boyd’s paid
a further heavy price in the humiliating loss of their Castle and Estate through
confiscation to the Crown. It was thereafter used ‘as in a free prison’ for Princess Mary,
sister of James III (and wife of Thomas Boyd, Earl of Arran) before being passed as a
dowry to Margaret Tudor, Queen-consort of James IV who then leased it back to the
Boyds from 1508 onwards. It was only finally restored to the Boyds by Mary, Queen of
Scots in 1545.
3.17
However, despite this calamity, the family still had pretentions to operate in the upper
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echelons of power. With Mary, Queen of Scots, having gained the family’s support, the 5
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Lord Boyd, Robert, fought with his son Thomas Boyd, the 6 Lord Boyd, in the Queen’s
forces at the Battle of Langside on 13 May 1568. Thomas inherited the title upon the
death of his father in 1590. It was Thomas who negotiated a deal with James VI,
resigning his whole estate to the King, from whom, on 12 January 1592, he obtained a
new charter ‘erecting the same into a free Lordship and Barony, to be called the Lordship
and Barony of Kilmarnock’. It was this charter that raised Kilmarnock was raised to Burgh
of Barony status. Thomas also extended the estate via the 1595 purchase of Judas Hill
from Adam Assloss’s neighbouring estate for the sum of £400.
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Figure 3-3: Extract from Roy’s Military Survey of Scotland, 1747-1755 showing Kilmarnock (copyright National Library of Scotland)
3.18
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We then move forward half a century to James, the 9 Lord Boyd, who remained faithful
to the Royalist cause during the chaos of the Civil War period of 1642 – 51. His stance
financially embarrassed the Boyd family and, initially, looked like a disastrous political
move. Having ‘wadset’, or mortgaged, portions of his estate to support Charles I, James
found himself heavily fined by Cromwell. However, despite of his financial problems,
James is known to have carried out improvements to his estate and it may be that
James’s alterations to the landscape are recorded in the form of the allee and rondel
tucked into the former course of the Borland Water that are clearly visible in Roy’s Map of
1750 (refer to Fig. 3-3).
3.19
However, though James did not live long enough to see it, his allegiance to the Crown
paid off. On the restoration of Charles II in 1660, Royal gratitude toward the Boyd family
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led to the elevation of William, 10 Lord Boyd, to the Earldom of Kilmarnock in 1661.This
Royal favour also resulted in the 1672 granting of further rights and privileges to the town
of Kilmarnock. The 1st Earl of Kilmarnock, in contrast to his predecessors led a relatively
uneventful life thereafter, dying in 1692.
3.20
However, the pattern for gambling all on a cause is a leitmotif running through
rd
generations of the Boyd family. It next occurs with the grandson, also called William, 3
Earl of Kilmarnock who supported the Hanoverian Monarchy against the first Jacobite
rising in 1715. The Earl appeared at Irvine to review the 6,000 men raised to put down
the threat. However, the Earl died young with the estate being inherited by his son, also
called William, who was only 13 years old.
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Figure 3-4: William Boyd 4th Earl of Kilmarnock (copyright East Ayrshire Council)
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Figure 3-5: 19 Century image of Kilmarnock House (copyright East Ayrshire Council)
3.21
Without the influence and discipline of his father, the young William scorned learning
focusing instead on ’riding, fencing, dancing and music and was justly esteemed by men
of taste as a polite gentleman’. These plaudits were of little use, however, when the
family fortune was under threat due to his failing business ventures. Worse, in 1735 while
travelling in Europe he read in a newspaper an account of a fire in a Scottish Castle and
realised it was the family seat – Dean Castle. Rushing back to Kilmarnock he discovered
that the fire, accidentally started by a careless maid who had left some flax she was
sorting too near a fire, had badly damaged Dean Castle. However, by then the family
were primarily living in a more commodious townhouse - Kilmarnock House - in
St.Marnock Street, Kilmarnock (refer to Fig. 3-5) and so the castle was allowed to fall into
ruin due to lack of funds.
3.22
Nevertheless, from the point of view of the landscape of the estate, this period is of also
interest because there is evidence that the William Boyd (refer to Fig. 3-4) was the first
landowner to see the prospect of extracting coal from the Estate. There is a record of an
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entry in the Town Books of 15 June 1736 that notes that:
"The town gives £30 sterling to aid the coal work at Dean, on the same terms as the other
subscribers, in consideration that it will be of great benefit to the town"
3.23
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There are also a series of letters over the course of 1736 – 1744 between William Boyd
and the Lord Milton, the Lord Advocate, seeking advice on issues such as acquiring and
maintaining a skilled workforce and bemoaning the cost of the venture though he
persevered with it until his untimely death in 1746.
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Figure 3-6: The execution of William Boyd 4th Earl of Kilmarnock at Tower Hill, 18 August 1746 (copyright East Ayrshire
Council)
3.24
As a result of his lack of funds, or possibly because he was seeking to gain the support of
the family of his wife, Lady Anne Livingstone, William made a desperate gamble to regain
some the family’s lost prestige and wealth. He decided to support the young pretender
Charles Edward Stuart – Bonnie Prince Charlie - in the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745. This
was an unusual step, to say the least, for any lowland Presbyterian, especially one whose
father had shown keen support for the Hanoverian Government. The rashness of his
gamble is underscored by the fact that his two sons, James and William, already had
commissions within the British army with James serving in the Scots Fusiliers. His
youngest son Charles joined his father in backing the Stuarts.
3.25
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The 4 Earl threw his all in with the Jacobites, becoming a commander of a small
regiment within the pretender’s army and also serving in Charles Edward Stuart’s privy
council. However, for the Boyds, it was a gamble too far. In the rout that followed the
disastrous defeat at Culloden, the short sighted William mistook the kilted Scots
Dragoons of the Government’s forces as Highlanders on the Jacobite side and was
captured. In a cruel twist of fate, his son James, recognised his father as he was brought,
dishevelled and bareheaded, into the Government camp. James broke rank and placed
his own hat upon his father's head. It was the last meeting between father and son. The
youngest son, Charles escape the battleground with the Prince’s entourage and went into
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exile in France. William; however, was put on trial for treason in Westminster Hall on 28
June, 1746. His appearance at the trial was described by Horace Walpole:
"Lord Kilmarnock is tall and slender with an extreme fine person; his behaviour a most
just mixture between dignity and submission; if in anything to be reprehended, a little
affected, and his hair too exactly dressed for a man in his situation; but, when I say that, it
is not to find fault with him but to show how little fault there is to be found".
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3.26
William Boyd, 4th Earl of Kilmarnock was found guilty of treason and executed at Tower
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Hill on the 18 August 1746. The Boyd titles were confiscated, but due his support of the
Hanoverian Government, James was able to reclaim the Kilmarnock estate. However, he
also inherited his father's debt and the ruins of Dean Castle. Thus, when in 1748 James
inherited the Earldom of Erroll on the death of his mother, he changed his name to Hay,
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sold the Kilmarnock estate to his cousin, William Cunningham, 13 Earl of Glencairn, and
ended the connection between the Boyd family and Kilmarnock that had endured for
almost 450 years.
The Estate in Flux
3.27
The Cunningham family had control of the estate for two generations. It is William’s son,
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James Cunningham, 14 Earl of Glencairn (1 June 1749 – 30 January 1791), who is best
known - largely for his patronage of Robert Burns. James was instrumental in the
production of the Second Edition of Burns’ Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish dialect published in Edinburgh on 17 April 1787. However, as Cunningham was based in
Edinburgh his Kilmarnock estate appears to have had a lesser priority for him with the
castle being left as a ruin. In 1786 he disposed of both the 8000 arce Kilmarnock estate
and the former family seat in Kilmaurs. It was sold to the trustees of Henrietta, eldest
daughter of the General John Scott of Balcomie – a Scottish politician and phenomenally
successful gambler from Fife.
3.28
Henrietta, who was known to her suitors as ‘the rich Miss Scott’, had still to come into her
majority. In order to provide for her future the Trustees had been purchasing land in Fife,
the Lothians and now in Ayrshire, as a dowry. There is an ironic twist of fate in the
Trustees’ purchase of the Kilmarnock Estate and Dean Castle – General John Scott’s
first marriage was to Lady Mary Hay, daughter of the Earl of Erroll i.e. James son of
William Boyd, 4th Earl of Kilmarnock. The couple divorced in 1771 reputedly because
Lady Mary eloped with another man. However, it is more likely that the Trustees
purchased the estate for its known mineral deposits.
The Portland Family and the Estate
3.29
In 1795, Henrietta married William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck, Marquis of Titchfield, later
the 4th Duke of Portland. William was the eldest son of Prime Minister William
Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland and Lady Dorothy, daughter of William
Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire and Charlotte Boyle, Baroness Clifford. It is through
the endeavours of Henrietta and William that the Kilmarnock Estate goes through its next
transformation.
3.30
The marriage was financially astute for both parties – something that the Scott’s were
clearly aware of. A codicil recorded in the will of General John Scott required Henrietta’s
future husband to take the Scott family name or else forfeit the estate. William therefore
obtained Royal Licence to take the name "Scott" in addition to that of Bentinck so as to
honour this obligation. There were pragmatic reasons for doing so. Marriage to the
wealthy heiress not only brought her Scottish estates into the Portland family portfolio it
came with a windfall of £60,000. The bride's possessions also included an island of the
Scottish coast, and, in another stroke of luck, the Government of that time purchased the
island from the family for £60,000 thereby allowing the erection of a new lighthouse to
assist navigation.
3.31
It was a successful and happy marriage. The Duchess, who had something of an
obsessive and solitary nature (these traits would be further manifested in the next
generation), occupied herself in inventorying her husband's great estates, as well as in
her own. She also took care to look after the domestic welfare of their dependants.
Henrietta was a fitting companion for the Duke, and sadly, pre-deceased him by ten
years, in May 1844.
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Figure 3-7: Dean Castle Country Park – the 17 Century allee and rondel. Baseline mapping data reproduced by permission
of Ordnance Survey on behalf of HMSO. Crown copyright and database right 2014. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey
Licence number (100023409).
3.32
Henrietta clearly inherited her father’s intelligence and financial astuteness. In tandem
with William she put the Kilmarnock estate to work so as to increase the family wealth.
Though William is generally referred to as the farming Duke, as far as concerns
Kilmarnock this description is incorrect. In Ayrshire the Portland’s embraced the new
technologies of the burgeoning Industrial Revolution. Being aware of the mineral wealth
of the land – particularly coal - they sought to exploit it. However, they were faced with an
immediate problem in that the key market for the coal was Ireland and Kilmarnock was 11
miles from the coast. In order to overcome this obstacle the Portland’s proposed to build
a new harbour at Troon and connect it to Kilmarnock via a canal, later changing this to a
horse drawn railway. Their agents set to work either buying land between the centre of
Kilmarnock and Troon or cutting deals with fellow landowners. A station and goods yard
were built on St Marnock Street and, though predominantly used for coal and cargo, the
Railway line also became Scotland’s first passenger service. As it had not been licensed
for passenger use the operators got round this by weighing the passengers and charging
them cargo rates!
3.33
The landscape of the Kilmarnock estate was transformed by industrialisation. The allee
and trees to the north of Dean Castle was swept away and the small freestone quarry for
building material – the old Quarry - was joined by a larger new quarry – the Dean Quarry.
The earliest reference to quarrying is to be found on the 1780 Estate Map which shows
two freestone Quarries – a small one at the Southern end of Dean Plantation and a
freestone quarry by Assloss bridge on the Assloss side. The smaller quarry had at first
been used for stone, but it was of poor quality so was probably only used locally.
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Figure 3-8: Dean Castle Country Park – the 19 century diversion of watercourses. Baseline mapping data reproduced by
permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of HMSO. Crown copyright and database right 2014. All rights reserved. Ordnance
Survey Licence number (100023409).
3.34
The quarries were also prone to flooding. In 1812 – 13 the Portland’s leased the quarry to
a Mr A Law who built a dam, or weir, across the Borland Water at Assloss and formed a
lade that skirted across the river three times before exiting at the side of the new Dean
Quarry. The lade carried water from the dam upstream and took it along the top of the
embankment where it turned a wheel which then raised the water from the quarry via a
line of troughs or buckets. The lade was also used to power a Bonnet makers factory –
established in 1835.
3.35
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An article in the Ayr Advertiser of 25 September 1828 refers to a 70 foot long by 12 feet
wide tunnel connecting the new quarry under the Borland Water with another quarry on
the Assloss Estate and that the quarries are kept clear of water by a steam engine, made
by Kilmarnock based Messrs John Parker and Co., and erected under the direction of
local civil engineer Mr P. Cooper. This could perhaps be a mistaken reference to the lade
but, nevertheless, it is interesting to speculate especially given the later proclivities of the
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eccentric 5 Duke of Portland.
3.36
The new quarry was then used to extract the clay which was found underlying the seams
of coal. In 1828, Matthew Craig leased land from the Portland family and built a small Fire
Clay brick factory alongside the new quarry – the first fire clay works in Ayrshire. The
Dean Brickworks initially only supplied work for three men and two boys with the entire
plant consisting of a pair of rollers for crushing the clay, moulds for the bricks and a kiln
for firing them. The rollers were initially powered by a rotary gin, but this was soon
upgraded to a steam engine. By 1885 J. & M. Craig’s Fireclay works were employing
nearly four hundred men and boys on three locations around Kilmarnock.
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Figure 3-9: 1859 image of the canalisation of the Borland Water (copyright East Ayrshire Council)
3.37
However, flooding clearly remained a constraint on the ability to quarry. So as to
overcome this at some point between 1828 and 1841 the Portland’s diverted the Borland
Water from its natural course, along the base of Judas Hill. The canalisation of river is
recorded in the 1841 map of the Kilmarnock Estate. The watercourse was canalised in a
cutting that bisected the former designed landscape thus allowing for further expansion of
the quarries until they reached the end of their economic life in 1872 at which point they
were flooded and landscaped to create an ornamental feature. This is recorded by
Adamson in 'Rambles around Kilmarnock" wrote;
"...I soon reached a humble cottage, built on the edge of an old quarry, now filled with
water and turned into a tasteful lake - the edges and slopes of which are adorned with
shrubs and trees of various kinds. On the lake is an abundance of ducks and some
beautiful swans, and the water being clear and fresh contains several varieties of fish.'
3.38
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Industrialisation also touched the castle paddock, to the south of the Motte, which was
transformed from meadow to mineworks with a rash of bellpits to extract the coal. The
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Bell Cast Pits may actually predate the Quarry being possibly associated with William, 3
Earl of Kilmarnock’s first attempts at coal mining on the estate in the 1730s. Within the
heart of this industrialised landscape loomed the ruins of Dean Castle, joined, at some
point between 1800 and 1850 by the Dower House – used for housing a Mr K J Turner,
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the factor for the 4 Duke of Portland’s Kilmarnock Estate.
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Figure 3-10: 19 century image of the Dean Quarry and Dean Brickworks (copyright East Ayrshire Council)
3.39
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The 4 Duke and Duchess of Portland had nine children, but, when it came to issues of
inheritance, Henrietta had something of a radical bent. Unusually, Henrietta’s will made
clear that the Scott family estate i.e. the estate that had been bequeathed to her (as
opposed to that of the Cavendish-Bentick family) was to be passed on via female
primogenitor or to a direct descendant. Therefore the Kilmarnock estate was bequeathed
to the eldest daughter – Lady Margaret Harriet (21 April 1798 – 9 April 1882), before
passing to the second daughter – Lady Charlotte (14 January 1806 – 30 September
1889), before finally reaching the third daughter, Lady Lucy Cavendish-Bentinck (27
August 1807 – 29 July 1899) who married Charles Augustus Ellis, the 6th Lord Howard
de Walden and 2nd Baron Seaford (5 June 1799 – 29 August 1868) on 8 November
1828.
3.40
As a result of his own family’s wealth, combined with that of Henrietta’s, the 4 Duke
became immensely rich. The chief basis of the Portland family’s wealth was the valuable
real estate they controlled within central London. Their Marylebone Estate was superbly
situated for speculation and contained such famous London place names as Portland
Place, Cavendish Square, Wimpole and Harley Streets.
3.41
When the 4 Duke died on 27 March 1854 he arranged his will such that his London
property passed to his son, William Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck, 5th Duke of Portland, and
then if he, or his brothers, had no male heirs, it should pass into the female line i.e. his
daughters. However he also arranged that the remainder of the Cavendish-Bentick
estates including the family seat, Welbeck Abbey, would pass on to their male cousins –
i.e. the Cavendish-Bentick and Scott lines would separate. And as the males of his family
had no children, this is what came to pass - William Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck, 5th Duke
of Portland, known as ‘mole’ had a reclusive and introverted character becoming
obsessed with building a 24km long network of tunnels and underground chambers
across the Welbeck Estate; Lord George was obsessive in his love of gambling and
racing, and his hatred of Robert Peel and Corn Law reform; Lord Henry hid himself from
public view.
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3.42
The first to inherit the Marylebone Estate was the second daughter, Lady Charlotte, who
became Viscountess Ossington through her marriage to John Evelyn Denison, the British
statesman who served as Speaker of the House of Commons from 1857 to 1872.
However, in common with her brothers, Lady Ossington had no children so, when she
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died on 30 September 1889, the Marylebone Estate passed to the third daughter Lady
Lucy, by then the Dowager Lady Howard de Walden. This furnished Lady Lucy with the
astronomical income of £180,000 per annum – by percentage increase in RPI this would
be worth £17,360,000 in today’s money; however, in terms of economic power, the value
of that income would be equivalent to £202,500,000 in today’s money – a phenomenal
sum that made her the UK’s richest woman.
The Scott-Ellis Family and the Estate
3.43
Lady Lucy was renowned for her intellect, wit and originality, so her marriage to Charles
Augustus Ellis, the 6th Lord Howard de Walden would seem well suited. Charles – who
was only four when he inherited the title from his great-grandfather - was a diplomat and
at various points in his career was attached as an envoy to the courts of Stockholm,
Lisbon and Brussels. Charles was also heir to the Ellis sugar plantations in Jamaica. The
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couple had five sons, the eldest of whom was Fredrick George Ellis, later the 7 Baron
Howard de Walden.
3.44
Sadly, Lady Lucy did not get on with her eldest son. As a young man, Frederick assisted
his father in overseeing the family's holdings in Jamaica. However, father and son
incurred enormous debts in doing so – the plantations becoming liabilities as the sugar
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trade declined. When Charles died in 1868 Frederick, who had become a major in the 4
Light Dragoons, inherited the debt laden estate and had to ask his mother for financial
assistance. Lady Lucy undertook to pay off her late husband’s debt but at a price – she
demanded the plantations in exchange. Once in receipt of the Ellis’ Jamaican estate she
proceed to hand it over to Frederick’s youngest brother, Evelyn. Frederick, feeling
cheated out of his inheritance, was furious. Lady Lucy’s actions resulted a rift with her
eldest son that was never healed.
3.45
Frederick, undeterred by this setback, resolved to get his hands on the Portland family’s
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estate by exploiting the 4 Duke of Portland’s will. Frederick realised that the estate
would pass to Lady Lucy’s senior grandson so, though hitherto a confirmed bachelor, in
April 1876 at the age of 46 he married 19 year old Blanche Holden after a whirlwind
romance. Though a Colonel Starkey had attempted to warn both her and her mother off
the marriage on the grounds that Frederick was a drunkard – a charge indignantly denied
- Blanche was a naïf who had no idea of the real character of the man she was about to
marry. However, Frederick got what he desired with the arrival of a son, Thomas Evelyn
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Ellis – known as Tommy, on 9 May 1880 – much to Lady Lucy’s displeasure as she was
forced to give the family a £3000 per annum allowance.
3.46
Lady Lucy stubbornly lived on for another 19 years but, despite the allowance; there was
no rapprochement with Frederick. Nor did she lavish attention on her new grandchild
preferring to give her time and money to charity work while being generous to her
younger children. Conscious of the snub, her eldest son’s behaviour grew increasingly
erratic and it was Blanche who bore the brunt.
3.47
Quite what she had to endure is revealed in the salacious media coverage of their divorce
case which was heard in the London Divorce Court in early March 1893. The divorce
caused a scandal in Victorian Britain and was telegraphed across the world being
reported on as far afield as New Zealand and even appearing in no less a publication
than the New York Times. Blanche sued for judicial separation on the grounds of her
husband’s alleged cruelty. Not to be outdone, Frederick counter-sued for the dissolution
of the marriage on the grounds of his wife’s alleged misconduct with co-respondents,
Count Jean de Mardre and Captain Noel Winter.
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Figure 3-10: Blanche, 7 Baroness Howard de Walden, later Baroness Ludlow Lafayette Studios 1902 (copyright V&A)
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3.48
In an effort to show to the jury that Lord Howard de Walden was an afflicted being, one
not always responsible for his actions, Counsel revealed that almost from the start the
marriage was marked by Frederick’s neglect, domestic abuse, physical and psychological
torment. Details emerged of how Frederick constantly swore at Blanche, abandoned her
alone at their lodgings for days on end, frequently came home drunk, accused her of
stealing money, hurled items at her in the presence of witnesses, encouraged the
servants to refuse to obey her orders, set fire to the curtains in her bedroom, even
brandishing pistols threatening to shoot her.
3.49
In 1878 Blanche summoned the courage to defy her husband by attending the races at
Goodwood. She paid for her defiance. Upon her return he struck her so severely he
knocked her off a sofa – a manservant was forced to intervene. But the torment did not
stop, even on the day Thomas was born. Blanche was confined to her room on doctor’s
orders but this did not prevent her husband forcing his way in to threaten her.
3.50
Blanche walked out on her husband later in 1880 being supported by Lady Harriet
Cavendish-Benetick and Lady Ossington. She contemplated legal action but the two
ladies persuaded her not to because of the scandal it would cause. Instead a legal
agreement was drawn up with a series of twenty conditions under which Blanche and
Frederick were to resume marital relations. These conditions, at Frederick’s insistence,
included who Blanche was to associate and communicate with and even stipulated that
she break off relations with her mother. Blanche signed on the hope it would promote
concord, but once she’d returned to the household her husband’s conduct did not
change.
3.51
Events came to a head in 1888 when Blanche was invited to visit Lady Bolsover at
Welbeck Abbey - an invitation not extended to Frederick. Upon her return to their London
home, Frederick locked her out in the cold resulting in Blanche catching a chill that
developed into peritonitis. Blanche appealed to the family to keep Frederick away in what
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she thought would be her final hours. The 6 Duke of Portland, as the head of the family,
was forced to intervene. Accosting a drunken Lord Howard de Walden the Duke
challenged him not to disturb his wife only to be told to mind his own business. Lady
Howard de Walden was transported back to Welbeck Abbey to be cared for.
3.52
After the crisis Blanche and her husband agreed to separate with Frederick to pay an
allowance of £300 per annum. Blanche took the child and moved to a modest house in
Folkestone. But Frederick had not finished with her. He first neglected, then refused to
maintain his wife and child, doing his utmost to separate the two. Ultimately, Blanche was
left with little choice but to sue for divorce and fortunately the Jury preferred her version of
events. Blanche was vindicated with neither Judge nor Jury believing Frederick and his
two witnesses. Tommy was made a ward of court and Frederick was left disgraced,
earning a reputation as a brute.
3.53
Having seen the family name dragged through the mud the Dowager Lady Howard de
Walden undertook to support Tommy and Blanche, but every penny had to be accounted
for. Despite the support Blanche and Tommy were poor by comparison with wealthy
aristocratic families they knew. Tommy later recalled this as a ‘great advantage’ because
it reinforced his determination to be generous with his inheritance. Tommy grew up an
only child in an unhappy household. To escape he inhabited a world of make-believe and
illusion with books nourishing his imagination with stories of knights and maidens, elves
and fairies. With the Dowager’s intervention all that changed – Tommy was sent to Eton
where he blossomed. He developed into a handsome young man with a first rate
intelligence, superb memory and great sense of humour. A polymath, he had interests
both ancient and modern covering a diverse range of topics from mechanics and motor
cars a romantic yearning to recreate the early Middle Ages with a scholarly eye to the
detail of its chivalry and traditions. He also partook in the arts and theatre. Leaving Eton
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in 1898 he went on to Sandhurst joining the 10 Royal Prince of Wales Hussars.
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Figure 3-11: Thomas Evelyn Scott-Ellis, 8th Howard de Walden, (copyright East Ayrshire Council)
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Figure 3-12: late19 century image of the Dean Castle and Dower House (copyright East Ayrshire Council)
3.54
However, Tommy’s life was about to change. In July 1899 the Dowager finally died but
the aging Frederick, by then confined to a nursing home, outlived his mother by only four
months. Despite this, Tommy embarked to South Africa to join his regiment in Cape
Town. Two years of fighting in the Boer War took their toll and Tommy – disillusioned by
his experience - was eventually invalided home after contracting malaria.
3.55
When Tommy finally came into his inheritance in 1901 he remarked ‘Thank God that I
have never put away childish things’ and proceeded to make up lost time. Though he was
now one of the richest men in the United Kingdom, his first act was to visit London’s
famous Basset Lowke toyshop (established in 1898 and who specialized in model
railways, boats and ships – Basset Lowke would later commission Charles Rennie
Mackintosh for his house at 78 Derngate in Northampton) where he bought all the toys he
had longed for as a child. He then set up himself and his mother – whom he adored – in
Belgravia taking a long lease on Sefton House, 37 Belgrave Square. He renamed the
property Seaford House and, using the London based Glaswegian architect JJ Stevenson
(1831 – 1908), transformed it in spectacular fashion, reputedly purchasing a South
American Onyx mine so as to ensure he had sufficient quantity of stone to completely
encase the entrance hall, staircase, and gallery in a pale green onyx. The only exception
to Stevenson’s input was Tommy’s bedroom, a tiny space that he reputedly recast as a
medieval bedchamber.
3.56
Given the dreams of his lonely childhood Tommy must have been pleased to discover a
castle of his very own on the Kilmarnock Estate. He was also proud of his family’s
Scottish ancestry, readopting the surname Scott in recognition of his Scottish inheritance
– though this may also have had something to do with the wills of Henritta and her father
General John Scott of Balcomie. While a noted moderniser – as early as 1903, prior to
the Wright Brothers’ success, he invested in experiments in heavier than air transport –
Tommy was still fascinated by the Middle Ages - he was immortalised by Augustus John
as the man who breakfasted reading The Times in a suit of armour – and determined to
recreate the spirit of the early Middle Ages at Dean Castle.
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Figure 3-13: early 20 century image of the Dean Castle and Dower House showing restoration of the Keep (copyright East Ayrshire Council)
3.57
In 1905 Tommy embarked on a comprehensive programme of restoration and additions
to the castle complex with Kilmarnock based architects Ingram & Brown (Robert Samson
Ingram was also the architect for the Kilmarnock Burns Memorial and the Dick Institute).
They must have had developed a good relationship as Tommy later engaged them on
another major restoration programme, between 1911 – 13, to Chirk Castle in
Denbighshire – the castle Tommy leased for a 35 year period while Dean Castle was
being re-built. Ingram and Brown also built the ‘C’ listed Dean Castle Lodge.
3.58
Though based in Kilmarnock, Ingram and Brown were by no means provincial in outlook
and anyway Kilmarnock was a major industrial centre in a then wealthy part of the United
Kingdom. One can speculate as to why they were selected as architects and there may
be more to this than the expediency of being locally based - this perhaps warrants further
investigation. Tommy’s choice of JJ Stevenson as the architect for the transformation of
Seaford House is an interesting and revealing one. Stevenson was one of the key
founders of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) in 1877 and set out
its ideals in the – controversial at the time - 'Architectural Restoration: its principals and
practice'. Stevenson ‘a big jolly man with a streak of mischief and an addiction to practical
jokes’ must have hit it off with Tommy - a fellow antiquarian.
3.59
Stevenson had strong architectural links to Scotland being in partnership with Campbell
Douglas (1828 - 1910) from 1860 – 1868. Together, they were regarded as one of the
greatest teaching partnerships of mid Victorian times. The two men remained on good
terms after the split with Stevenson's office becoming the stepping-stone to London for
many promising assistants from Campbell Douglas's office. Alexander Thomson, and
John Honeyman, amongst others, are known to have stayed at Stevenson’s Red House
in Bayswater Hill. Stevenson continued to build in Scotland including the ‘A’ listed
Stevenson Memorial Church in Glasgow with its pronounced late Scots Gothic character.
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Figure 3-14: mid 1930s image of the Dean Castle during the erection of the curtain wall (copyright East Ayrshire Council)
3.60
Given Stevenson’s links to SPAB, and his involvement in Seaford House, would it be
beyond the realms of possibility that Tommy and he discussed the potential restoration of
an historic Scottish Castle and who might be involved in the commission? There is a
tenuous link in that Robert Samson Ingram trained under Charles Barry Junior, and it was
Barry who proposed Campbell Douglas as a Fellow of the RIBA on 9 June 1879.
3.61
The senior Partner, Robert Samson Ingram, was an assistant of Charles Barry Junior,
and was regarded as one of the best educated architects of his generation. The junior
partner, David Morton Brown, was articled to the interesting Architectural and
Engineering practice, J and HV Eaglesham of Ayr from 1895 – 1900 before studying at
the School of Applied Art in Edinburgh. He then moved to Glasgow working in the office
of Ecole de Beaux Art trained John Archibald Campbell from 1902 – 1905. Thereafter, he
emigrated to Montreal in Canada ‘to get an insight into colonial work', and entered the
office of Robert Findlay, who had worked for Campbell’s former partner JJ Burnet. From
Montreal he travelled around eastern seaboard of Canada and the United States, and at
some point made a study tour in France. In 1906 the 27 year old Brown returned to
Kilmarnock going into partnership with 65 year old Robert Samson Ingram.
3.62
Having restored the Keep at the Dean in 1908, Tommy then moved onto the Palace
range which, further to the delay caused by the First World War, was not re-roofed and
glazed until 1922 – it was not until 1946 that it was fully restored. Tommy also
incorporated elements from the old Castle of Balcomie – seat of his Scott ancestors – in
the Palace range. This included wood panelling, doors and decorative plasterwork.
3.63
To provide the scholarly underpinning to his romantic vision Tommy engaged James
Smith Richardson (2 November 1883 – 12 September 1970), Inspector of Ancient
Monuments and expert on historic Scottish architecture, to add a Lorimeresque
gatehouse – with two rounded towers, loophole gun ports and half-leaded glass windows
- and the timber fighting platforms that form the parapet wall around the top of the Curtain
wall - although these were not part of the original castle design – between 1935 and
1937.
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Figure 3-15: James Smith Richardson’s newly completed Dean Castle gatehouse in 1938 (Copyright East Ayrshire Council)
3.64
Richardson had something of an axe to grind here – in 1903 he had been employed by
Sir Robert Lorimer,as an assistant, but, after commencing his own practice in 1909 he
became embittered about Lorimer, whom he regarded as having 'pinched' one of his
clients. In 1920 he went into partnership with another ex Lorimer employee – John Ross
McKay. McKay had had an even bitterer falling out with Lorimer with whom he been chief
assistant. McKay had been invited to a weekend party at the estate of General HunterWeston of Hunterston whom he had served under in the Great War. Lormier did not think
it appropriate that an assistant attend a party of one of his clients and instructed McKay to
decline the invitation. McKay ignored Lormier. The conversation in the office on the
Monday morning was short and to the point – the two men parted company.
3.65
Richardson and McKay extracted their revenge on Lorimer in the 1922 debate over the
Scottish National War Memorial at Edinburgh Castle. Richardson opposed the design
through his role on the Ancient Monuments Board. Lorimer was livid describing
Richardson, in a letter to architect Robin Smith Dods, as a 'wild talking irresponsible devil’
who had been 'trying hard to wreck it, incidentally with the hope of wrecking me'.
Richardson even went so far as to erect a full size canvas mock up so as to reveal the
proposal’s impact on the Castle’s skyline. It would appear that the design of the
gatehouse at Dean Castle – which appears to be derived from nearby Rowallan Castle
where Lorimer was working - pressed the point home.
3.66
Tommy chose well though - as an authority Richardson was highly respected. As
Inspector of Ancient Monuments, with the support of Sir John Stirling Maxwell, Chairman
of the Ancient Monuments Board, Richardson brought many monuments into
guardianship of the state. In his retirement Richardson advised the National Trust for
Scotland on the restoration of the garden at Pitmedden and was consultant to the Queen
Mother on the restoration of the Castle of Mey.
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Figure 3-16:The Blue Angel – the grave of Blanche, 7 Baroness Howard de Walden, (copyright East Ayrshire Council)
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3.67
In 1911 Tommy’s mother Blanche, who had subsequently married Henry Ludlow Lopes,
2nd Baron Ludlow of Heywood in 1903, died suddenly – reaching down to pick up her hat
at the races, she had a stroke. Tommy – who regarded his mother as ‘the gentlest
creature that ever lived’ - arranged to have her buried at Dean Castle. Her grave is
marked by a statue: the Blue Angel – a Rodinesque sculpture of unknown provenance.
The origin of this work is worth investigation. Given the esteem in which he held his
mother one would presume that Tommy would commission a significant artist to
memorialise her.
3.68
Though he is occasionally disparaged as a dilettante, this belies the strength of Tommy’s
artistic passions and connections. Not only did he seek out the society of those who
frequented the Cafe Royal, Tommy was also the patron of the New English Art Club and
founder- member of the Contemporary Art Society. Tommy used these positions to
promote a wide range of artists. In particular he supported sculptors including Jacob
Epstein and Eric Gill (commissioned to produce the War Memorial at Chirk Castle). He
admired Auguste Rodin giving the sculptor his largest British commission. Rodin returned
the favour and in 1905-6 sculpted the ‘Bust of Lord Howard de Walden’ which Tommy
later gifted to the Tate. Tommy even later exhibited his own work in which Punch
(perhaps facetiously?) claimed to detect Rodin’s hand – perhaps Tommy is the sculptor?
3.69
Another possibility arises from Chirk Castle. There, the Howard de Waldens introduced
four bronze statues of naked nymphs into the garden. These were by the sculptor Andrea
Carlo Lucchesi (1860-1924) an exponent of the naturalistic and symbolist ‘New
Sculpture’. Lucchesi’s work could be mysterious and provocative and featured many
female nudes as he considered the female figure to be ‘nature’s masterpiece’. All the
statues at Chirk Castle date from the 1890s with one of them, Destiny, winning gold
medals at Dresden in 1895 and at the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle. The female
forms in the Chirk statues are smooth and carefully modeled whereas the Blue Angel is
more immediate and shows the influence of Rodin. Could the ‘Blue Angel’ have been a
piece specifically commissioned by Tommy i.e. if it is by Lucchesi had his style evolved
by then?
3.70
Tommy’s patronage also extended to literature, music and theatre. He befriended, and
supported, many eminent writers including: George Moore, W.B. Yeats, G.K. Chesterton,
Hilaire Belloc, Rudyard Kipling, J.M. Barrie, John Masefield and George Bernard Shaw.
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In an echo of the 14 Earl of Glencairn patronage of Robert Burns, having been
introduced by the artist Augustus John, Tommy became the patron of the young Dylan
Thomas. Not only did he settle Dylan Thomas’s debts he let him have a cottage in the
garden of Plas Llanina, an ancient manor house Tommy had bought near Newport. Prior
to Tommy’s death Dylan gifted a volume of his poems, Deaths and Entrances, inscribed
‘To Lord Howard de Walden from Dylan Thomas with every gratitude’.
3.71
Tommy married Margot, Lady Howard de Walden in 1912 and they had six children.
Margherita (Margot) Van Raalte, an equally fascinating character, was the daughter of a
wealthy Jewish Banker Charles van Raalte of Brownsea Island, Dorest. She inherited her
mother’s artistic talent and became an accomplished musician, training as an opera
singer (there is a lovely anecdote, from Margot’s biography Pages from my Life
(published in 1965), that when the children were out at play at Chirk Castle, if Margot was
home and she wanted them in for dinner, she would open the window and belt out
Brunnhilde’s call from Die Walkure).
3.72
Margot was also known to have been a very keen gardener and, at Chirk Castle, took
advice from her close friend Norah Lindsay - one of the leading garden designers of the
period. Norah and Margot were friends for more than 40 years. They shared a circle of
friends including Hilaire Belloc, George Bernard Shaw and Ivor Novello. As well as
gardening Norah Lindsay was a socialite known for her conversation, wit and gossip.
Norah moved in very high class circles becoming a major influence on garden design and
planting in the United Kingdom and on the Continent during the interwar period.
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Figure 3-16:TheBust of Lord Howard de Walden – Auguste Rodin 1905-6 (copyright East Ayrshire Council)
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3.73
Norah Lindsay was initially influenced by Gertrude Jekyll and William Robinson but soon
developed her own style influencing amongst others Vita Sackville-West and Lawrence
Johnston. She advised, consulted and worked on dozens of Country House gardens
including Blickling Hall, Cliveden, Hidcote Manor, Mottisfont Abbey and her own house at
Sutton Courtenay.
3.74
Norah worked for the Howard de Waldens at Chirk Castle for 12 years between 1924 and
1936 probably staying for many of the legendary weekend long house parties her hosts
threw there. During these extended visits Norah stayed with the family as a friend.
3.75
At Chirk Castle, Norah Lindsay designed the 80m long Herbaceous border, shrub garden,
and the delightful topiary – she had a team of 18 gardeners to assist with this challenge.
She herself would go to Hilliers by train to select the plants for the garden. Norah Lindsay
is also known to have worked in Scotland – she did the Herbaceous garden plantings at
Gleneagles. Could the Howard de Waldens have consulted her on the landscaping and
Herbaceous planting schemes at Dean Castle? Even if they did not this link does reveal
something of the social milieu in which the Howard de Waldens operated. Clarification of
this warrants further research.
3.76
When the Great War broke out Tommy was sent to Egypt as second in command of the
Westminster Dragoons. Margot soon followed, renting a large house outside Alexandria
while setting up and running a convalescent hospital staffed with nurses from England.
For her efforts Margot was named Commander, Order of the British Empire as well as
Dame of Grace, Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem. In the
interwar period Margot became known for her work on maternity and child welfare,
serving on the committee of management for Queen Charlotte’s Maternity Hospital from
1924 onwards. However, Tommy yearned for action at the frontline and secured a
transfer to Gallipoli. After the failure of the campaign Tommy was amongst the last to be
evacuated back to Cairo. When Tommy was transferred to the Western front in 1916
Margot returned to the United Kingdom and set up a convalescent hospital for officers in
London.
3.77
Tommy may have got what he desired but it came at high price – he fought in the horrors
of Passchendale. When he returned from France he was unrecognisable – taciturn and
introverted. His description that - part of him had died in the war and the part that had
survived was ‘no more than a husk, living out a life that he finds infinitely wearisome’ matches the experience of many who have survived the traumas of war only to find the
transition to life back home extraordinarily difficult. His relationships must have suffered
and his children noted that they regarded him as a complete stranger.
3.78
The appearance of the estate also changed with the quarry pond being drained, partially
put back to use a quarry supplying freestone for the building programme while also being
adapted to use as part of the estate’s amenity. Estate records show that the Estate
Forester, Thomas W Dalgleish introduced circa thirty types of conifer trees into the former
quarry in 1910. Later, between 1933 and 1938, Margot, working with Dalgleish,
developed a Pinetum on the hillside to the north and west of the castle. During this period
nearly 150 specimen conifer trees were selected by botanists from Kew Gardens at
Hilliers of Winchester for planting in the Pinetum. The individual trees are marked with
plaques, some of which still survive.
3.79
Margot and Thomas W Dalgleish were assisted in the selection of trees for both Pinetum
and Quarry by the botanist and dendrologist Albert Bruce Jackson – one of the leading
authorities on the subject and an expert on Bryophytes, Spermatophytes and Fungi and
Lichen. Jackson started out as a journalist but was simultaneously supplying journals,
such as the Annals of Scottish Natural History,1907, with records of plants he had found.
Jackson worked as an assistant the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew from 1907 to
1910.Thereafter he left to Kew assist Henry John Elwes (1846 – 1922) and Augustine
Henry in the preparation of their book The Trees of Great Britain and Ireland regarded
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today as one of the greatest books on trees ever published. Jackson then worked at the
Imperial Institute from 1910 until 1932, thereafter being employed at the Department of
Botany at the British Museum (now the Natural History Museum) in London. Together
with fellow Botanist William Dallimore (1871 –1959), Jackson wrote The Handbook of
Coniferae and Ginkgoaceae which was first published in 1923 (and included a foreword
thanking amongst others Sir John Stirling Maxwell for having furnished specimens of
living conifers for study and comparison). It would remain a standard work for more than
forty years. He then assisted the William J Mitchell, the curator of Westonbirt, the
National Arboretum near Tetbury in Gloucestershire, England, in developing the
collection from 1926 onwards. This resulted in Jackson compiling the first catalogue of
Trees & Shrubs at Westonbirt in 1927. Jackson acted as consulting arboriculturalist to a
number of estates and published accounts of the collections at Syon House (1910),
Yattenden Court (1911), Albury Park (1913), and Borde Hill (1935). At the end of his life
he helped supply Indian Horse Chestnut trees to Sir Winston Churchill at Chartwell. Upon
hearing of Jackson’s sudden death Churchill wrote to Jackson’s wife expressing his deep
sympathy while looking forward to the receipt of the Indian Horse Chestnut trees, which
he described as being a perpetual reminder of his pleasant association with her husband.
Jackson’s plants are now in the Natural History Museum in London, Kew, the Botanical
Museum and Herbarium at Copenhagen, Leicester Museum, Cardiff, Oxford and
Warwick.
3.80
The boundaries of the estate were also altered during Tommy’s tenure, first by his
purchase of the Assloss Estate in 1918 and then with a series of land swaps transacted
at the request of his cousins, the Dukes of Portland, from 1919 onwards. This allowed the
estate to be further consolidated.
3.81
Tommy also opened up his Kilmarnock estate to members of the Kilmarnock public.
Allegedly Lord Howard de Walden had gifted the land to the peoples of Kilmarnock in
1907 and may have been given the freedom of the Burgh as a result. However, it does
appear that this gesture - which gave him significant influence in municipal affairs, with
Tommy’s factor, Mr Middleton, being elected to the School Board and County Council appears to have been resented by some. The gesture also appears to have come with
strings attached.
3.82
While happy to open up the estate to the Kilmarnock public, it appears that Lord Howard
de Walden still wanted to exercise a degree of control over how people behaved on what
he regarded as his land. His motivations appear in part proprietary and part paternalistic
though this is probably explained by Tommy’s political leanings, which were to the right.
His thinking was perhaps influenced by his love of Medievalism, a sense of noblesse
oblige and his aristocratic as well as cultural milieu. It maybe that this is something that
emerged through his friendship with G.K. Chesterton, Hilaire Belloc, and George Bernard
Shaw – three of the big men of letters in Edwardian UK. What is interesting is that other
important figures, such as Sir John Stirling Maxwell, were also exploring this idea of
opening up their estates for public access at the time. Sir John Stirling Maxwell, through
his work in arboriculture, realised the importance of green spaces within a city
environment and to this end gave the people of Glasgow access to his Pollok Estate in
1911.
3.83
That Tommy was prepared to invest in a high quality facility for the public is clear from the
photographic evidence. The Quarry trails he laid out in 1910 would have had a very
different quality to any of the other Public Parks in Kilmarnock at that time – Howard Park,
the Dean Park and Kay Park. The footpaths of the trails were of very high quality –
evidentially built to last.
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Figure 3-17: The Quarry trails – image possibly pre- WW1 (Copyright East Ayrshire Council)
3.84
However, Tommy evidentially did have strong views on how people should behave while
on his property. Views that were not appreciated by all. Events came to a head between
st
July and September 1908 when, on 1 July 1908, gates appeared at the key entrances
into the estate thereby obstructing or controlling access. The new gates were
accompanied by a sign: NOTICE, PRIVATE ROAD, NO DOGS ALLOWED, Jas
st
Middleton Estate Office, Kilmarnock, 1 July 1908. A report in the Kilmarnock Standard
nd
on 22 August 1908 notes his factor indicating that is was not the intention of Lord
Howard de Walden:
“...to prevent the public of Kilmarnock from continuing to enjoy the use of the roads
through the Dean as formerly. That the privilege would be allowed so long as it was not
abused. But during the last year or two... there had been a good deal of damage done to
trees and shrubs and many complaints had been made of miscellaneous mischief such
as stoning ducks in the quarry, carving of fences with knives and pulling of plants etc. A
number of persons had also a habit of taking up prominent positions in the grounds and
playing cards and when requested to move they replied in insolent and offensive
language and sometimes showed a defiant attitude. Conduct like that...would not be
tolerated.”
3.85
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The erection of the gates to what the Factor, Mr Middleton, called Dean Avenue (now
known as the Lime Avenue) appears to have brought things to a head. In addition the
Factor also dug up the other entrance from the Dean Road into the estate (where the car
park now stands) on the grounds that he had ‘good reason to believe that it was
frequently used for undesirable and illegitimate purposes’ – the conduct in question being
card playing. This entrance was replaced by barbed wire.
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Figure 3-17: The Dean Right of Way demonstration 30 August 1908 (Copyright Frank Beattie)
3.86
The dispute resulted in a meeting on 25 August 1908 of the Kilmarnock town council to
discuss the matter which, after deliberation, was delegated to the Streets Committee.
However, before any discussions could take place disaffected members of the
Kilmarnock public, who had attended the meeting, went up to the Dean and took matters
into their own hands. The mob – described by the Factor as being of ‘few men and lots of
boys’ - tore down the gates and associated barbed wire fence and threw them into the
river. The mob also tried to burn down the gates with paraffin oil i.e. the gates must have
been timber. The Factor re-erected the gates overnight only for them to be torn down
again the next evening. This resulted in written appeals by the Factor to the Chief
Constable and the Corporation that the matter should be discussed by the committee
without prejudice and that mob rule should not be allowed free play on Lord Howard de
Walden’s property. The Chief Constable’s response made very clear that it was a matter
for the Civil Court and pending their deliberations he could not interfere.
3.87
Such was the strength of feeling over the right-of-way and the actions of Lord Howard de
Walden’s Factor it resulted in the Independent Labour Party holding a public open air
meeting at the Dean to which 3000 people turned up (refer to postcard). The issue was
hotly debated at the meeting with people arguing that they must fight for the right-of-way
to ensure access to ‘that beautiful walk to the people of Kilmarnock for all time to come’.
The argument was that people had been walking up through the estate to the Quarry and
beyond for forty or fifty years or more and so considered it a right-of-way. The walk was
felt to be one of the most picturesque walks in Kilmarnock. However, some people
seemed to recall that the Duke of Portland’s Factor would, on a yearly basis, close the
road for a day or two and charge for access in order to preserve the proprietors rights.
The meeting ended with Bailie McKerrell speaking of the ‘Curse of Landlordism’
advocating nationalism of land and of mine and expiating on other planks of the Labour
programme.
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Figure 3-18: late 1920s image of Dean Castle North Range and Dean Bridge indicating private areas (copyright East Ayrshire Council)
3.88
These events probably explains the opening up of the Dark Path along the river bank in
1909 as an alternative route into the estate and also the erection in 1910 of the Dean
Lodge in order to supervise access into the Kilmarnock Estate and Dean Avenue. It
would appear that areas adjacent to the Castle itself remained out of bounds to the public
but fuller access was allowed to the quarry and the newly formed quarry trails. This is
confirmed by a photograph of the north range of the castle, dating from the 1920s,
illustrating signage for a ‘Public footpath to the Quarry Trails’ while a gate supplying
access to the area north of the Castle being marked off as private. This is supported by
analysis of historic OS maps. The riverside path and the gate onto the Castle Driveway
are not present in the 1910 OS map (which was prepared in 1908) but are on the 1937
OS edition of the Map. It appears that during this time Tommy created a curling shed
adjacent to the Quarry pond as well as the Quarry trails in the newly planted conifers just
to the north of it, possibly as a further local amenity to appease public opinion. It may be
that this state of affairs was a compromise determined by the outcome of the case at the
Civil Court. It is known that in the 1930s the lands of the Estate were strictly private so on
Saturdays and Sundays the Head Forester, Thomas W Dalgleish, would patrol the Estate
with his collie dog and no one was allowed to remain. These patrols earned Thomas the
nick name ‘the moudy man’ – disliked at times, but respected by many.
3.89
The Quarry appears to have been something of an issue within the design of the
Edwardian landscape. In 1910 the quarry pond was drained and the Quarry partially reopened as a source of freestone for construction. However, the Quarry was closed once
more in 1918 at the end of the Great War. The changes documented in the Ordnance
Survey maps between 1896 and 1937 appear to suggest that the Howard de Walden’s
were uncertain as to how to tackle the quarry as a feature within the landscape of the
estate. The 1896 and 1910 OS Maps show that the quarry has been flooded to form a
lake / water feature within the landscape. The area of this feature remains consistent in
the 1896 and 1910 OS Maps and reflects the size of the quarry indicated in the 18551882 OS map. However, by the 1937 OS Map the Dean Quarry pond has significantly
diminished in size with its northern extent now occupied by the trails which were planted
up with conifers and shrubs. Evidence from historic photographs also support this – the
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pond varies in extent and location. However, the photographic evidence also reveals that
the paths were of high quality construction and were evidently well maintained. The level
of construction and ambition behind the paths suggests that they were intended as a
permanent fixture. These trails led people through a slightly wild and rugged landscape
within a quarry of exposed cliffs and rocky embankments i.e. there was a romantic and
picturesque ambition behind this. It may be that the Howard de Walden’s ambitions for
this area were never fully realised due to Tommy’s sudden death in 1946.
3.90
Though the majority of his time was spent at either Seaford House in London, or his
rented estate at Chirk Castle in Denbighshire, Tommy was delighted with his newly
restored castle at the Dean, enjoying visiting and discoursing with his Scottish tenants.
However, by the start of the Second World War money, or lack of it, appears to have
been an issue. The diary of his daughter Priscilla Essylt Scott-Ellis, known as Pip
(another interesting figure who was one of only two British women how volunteered as
nurses for Franco’s Nationalist forces in the Spanish Civil War – she was just 20 at the
time. Later in WWII she was an agent in Spain for the Special Operations Executive using
her contacts to ensure the safe passage of British and Polish pilots shot down over
France), records that a decline in the family fortunes might mean the loss of Seaford
House and maybe also Chirk Castle. There was also a famous legal case between Lord
Howard de Walden and the Inland Revenue that came before the Court of Appeal in
1941. Tommy had been transferring his assets to Canada and the question arose as to
whether or not he should be taxed on income accrued from these companies. Tommy
lost the case amidst accusations that what he had done was, at a time of war, unpatriotic.
3.91
When the 35 year lease for Chirk Castle expired in 1946, it was not extended and Tommy
and Margot moved north to Dean Castle. Sadly by this point his health was in decline with
the stress of the Second World War taking its toll – Seaford House had been
requisitioned for use as the headquarters of the Red Cross, Margot got involved with Pip
in establishing a hospital for Polish soldiers at Dupplin Castle outside of Perth, and later
Tommy and Margot were separated with Margot taking the grandchildren to Canada. In
Margot’s absence Tommy kept himself busy by assisting the Home Guard and
entertaining families from Liverpool who had been evacuated to Chirk Castle. Struck
down by cancer, Tommy died on 5 November 1946 and was buried at Dean Castle in the
graveyard that also contains the graves of his beloved mother, Blanche, and, later, in
1974, that of Margot. Tommy’s obituary in The Times observed “More, perhaps, than any
man of our time he fulfilled Aristotle’s description of the ‘magnificent man.’’
3.92
The 8000 acre Kilmarnock estate was passed on to Tommy’s son John Osmael Scottth
Ellis, the 9 Lord Howard de Walden - an interesting character in his own right. However,
by this time the Scott-Ellis family’s focus had shifted back to generating revenue from
their London Properties with John himself being more interested in horse racing. While
the family had holidayed in Ayrshire during Tommy and Margot’s lifetime, the Dean
Castle perhaps did not have the same emotional connection for the younger generation
who had spent the majority of their time at Chirk and Seaford House.
3.93
In addition, it may be that Tommy’s sudden death caused issues with his estate. His
daughter Pip, recorded in her diary that he had made no prior arrangements. What Pip
probably meant is that there was no planning for death duties which were raised from
50% to 65% at the start of WWII and later to 75% by the new Labour government in early
1946. There was definitely a will as the bulk of Tommy’s estate passed to John as the
eldest son. Unfortunately for Pip, Tommy took exception to her new husband – the
Spanish aristocratic gold digger, Jose Luis de Vilallonga (best known for appearing in
Breakfast at Tiffany’s with Audrey Hepburn), who, when he was finally introduced to
Tommy at Dean Castle in 1946, openly admitted in the face of Tommy’s questions that he
had only married Pip for her money and expressed disappointment upon finding out
about John’s claim on the Estate, this being ‘not at all part of my plans’. An appalled
Tommy altered his will so that the 29 year old Pip, the child with whom he was closest,
would not inherit until she turned 40. It made no difference, Pip was infatuated with Jose
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Luis who rapidly went through her small inheritance and divorced her 17 years later after
a string of affairs – admitting in later life how badly he had treated her, though he had the
good grace to write of Pip in his memoirs as ‘a marvellous person whom, without a
second thought, I made deeply unhappy’.
3.94
Margot continued to live on at the Dower House after Tommy’s death though does not
appear to have given up her London high society social life – in 1955 she was the
president of the Queen Charlotte’s Birthday Ball, held at Grosvenor House and the most
spectacular event of the debutante season. However, the family once again sought to
generate an income from the estate. In an echo of what their cousins, the Portland family,
had done with their remaining land in Ayrshire in the 1920, the Scott-Ellis’s sold off land
around the boundary of the estate for suburban residential development. The Wardheuk
and Hollybrae Plantations were transformed from open fields to the residential streets of
Woodlands Grove and Forest Grove. So as to provide both screening and a commercial
return the areas of the Plantations remaining within the estate were planted up with nonindigenous coniferous trees- chiefly larch. In the 1950s the Quarry area was infilled with
Ash from Kilmarnock Power Station, and the resulting land planted with larch. After
Margot’s death the South Dean Plantation was sold off for suburban cul-de-sac
residential development of Otterburn Avenue, Largs Avenue, Bannockburn Place,
Culloden Place, Drumclog Place – all named after historic events or battles the Boyd
family were involved in.
3.95
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Perhaps to help with settling his mother’s death duties, the 9 Lord Howard de Walden
gifted Dean Castle and 40 acres of land to 'the people of Kilmarnock' on 7th July 1975.
The gift included two major collections. The first being a magnificent collection of arms,
armour, and tapestries that Tommy had put together and the second being the a very fine
collection of musical instruments that Margot had inherited from her father Charles van
Raalte.
3.96
Given Tommy’s interest in the Middle Ages, his collecting of Arms and Armour was
th
something of an inevitability. The collection is of mainly European artefacts from the 15
th
and 16 Centuries and includes full suits of German armour as well as later half armours
of Italian origin. The collection also includes outstanding examples of craftsmanship and
artistry such as a parade helmet for Henry II of France. The collection encompasses fine
and rare pieces including Viking weapons, Crusader swords engraved with Arabic
th
inscriptions, 16 Century rapiers crafted by the swordsmiths of Toledo, a helmet from
Henry VIII’s Greenwich Armoury and a dagger from the Scottish village of Doune.
3.97
The collection of tapestries includes many fine examples from Brussels – which became
th
th
the most famous centre of manufacture in the 15 and 16 centuries after Pope Leo X
commissioned the weaving of the Acts of the Apostles (after Raphael) between 1515 –
19. The collection includes a three part nativity scene by the ‘Master of St Gudules’ that
dates from circa 1475 and a tapestry of ‘the Arrival of King Soloman’ that dates from
1520. Examples of Brussels tapestry can be found in the Victoria & Albert Museum, the
Royal Collection at Hampton Court Palace, Wawel Castle in Cracow, the
Kunstgewerbemuseum in Berlin and the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.
3.98
Though several items in Charles van Raalte’s collection of musical instruments were sold
th
after the death of the 8 Lord Howard de Walden, Margot brought many of the most
important items to Dean Castle. As well as spinets and organs the collection includes an
early clavichord, a folding harpsichord and several well preserved Lutes including some
which date back to 1570. The collection is regarded as being of International Importance.
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Figure 3-19: Thomas Evelyn Scott-Ellis, 8th Howard de Walden at Dean Castle in 1938, (copyright East Ayrshire Council)
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The Estate as Country Park
3.99
In 1974, as required under section 173 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, a
policy and priorities investigation was undertaken throughout the then Kilmarnock and
Loudoun District. The outcome of the investigation was the discovery of a shortfall of
approximately 340 acres of open space and amenity areas within the district. This led to
the suggestion of the creation of a District Park to address the shortfall.
3.100
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The 9 Lord Howard de Walden was in the process of gifting Dean Castle with 40 acres
surrounding the Castle to the Kilmarnock and Loudoun District Council “to be preserved
and managed for the benefit of the citizens of Kilmarnock and the general public, as
subjects of outstanding historic or architectural or aesthetic interest”.
3.101
While the District Council was considering the creation of a District Park, the Countryside
Commission for Scotland’s revised information sheet 4, a policy for Country Parks was
also studied and as a result, a survey of this type of development was undertaken
throughout Ayrshire and Western Scotland. Preliminary talks were held with the
Countryside Commission for Scotland, the Nature Conservancy Council, the Scottish
Tourist Board, the Scottish Sports Council, the Forestry Commission and various other
national bodies and representatives of Strathclyde Regional Council.
3.102
On 21st December 1977 the Kilmarnock and Loudoun District Council accepted the
recommendation that a Country Park should be established at Dean, centred on Dean
Castle and 40 acres of woodland. Kilmarnock and Loudoun District Council extended the
Country Park by purchasing an additional 160 acres of land from the Howard de
Walden’s, while the remaining 8000 acres was sold to investors.
3.103
Dean Castle, with its two collections, opened to the public as a museum on 1976. After
several years of developing the Estate, the Dean Castle Country Park officially opened to
the public in May 1981. Through purchase of additional land, the Country Park now
extends to 200 acres (50 hectares) and is now managed by East Ayrshire Council’s
Arm’s-length External Organisation (ALEO) East Ayrshire Leisure.
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Figure 3-20: Dean Castle Country Park – listed buildings. Baseline mapping data reproduced by permission of Ordnance
Survey on behalf of HMSO. Crown copyright and database right 2014. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey Licence number
(100023409).
Architectural Value
3.104
The fabric of any historic site is of value for two reasons; it embodies tangible, physical
evidence of its development (for example separate phases of work or differing
constructional techniques), and for aesthetic reasons (essentially the architectural, or
stylistic value).
3.105
Being predominantly a landscape the Dean Castle Country Park unsurprisingly contains
few buildings, but amongst these are some of National significance. Therefore the second
step in the development of this plan is an assessment of the Dean Castle and
outbuildings, the main objectives of which were to:
3.106
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
Review available historic evidence for the construction of the Castle.

Identify key design features including principal elevations and apartments.

Assess the extent and location of historic features.

Based upon these features, to determine the general phasing and development of
the Castle

Assess the relative importance of the Castle and its constituent parts

From this, develop guidelines which will ensure the building’s significance is
maintained.
For ease of reference the site can be divided into four parts; the Dean Castle, the various
estate outbuildings including Lodge, kennels, laundry, buildings associated with the
Assloss Estate, the various building Country Park buildings and finally the parkland or
designed landscape itself.
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Figure 3-21: The ‘A’ grouping of the Dower House and Dean Castle including Keep, Palace and Gatehouse (Peter Drummond Architects)
Architectural Descriptions
3.107
The key building complex within the Country Park is the Dean Castle with its associated
cluster of buildings. The Dean Castle itself is comprised of the Keep, Palace range,
Gatehouse and Curtain walls. These buildings are ‘A’ listed but also form part of a larger
‘A’ grouping with the adjacent Dower House and the Lodge at the south entrance to the
Country Park. However, there are further unlisted single storey structures adjacent to the
castle including the kennels and laundry blocks directly to the north of Gatehouse.
3.108
The Dean Castle has a long and complex history which has already been covered in this
plan. However, with regards to its architectural qualities the Castle is important as, with
the exception of Dundonald Castle, it is the most substantial of Ayrshire’s castles and a
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rare surviving example of a late 14 Century Keep along with a later courtyard complex of
buildings and Curtain wall. The more sophisticated Palace range to the east of the Keep
dates from a century later.
3.109
The Keep is four storeys high and a rectangle on plan. Its walls are of coursed rubble
rising from an emphatic battered plinth to battlements behind which sits a garret and
caphouse – the guard house - with crow stepped gables and chimney stacks. The
battlements conceal a parapet walk and permit access to the guard house. The Keep is
located in the western corner of the courtyard. The entrance to the Keep is located at
first floor level and accessed via a flight of stone steps on its south east elevation. The
door was originally a window embrasure that has been adapted for this purpose.
The entrance gives on to a two storey (8.2m high) barrel-vaulted great hall with large
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fireplace (of 20 century origin) on the SW wall with hood that flairs out from a large
arched containing upper light directly over the chimney piece. The floor of the hall is brick
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– a 20 century innovation dating from the 1908 restoration. Low stone benching extends
around the hall, while in a elevated position opposite the fireplace is a large rectangular
window embrasure with stone benching to three side – the minstrels gallery.
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The gallery (and a further private chamber) is accessed from a turnpike stair that also
connects down to the original entrance at ground level as well as supplying access to the
upper levels.
The ground floor of the Keep has two vaulted cellar compartments one of which served
as a guardroom. A door slotted under the external steps supplies access to the
guardroom. The third floor chamber above the great hall has been divided. The
subdivided chamber now contains two later medieval fireplaces. A vaulted oratory
dedicated to St Andrews is located off the northern half of the chamber and contains an
aumbry and piscina.
The Keep was largely restored by the Kilmarnock firm of Ingram and Brown in 1908. The
Keep is a category ‘A’ building and was listed on 09/03/1971, being of National
significance.
3.110
The Palace range of 1460 stands at right angles to the Keep, and forms the southern part
of the courtyard. Masons from Roslin Abbey are known to have worked on the
construction. The Palace is comprised of a three storeys element containing the hall,
rising to a five storey watch tower element at its eastern end. The tower has an
extravagantly corbelled parapet with machicolations while its caphouse echoes that on
the Keep. There are two corbelled garderobes projecting from the east elevation of the
tower.
On the lower range the corbelled parapet, with bartizan at the western corner, reappears
on the storey above the hall. Both this and the gable dormers in the roof form part of the
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20 Century reconstruction. In 1642 James, the 9 Lord Boyd, added a stair turret to the
north facing courtyard elevation of the Palace and in commemoration of his earlier
marriage had the words ‘James Boyd and Catherine Craik’ carved above the first floor
window.
Internally the ground floor rooms of the Palace range are vaulted with a dining room to
the west and the kitchen, with large arched chimney piece, to the east. Ingram and
Brown’s plans for the adaptation of the Palace range to mid 1930s domestic use also
indicate that there was an intention to form a servants’ hall buried underneath the
Medieval Kitchen Garden lit by windows cut into the retaining wall overlooking the Lime
Drive.
The Hall is on the first floor along with a second smaller room in the tower to the east.
The Boyd coat of arms is carved into the chimneypiece in the hall. The hall also
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incorporates 17 Century elements from the old Castle of Balcomie in Fife – the
ancestoral seat of the Scott family. These include three-quarter panelling and moulded
plasterwork such as the frieze with a portrait of Alexander the Great. The room in the
tower also has a plaster frieze with heavily modeled fruit detailing. The third floor of the
Palace range was replanned by Ingram and Brown as a bedroom suite for Lord and Lady
Howard de Walden.
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The 8 Lord Howard de Walden’s first phase of the reconstruction of Dean Castle was
interrupted by the Great War so Ingram and Brown did not conclude the consolidation of
the Palace range until it was re-roofed and glazed by 1922. However, though the interiors
were being fitted out from 1935 onwards, the Palace was not fully restored until 1946.
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The Palace range is a category ‘A’ building and was listed on 9 March 1971, being of
National significance.
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3.111
The north and east Curtain walls of the courtyard had survived the 18th century
conflagration but were largely reconstructed in the 1935-36 by James Smith Richardson Inspector of Ancient Monuments and expert on historic Scottish architecture - who added
the timber and stone fighting galleries over the parapet walk. The Curtain wall follows the
line of the former enciente. In contrast to the rubble elevations of the Keep and Palace
range, the parts of the Curtain walls Richardson reconstructed are distinguished by being
in a dressed ashlar.
The remaining farm buildings with the courtyard were swept away for the reconstructed
Curtain walls and Richardson’s gatehouse of 1937 - a carefully composed assemblage of
medieval castle elements. With its large architraved entrance arch with iron yett leading
to a pend accessing the courtyard and flanked by semi-circular bastions with conical
roofs that echo those on nearby Rowallan Castle it is very much in the style of Sir Robert
Lorimer – Richardson’s nemesis. The two drum towers have loophole gun ports and halfleaded glass windows and are linked by a stringcourse over the entrance arch. The
stringcourse steps up vertically to frame the Howard de Walden coat of arms which is
centered on the entrance arch. However, the design of this entrance may also have been
influenced by the entrance to Chirk Castle which is similarly entered via an arch set
between semi-circular bastions.
Though there is an element of theatre to both the reconstructed Curtain walls and the
Gate House this can be better appreciated when one considers the personality of
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Thomas Evelyn Scott-Ellis, the 8 Lord Howard de Walden, his passion for medievalism
and his sense of theatre. In many ways what Howard de Walden was doing here is
characteristic of other attempts at restoration such as the 1919 – 1932 reconstruction of
Eilean Donan Castle by Lt. Col. John MacRae-Gilstrap or the transformation of
Lindisfarne Castle on the Holy Island for Country Life publisher Edward Hudson by Sir
Edwin Lutyens i.e. the Dean Castle is – ‘a romantic reincarnation in the tradition of early
20th-century castle revivals’ and should be respected as such. In many way the
reconstruction and the involvement of the Howard de Waldens tells as interesting a story
about the impact of social status, wealth, power and culture of the Edwardian era as the
stories of the earlier eras of the Boyds and the Dukes of Portland.
Given the academic quality of Richardson’s reconstruction – doubtless encouraged by
Howard de Walden – both the Curtain walls and the Gatehouse are category ‘A’ buildings
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and were listed on 9 March 1971, being of National significance.
3.112
For further information on the condition of Dean Castle refer to the Nicolas Boyes Stone
Conservation Ltd Masonry Condition Assessment and Remedial Works Proposal
December 2013 along with the Scottish Lime Centre Trust’s Stone Analysis and Match
Report and their further Report on Mortar Analysis BS44555-2005+A1-2010+A2-2013.
3.113
The Dower House adjacent to the Dean Castle is, in scale, a good domestic counterpoint
to the shear massiveness of the Keep and Palace range. The house was used as the
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factors house for the Kilmarnock Estate by the 4 Duke of Portland. While the current
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form of the Dower House dates from circa 1840 this is wrapped around an earlier 18
Century house with rectangular footprint, the Georgian elevation of which can still be
seen set back to the east of the main entrance.
The projecting main entrance has an arched entrance door with architrave surround. It is
surmounted by a pyramidal roof with fish-scale slates. Stepping forward from this is a
gabled wing with a tripartite window at ground level, and single light above and blind
quatrefoil to gablehead. This gable overlaps a further larger gable with centered two
storey bay window surmounted by a blind cruciform arrowslit to gablehead, Both gables
have ornate wrought iron finials while the chimneys are tall yellow brick stacks. There is a
further two storey bay window on the return three bay west elevation.
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Figure 3-22: The Dean Castle laundry and kennel (Peter Drummond Architects)
During the restoration programme to the Castle, the Howard de Waldens utilised the
Dower house for holiday accommodation while using the Great Hall in the Keep for formal
dinners, family gatherings and their notable house parties. After Lord Howard de
Walden’s sudden death in 1946, Lady Howard de Walden continued to live there. The
house is currently used as a conference centre and offices. The Dower House is a
category ‘B’ building and was listed on 1st August 2002, being of Regional significance.
3.114
The laundry and kennel buildings to the north of the Dean Castle and the gatehouse date
from at least the Mid Victorian era. The two single storey simple vernacular buildings form
an ‘L’ shaped compound. These two buildings are currently not in good condition and
suffer from unsympathetic alterations such as the imposition of external roller shutters to
windows and doors as well as the enlargement of some openings to form garages. Both
the laundry and kennel buildings are of Local significance.
3.115
The Dean Castle Lodge was built by Ingram and Brown further to instruction by Lord
Howard de Walden in 1910. Sited on the Dean Road, the lodge is the first building the
visitor to the Castle sees and with its prominent crowstepped gable and rock faced finish
was designed so as to set the tone for what was to follow.
The lodge is a one and a half storey, L-plan building with single storey wing to rear and is
finished in a coursed rock-faced ashlar with polished ashlar dressings. It has cowstepped
gables with beaked skewputts. The principal elevation has a central entrance doorway
with architraved surround with blind plaque and hoodmould, window to ground floor left
with projecting lintel course and hoodmould supporting stone wallhead dormer to first
floor storey. The gablehead incorporates a shield and is surmounted by a stone ball finial.
There is a crowstepped gable end to the right of door with single bay to ground floor,
projecting stepped lintel course leading to a further first floor window. In a further echo of
the Dower House there is an arrowslit to the gablehead.
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The largely unaltered Dean Castle Lodge is a category ‘C’ building and was listed on 1
August 2002, being of Local significance.
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Figure 3-23: The ‘C’ listed Dean Castle Lodge by Ingram and Brown 1910 (Peter Drummond Architects)
3.116
The Visitors Centre is an early 1990s building with a U-shaped plan. It is entered via a
steep flight of stair and ramp that spring from a path perpendicular to the Lime Drive. The
main entrance is formed by the intersection of the re-entrant angle of the small copper
roofed lecture theatre that sits proud of the building, and the main elevation. The building
is one storey and attic with a predominantly harled elevations and slate roof. There is a
small clock tower over the roof, on axis with the main entrance and path. There is a
reception area and a cafe on the ground floor and offices in the roofspace above. The
building is of Local significance.
3.117
Park Rangers building / former curling shed appears to have been associated with the
Dean Quarry Pond of the 1920s and was possibly introduced to the Kilmarnock Estate by
Lord Howard de Walden at that time. The architect is unknown but given Howard de
Walden’s strong relationship with Ingram and Brown is probably from their office. With its
harled walls, half timber detailing and over sailing eaves the building betrays the
character of an Edwardian estate building. It is very similar to the simple vernacular
railway buildings that the likes of Sir JJ Burnet and James Miller would have produced
from the 1890s onwards. Given his training in JA Campbell’s office (Sir JJ Burnet’s former
partner) it is likely to be by the hand of the junior partner, David Morton Brown. The Park
Rangers building / former curling shed is of Local significance.
3.118
Assloss Mains is one of the tied farms of the Assloss Estate. It is a long rectangular
building on plan with an original three bay one and a half storey cottage with prominent
dormers to the north, extending to second, single storey, three bay cottage to the south.
The main entrance of the former farm is located at the junction between the two cottages.
Assloss Mains is of Local significance.
3.119
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Assloss House dates from the early 19 Century and was possibly built by a William
Parker. It is a two storey villa with a three bay main elevation looking south. The main
elevation previously adorned with a portico denoting the main entrance but this has
subsequently been removed and the entrance door converted to a window. The building
was later converted into two flats. Assloss House of Local significance.
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Figure 3-24: The Park Rangers building / former Curling shed possibly dating from the mid1920s (Peter Drummond Architects)
3.120
Assloss Farm sits just outwith the boundary of the Dean Castle Country Park but still has
an impact on the park’s landscape. The small courtyard farmstead of circa 1840
incorporates the remains of a 16th century Keep that was described in 1608 as
belonging to James Assloss and ’but a very small thing that his predecessor has kept it
some hundred years’. The tower is rectangular on plan; however, its upper stages were
completely altered in the late 1960s i.e. it would have had an even greater impact on the
landscape. The vaulted basement of the Keep remains and there is a slit window visible
from the outside. Assloss Farm was the original dwelling of the Assloss estate which
passed from the Assloss family when the Estate was sold to a Kilmarnock merchant,
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John Glen, in 1725. Assloss Farm is a category B building and was listed on 14 April
1971, being of Regional significance.
Landscape Value
3.121
Gardens and designed landscapes form part of our national identity. They enrich the
texture and pattern of our landscapes and form a unique record of social, cultural and
economic change. Many offer outstanding nature conservation value for wildlife, and
opportunities for public recreation and relaxation, thus contributing to the well-being of
local communities and to the economy as a major part of our tourism industry. However,
Gardens and designed landscapes are a fragile and finite resource that can be easily
damaged or lost. It is therefore imperative to raise awareness of their significance, and to
encourage those involved in their management, or who have a role to play in their future,
to treat them as valuable and distinctive places that can be enjoyed by future
generations.
3.122
How people use, perceive and move through the Country Park is as important as the
history, the landscape scheme and the architecture of the individual buildings. This
Management Plan therefore considers both the quality and style of both the landscape,
and the individual buildings set within it, and how they collective contribute to the
distinctiveness of the Country Park and its sense of place.
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3.123
The Country Park is referred to in the Ayrshire Designed Landscapes Survey Final Report
of September 2009 by Peter McGowan Associates Landscape Architects and Heritage
Management Consultants with Christopher Dingwall. The survey notes that it retains
more of its original character relative to other Country Parks in Ayrshire, by which it
means that there is less of an impact on facilities for visitors. However, the Country Park
is currently not included in Historic Scotland’s Inventory of Gardens and Designed
Landscapes in Scotland. Historic Scotland select Gardens and designed landscapes
against the following value-based criteria:







value as individual works of art in their own right
historic value
horticultural, arboricultural or sylvicultural value
architectural value
scenic value
nature conservation value
archaeological value
3.124
In addition the Country Park does not form part of a conservation area. Nevertheless the
landscape of the Country Park forms an important part of the historic and architectural
curtilage of the Dean Castle Complex which is regarded as an ‘A’ Grouping.
3.125
In view the historical and social importance of the park to Kilmarnock, Peter Drummond
Architects and Ironside Farrar have undertaken a desk assessment of its development,
augmented by walk-round inspections in order to determine the extent of survival, relative
importance, and strategic policies in order to ensure that its significance was recognised.
This included reference to Ordnance Survey and earlier map data, aerial photographs
(where available), existing historical landscape characterisation studies, and a wide range
of archival material including SMR data and photographic records.
3.126
The landscape section comprises three main elements:



An overview of the historic landscape development
A landscape character appraisal
An appraisal of current condition together with strategic recommendations.
Landscape Overview
3.127
The Dean Castle Country Park Management Plan divides the Country Park into three
distinct character zones which broadly speaking capture the various areas of the park:



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The Historical Zone – the area immediately around the Dean Castle comprising
the courtyard, the Motte, the Pinetum, the Howard de Walden Graves and the
Castle Paddock (currently the Deer Park);
The Urban Farm – comprising the former Quarry area, in particular ‘Pets Corner’,
the children’s adventure play area and the pond, as well as the canalised Fenwick
Water, the Walled Garden at Assloss, the stables at Assloss House and the
paddocks at Judas Hill;
The Countryside Zone – the extensive woodland areas, open fields and farmland
around Assloss House as well as the plantations along Kennedy Drive – the
eastern boundary of the Country Park.
There is considerable complexity of landscape within these zones. However, for most
users the Country Park is regarded more as a public open space rather than a high
quality historic landscape which provides a setting for historically important buildings.
Park users tend to appreciate the tranquillity and ambience of the Country Park which is a
popular venue and resource particularly throughout the summer months. There is also a
high level of pedestrian use associated with dog walking.
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Historic Landscape Development
3.129
The current landscape at the Dean Castle Country Park is the resultant of the overlaying
of a sequence of landscapes over the course of at least eight centuries (refer to Figures
3-25 – 3-29 for 25 inch to the Mile Ordnance Survey Maps from 1855 onwards).
3.130
The earliest landscape would have been medieval landscape associated with the first
Kilmarnock Castle and later the original stages of the Dean Castle – first the Keep of the
mid 1360s and then the Palace range of a century later. The surviving fragment of this is
the Motte but later accounts refer to the castle as being set amongst a dense woodland
backdrop to the north.
Figure 3-25: Dean Castle Country Park 25 inch to the mile OS 1855-1882 (National Library of Scotland)
Figure 3-26: Dean Castle Country Park 25 inch to the mile OS 1896 (National Library of Scotland)
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Figure 3-29: Dean Castle Country Park Aerial Photo Mosaics OS 1944 - 1950 (National Library of Scotland
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Figure 3-30: late 19 century s image of the Dean Quarry further to 1872 flooding (copyright East Ayrshire Council)
3.131
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The second landscape, overlaid on the first, would have been the mid 17 Century
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replacement of the ancient woodland landscape backdrop to the by James, the 9 Lord
Boyd’s renaissance landscape scheme. This scheme (recorded on Roys Map of 1750)
included an allee centred on the Castle’s north elevation and extending away towards the
north before terminating in a rondel tucked into the bend of the Borland Water where it
follows the contour at the base of Judas Hill. The second landscape would have been
entirely swept away by the later canalisation of the Fenwick Water and the subsequent
expansion of the old Quarry and Dean Quarry. It is difficult to say if there is any surviving
evidence of this landscape. The current trees to the north of the Dean Castle, though old,
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do not date back to the mid 17 Century. However, there may be archaeological evidence
for this landscape buried under the current tarmac parking areas directly to the north of
the Castle.
3.132
The third landscape, overlaid on first and second landscapes, results from the impact of
industrialisation. As noted above the renaissance landscape to the north of the castle was
entirely removed by the opening up of the landscape with the development, from 1780
onwards of quarries for the extraction of stone, coal and fireclay. Earlier still the Bell Cast
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Pits that spread across the Castle Paddock may be associated with William, 3 Earl of
Kilmarnock’s first attempts at coal mining on the estate in the 1730s. There are also
references to a lade that predates the diversion and canalisation of the Fenwick Water
between 1828 and 1841 but only fragmentary evidence of this remains. Industrialisation
also appears to have had an impact on the Dean Castle itself with the Ordinance Survey
map of 1856 illustrating road branching off from the Castle Drive and heading straight
through the castle complex, passing between the Keep and the Palace range before
exiting at the location of the current gate house.
3.133
The fourth landscape is that associated with the late Victorian era such as the post 1872
decision to flood the abandoned quarry area so as to create a large ornamental water
feature within the Estate landscape (refer to Fig. 3-30). It also includes the tree planting,
shrubs and garden rooms that extended south from the Castle complex with the base of
the south elevation of the Palace range being given over to glasshouses. These act to
partially obscure the ruins of the Castle and add a domestic quality to the landscape.
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Figure 3-31: Dean Castle Country Park 25 inch to the mile OS 1937 + overlaid 1939 landscape (National Library of Scotland )
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The fifth landscape is the Howard de Walden Landscape which in essence is a synthesis
of the earlier landscape themes focused on the Dean Castle as the central set piece. The
landscape scheme appears to have developed from 1905 to the late 1930s. It places the
Dean Castle as the hub from which a series of landscape compartments flow (refer to
Fig. 3-31 for the Howard de Walden landscape overlaid on the 1937 25 inch to the mile
Ordnance Survey map and Figures 3-32 – 3-37 for a series of diagrams overlaid on the
Aerial Photo Mosaics Ordnance Survey of 1944 – 1950 illustrating the Howard de Walden
landscape sequence). Avenues of trees sinuously extend across the landscape away
from the Castle subdividing it into a series of compartments or rooms. These rooms
contain either open paddocks or tree plantations. The interplay between the two can give
rise to considerable spatial complexity. In addition, the late Victorian landscape that
contained and softened the ruined Castle is swept away to reveal the massive
architecture of the restored Dean Castle complex. This is underscored by the late 1930s
decision to remove the drive from the front of the Dower House and steer visitors along
the Lime Drive in a broad dramatic sweep around the castle to the emphatic new
entrance at the 1937 gatehouse on the north elevation. Industrial features such as the
Bell Cast Pits are accepted within this landscape as a rolling preface to the larger and
more important landscape feature of the Motte – also revealed in its full extent. The
outlook to the west of the Dower House is transformed into a sophisticated spatial
sequence of first a terrace with ornamental bed planting, then a curving path through a
Pinetum that encloses then releases the pedestrian into a small opening in front of the
vault containing the Howard de Walden graves. The Quarry area to the north east of the
castle is first drained and then transformed with trails and select planting of coniferous
specimens before a small pond is re-introduced. This area is then opened up the
Kilmarnock public with a pedestrian connection along the Kilmarnock Water known as the
Dark Path.
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Figure 3-32: Dean Castle Country Park Aerial Photo Mosaics OS 1944 – 1950 landscape sequence (National Library of Scotland)
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Figure 3-34: Dean Castle Country Park Aerial Photo Mosaics OS 1944 – 1950 – The landscape sequence (National Library of
Scotland)
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3.135
The sixth landscape dates from the Post Second World War era, after the death of the 8th
Lord Howard de Walden, and involves the infilling of the Howard de Walden landscape in
part with commercial tree planting, or with fast growing coniferous trees specifically
geared to screening out the impact of the slowly encroaching suburbanisation of the
countryside around Kilmarnock and the estate. The second major departure from the
Howard de Walden Landscape is the infilling of the Quarry area with ash from Kilmarnock
Power Station and then the planting up of this area with larch. It is this landscape that
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was gifted to Kilmarnock and Loudoun District Council by the 9 Lord Howard de Walden
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on 7 July 1975.
3.136
The seventh landscape is that of the Country Park and dates from the late 1970s. This
involves the introduction of visitor facilities into the park such as the car park off Dean
Road and the early 1990s visitor centre located to the north east of the 1910 Lodge. The
Quarry area is transformed again with the larch being removed and the area transformed
into a petting zone, children’s adventure play ground, and a new quarry pond to the north
of the quarry area.
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Figure 3-38: Dean Castle Country Park – aerial photography 2010. Baseline mapping data reproduced by permission of
Ordnance Survey on behalf of HMSO. Crown copyright and database right 2014. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey
Licence number (100023409).
Landscape Character and Natural Heritage Appraisal
3.137
As previously noted the Country Park can be subdivided into zones of homogeneous
character, which reflects the historic development of the park landscape from a medieval
feudal landscape to an industrialised landscape to an Edwardian landscape, and then a
municipal park, and also the varied uses within the park.
The Historical Zone
3.138
The Historical Zone is the first section of the Country Park that visitors enter. Beyond the
1910 Lodge and Gates, the first key landscape feature is the Lime Avenue that runs from
the southern gates at the Dean Castle Lodge towards the Dean Castle. The Avenue - at
first centred on the Keep - sweeps past the Palace Block and loops around to the north
between the Keep, Kilmarnock Water and the Motte before curving in on itself to
terminate at the Dean Castle Gatehouse. From OS Map analysis, the Avenue appears to
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have been planted at the start of the 20 Century – probably to coincide with the 8 Lord
Howard de Walden’s planned restoration. It is a dramatic approach that probably
appealed to Howard de Walden’s sense of theatricality. The Lime Avenue has a regional
significance. In addition the Phase 1 habitat survey, associated mapping and target notes
has not highlighted any significant ecological features associated with this area.
3.139
The second key landscape feature of the Country Park is appreciated as one enters the
park via the Lime Avenue from the south - the mine workings of the Bell Cast Pits in what
was once the Castle Paddock. The Bell Cast Pits were an ancient and primitive method
of coal extraction and were used to access coal seams relatively close to the surface. A
shaft dug to the level of the coal and then a chamber was formed due to the excavation of
the material in all directions. A winch over the shaft was used to haul the material in a
bucket up to the surface. The spoil from the excavations was left in mounds around the
shaft opening.
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Figure 3-39: Bell Cast Pit in the former Castle Paddock (Ironside Farrar)
The name ‘Bell cast’ derives from the bell like profile of the cross section through the
mine. The lack of support for the mining works made these pits prone to collapse. This,
along with issues of ventilation, resulted in Bell Cast Pits having a limited lifespan. The
remains of the pits can be readily identified by the circular depressions they created upon
collapse. As a result of this form of mining the southern Castle Paddock has a landscape
characterised by ‘Stollenpinge’ – an undulating surface arising from a mix of the
depressions caused by collapsing Bell Cast Pits and the small spoil heaps associated
with the localised shafts.
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The Bell Cast Pits may be associated with William, 3 Earl of Kilmarnock’s first attempts
at coal mining on the estate in the 1730s. Though these are currently obscured by
commercial coniferous planting, the remains of the Bell Cast Pits once formed part of the
open Castle Paddock to the east of the Lime Avenue. They are clearly visible in the
historic photographs and postcard views of the landscape around Dean Castle. This may
be significant as they could arguably be an early example of the planned retention of
items of industrial heritage. The incorporation of these elements into the design
landscape around Dean Castle is also visually interesting as the undulating landforms act
to introduce the larger, and more historically significant, earthwork of the Motte.
Historic map analysis indicates that the Edwardian intention was to use the paddock for
grazing with the open landscape being broken only by the occasional specimen tree.
However, as a result of the selling of the South Dean Plantation for residential
development, in the 1970s this area was planted with Norway Spruce so as to provide
screening for the Castle. In the early 1980s Rowan, Beech and Poplar were also planted
across the Paddock. Unfortunately, the coniferous trees and their root systems are now
impacting upon these historic landforms. Additionally, the combination of dense
coniferous tree canopy, and grazing by deer, has resulted in little ground vegetative cover
to protect the remains of the Bell Cast Pits.
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Figure 3-40: The Motte and the stepped whin footpath to the viewpoint, September 2013 (Ironside Farrar)
The Parkland tree planting (predominantly limes) within this zone, which appears to be
contemporary with the Lime Avenue, and reflects planting to the west of the Avenue,
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suggests landscape structural intervention within this area at the start of the 20 century.
The Castle Paddock is of regional significance. The phase 1 habitat survey, associated
mapping and target notes has not highlighted any significant ecological features
associated with this area.
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The third key landscape feature is the Motte. This is an essential landscape items for
understanding both the history of the Country Park and Dean Castle. The Motte predates
the Dean Castle and the time of the Boyd family. It is assumed that this is the remnant of
a Motte and Bailey Castle – possibly the first Kilmarnock Castle. The earthworks
fortifications are likely to have been built by the Lockharts who owned the lands around
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Kilmarnock in the 12 Century. Motte and Bailey castles tended to be associated with the
spread of feudalism, the creation of local fiefdoms and feudal landlords.
Originally, the Motte may well have been a natural feature, associated with either the river
or glacial moraine, that has then been artificial levelled. It is likely that ‘scarping’ may
have been employed to create the form of the motte as it appears today with the outer
surface of the mound being covered with clay (which would support a steeper sided
motte) or strengthened with wooden supports so as to achieve this shape. Layers of turf
would also have been added to help stabilise the slope. Very little skilled labour would
have been required to form the motte and it is probable that forced peasant labour would
have been used. There are also traces of a ditch immediately at the foot of the mound.
The ditch would have had a dual purpose – part defensive but also supplying the soil for
building and maintenance of the Motte.
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Figure 3-41: The ceramic lions on the retaining wall (East Ayrshire Council)
The Motte is now largely obscured by self seeded trees and woody scrubs. Limited
archaeological investigations were undertaken in the 1970s. In recent years a raised
boardwalk has been erected across the paddock area to the west of the motte. This
supplies access to stepped whin footpath to the viewpoint and benches at the top of
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Motte. Photographs taken in the early 20 century indicate some trees towards the top of
the Motte. These do not have an understorey and it would appear likely that some tree
planting, including limes were undertaken as part of a designed composition.
The Motte has a regional significance. The Phase 1 habitat survey, associated mapping
and target notes has not highlighted any significant ecological features associated with
this area.
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The fourth key landscape feature is the Paddock wall that divides the Lime Avenue from
the Castle Paddock. The wall acts as both as an enclosure and as a retaining wall
combating the gradual change in level as the Castle Paddock falls away from the level
Avenue the closer it gets to the Castle. With its waxy engineering brick character it forms
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a strong landscape feature and is an important element of the early 20 century designed
landscape, relating to both the Avenue design and the Motte. The Paddock wall has a
regional significance. The Phase 1 habitat survey, associated mapping and target notes
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The fifth landscape feature of note are the Memorials sculptures and associated planting
that clusters around the entrance to the Dower House and along the south elevation of
Castle. The memorial and sculptures are of local significance. Though, amongst these,
there are some high quality pieces of sculpture, the individual positioning of them appears
to have been done on an ad hoc basis. As such they are at odds with the Howard de
Walden landscape scheme for the castle that reduced the Victorian clutter in front of the
Dower House and Castle to a minimum.
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Prior to the erection of James Smith Richardson’s gatehouse on the north elevation of the
Castle, all visitors had been directed to the main door of the Dower House, so the
Howard de Walden’s retained the circular gravel drive with the simple sundial in the
centre of the circular lawn. Once the gate was complete in 1937, the circular drive was
swept away and traffic directed via the sweeping Lime Drive to the grand new gatehouse
which opened directly onto the Palace Range. It was this and not the Dower House that
was intended as the Howard de Walden’s main residence at Dean Castle so the drive at
the Dower House was now redundant.
This alteration to the approach to the Castle is recorded in historic photographs. In
addition, in the Howard de Walden scheme the remainder of the Castle and Palace walls
are allowed to descend to the lawns at ground level unconcealed by any planting thus
emphasising the monumental architectural qualities of both structures. Prior to the
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involvement of the 8 Lord Howard de Walden, the base of the south elevation of the
Castle and Palace was entirely cluttered with Victorian glass houses – all swept away
during the restoration.
The current planting scheme both conceals and softens the impact of the restored Castle
and Palace, and directs traffic to the Dower House, entirely in contrast to what was
intended in the Howard de Walden designed landscape. The Phase 1 habitat survey,
associated mapping and target notes has not highlighted any significant ecological
features associated with this area.
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The sixth landscape feature is the low, stone retaining wall between the castle and the
base of the hill slope covered by the Pinetum. This wall incorporates a small flight of four
steps flanked by four miniature ornamental yew trees and a pair of ceramic lions that
mark the entrance to the path leading up the hillside to the Graves (refer to Fig. 3-39).
The retaining wall appears to have been undertaken during the early part of the 20th
century and, from the historic photographic evidence dating from the 1930s, appears to
have been the armature for a linear rockery.
The wall is now largely obscured by a visually heavy coniferous hedge separating the
lawn around Castle and Dower House from the hillside of the Pinetum. The 1930’s
photograph (refer to Fig. 3-19) appears to show an ornamental bed extending away up
the hillside from the flight of steps. In this photograph the lions are not present; however,
the miniature yew trees flanking the small flight of stairs are. The sloped ornamental bed
is flanked either side by a flight of stairs which terminates at a terrace in a rondel bed
partially enclosed by a semi circular topiary arrangement perhaps of laurel. There
appears to be a bench set within this rondel – this was perhaps the point at which the
newly restored castle could be contemplated from a raised elevation.
The landscape revealed by this photograph features topiary trees with specimen tree
planting such as beech and cherry, together with specimen shrub planting including
rhododendron and azalea. The arrangement appears to have been set back such that it
was largely hidden from the drive. Though the small flight of steps and flanking yew trees
remain, there is no apparent trace of the remainder of this arrangement in the current
landscape scheme.
The landscaping scheme and its associated wall are of regional significance. The Phase
1 habitat survey, associated mapping and target notes has not highlighted any significant
ecological features associated with this area beyond bat roosts within the Castle.
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Figure 3-42: The three Howard de Walden graves within the Dean Castle Pinetum, September 2013 (Peter Drummond Architects)
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The seventh key landscape feature is the Pinetum that forms the backdrop to the west of
the Castle covering an area west and north of the designed landscape. The Pinetum, a
project for Lady Howard de Walden, who was reputedly interested in exotic trees, was
planted between 1933 and 1938 with nearly 150 specimen conifer trees from around the
world. The trees were selected by botanists from Kew Gardens at Hilliers of Winchester.
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The Estate Forester, Thomas W Dalgleish, working with 8 Lady Howard de Walden, was
responsible for setting them out and developing a series of walkways and individual tree
plaques throughout the Pinetum.
In the 1960s the Pinetum was heavily planted with Norway Spruce effectively smothering
the specimen conifers. Together with regeneration of beech and sycamore, this has
reportedly led to the demise of nearly 85% of the specimen trees. However, as part of the
research into the designed landscape, Ironside Farrar have looked again at the original
planting lists for the Pinetum and compared these with the late 1940’s aerial
reconnaissance photographs that include the Kilmarnock Estate. Ironside Farrar’s
interpretation of the planting lists indicate a figure of 126 trees specimen trees being
planted within the Pinetum between 1936 – 1938. Of these there appear to be 58
survivors, or 46% of planted trees surviving. Given some trees will fail to become
established – and would be unlikely to be replaced during the war – some will have
suffered storm damage etc, then it would appear that more trees have survived than
initially thought. The original planting lists for the Pinetum still exist so an accurate
restoration could be undertaken.
The Pinetum trees were carefully sourced from several different places. Some of the
trees were grown from seeds at Crarae Estate in Inverary while others were selected by
the botanist and dendrologist Albert Bruce Jackson – one of the authorities on coniferous
species. Specimens were also sought from Westonbirt, the National Arboretum near
Tetbury in Gloucestershire, England – which was established in 1829 and has one of the
finest tree collections in the world. The Pinetum was also linked to the policy woodlands
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of Eilean Shona in Loch Moidart which had been the 8 Lord Howard de Walden’s
wedding present to Margherita Van Raalte.
The Pinetum is of regional significance. The Phase 1 habitat survey, associated mapping
and target notes has not highlighted any significant ecological features associated with
this area. As there are bat roosts within the Castle, it is possible that woodland
associated with this feature could form part of bat foraging habitat.
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The eighth key landscape features are the three Howard de Walden Graves that lie at the
heart of the Pinetum (refer to Fig. 3-42). The three graves are significant pieces of design
with the grave of Blanche, the 7th Lady Howard de Walden, being denoted by a
Rodinesque sculpture – the Blue Angel – of particularly interest. The three pieces are in
good condition but their setting could be considerably improved.
Analysis of the 1937 Ordinance Survey map and an aerial photograph of Dean Castle
taken between 1944 - 54 suggest that the graves had a much greater significance within
the designed landscape – a role now obscured by the 1960’s planting of Norway Spruce
and later self seeding of trees and woody scrub (Refer to Figures 3-32 – 3-37 for a series
of diagrams overlaid on the Aerial Photo Mosaics Ordnance Survey of 1944 – 1950
illustrating the Howard de Walden landscape sequence).
The 1937 Ordinance Survey map shows the hillside between the Dower House and the
enclosure around the then single grave as being very open (refer to Fig. 3-31 for the
Howard de Walden landscape overlaid on the 1937 25 inch to the mile Ordnance Survey
map).
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By the time of the aerial photograph, Lady Howard de Walden’s intentions with regards to
the landscape design of the Pinetum are much clearer. What was a boarder open space
has been gradually infilled to create something much more spatially complex. This was
perhaps intended to be a conifer and rhododendron walk. A sinuous path appears to wind
from the Dower House at its base, curving up to the north along the hillside before
curving back to the west as it ascends towards the graves. The path passes two very
large specimen trees to the west, all the while gradually being pinched by a dense belt of
trees to the east. This belt of trees then suddenly curves away towards the northeast
releasing the path which curves back towards the west passing, to the east, a further
specimen tree sitting in a triangular opening flanked by the tree belt heading to the
northeast. The west side of the path appears to be enclosed by what is possibly a dense
belt of rhododendrons. This curving wall of rhododendrons steers the path into a small
clearing in front of the rectangular enclosure - the ‘vault’ containing the graves. The vault
is separated from the clearing by a low hedge. The spatial sequence then visually
culminates at the Blue Angel.
This complex space is counterpointed by the lack of clutter around the Dower House
where the Victorian domestic planting and enclosures, that are clearly apparent in the
1910 Ordinance Survey map, have been swept away to create a much more open
landscape in front of the Castle.
The Graves are of regional significance. The Phase 1 habitat survey, associated
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The ninth key feature of the landscape is the Medieval Kitchen Garden that sits in an
elevated position to the east of the Castle below the 1937 Curtain wall to the keep. The
garden overlooks the main drive and the Fenwick Water. An historic photograph dating
from prior to the erection of the Curtain wall shows the garden being accessed via a flat
of steps to the north and being screened by box hedging. An entrance was formed
through the new screen wall into the garden but this is currently not in use. It is not
possible to discern, from either map or photographic evidence, what this garden
contained.
The garden was developed into a wildlife garden by the Countryside Ranger Service over
15 years ago. The garden now includes a specimen tree, hedge and wildflower planting
along with a compost bin and a small man made pond. The pond is relatively rich in
freshwater amphibians and invertebrates and is therefore used intensively during the
spring and summer with school groups and organised events.
As a result of the closure of the entrance from the courtyard, the garden is currently
inaccessible to the general public and is only used with supervised groups – the two
flights of steps supplying access and relatively steep and hazardous. The garden is of
regional significance but its interpretative qualities with regards to the Castle could be
improved if it was redeveloped as a traditional ‘potager’ kitchen garden, planted up with
species the three functionality groups; Medicinal, Culinary and Utility typically found in a
medieval Kitchen garden where they would have been planted for convenience.
The Medieval Kitchen Garden is currently of local significance. The Phase 1 habitat
survey, associated mapping and target notes has not highlighted any significant
ecological features associated with this area. However, it is worth bearing in mind that
Bats are known to roost within the Castle.
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Figure 3-43: The area to the north of the Castle, September 2013 (Ironside Farrar)
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The tenth key feature of the landscape is the area to the north of the castle as the drive
curves back around to meet the grand 1937 conjectural restoration of the gate lodge to
the Castle by James Richardson (refer to Fig 3-43). With its large architraved entrance
arch flanked by semi-circular bastions, the gate house was originally fronted by a simple
landscape defined by low box hedging. This landscape has been cluttered by more
recent interventions including the car parking. containers housing service equipment and
a transformer unit. The poor condition and clutter of this area gives the impression of this
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being a rear entrance to the castle – clearly not what the 8 Lord Howard de Walden
intended.
Despite its poor condition this area is of regional significance. It is also worth noting that
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there may be archaeological evidence of the earlier 17 Century renaissance landscape
under this section of the Country Park. The area is currently of local significance. The
Phase 1 habitat survey, associated mapping and target notes has not highlighted any
significant ecological features associated with this area. However, it is worth bearing in
mind that Bats are known to roost within the Castle.
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The eleventh key feature of the landscape is the Riverside walk – the Dark Path - which
is accessed just to the east of the Dean Castle. The walk appears to have been formed
by the Howard de Walden’s at some point between 1910 and the 1920s as a public route,
leading to Dean Bridge and on into the newly formed Quarry trails. The creation of the
walk appears to have been accompanied with substantial tree planting to create a tree
lined route overlooking the Kilmarnock Water to the east and the Castle Paddock and
Motte to the west.
The Riverside walk is of regional significance. The Phase 1 habitat survey, associated
mapping and target notes refers to species such as Kingfisher and Otters utilising the
river, though there are no specific references to nests, holts or couches.
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Figure 3-44: The Dean Bridge, September 2013 (Peter Drummond Architects)
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The twelfth key landscape feature occurs as the visitor leaves the area around the Dean
Castle, namely the Dean Bridge over the River Fenwick. The current bridge dates from
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the early 19 century and its notable for gate post piers which terminate in a projecting
neck cope with semi-circular cap. The bridge has a single span with ashlar voussoirs.
The cast iron railings around on the castle side of the bridge probably date from between
1910 to the 1920s when public access to the Quarry trails was opened up. The gate
posts have an attractive crenelated design – a witty reference to the castle battlements.
One the gate posts is currently missing and the metalwork is in need of restoration
throughout.
The Dean Bridge is of regional significance. The Phase 1 habitat survey, associated
associated with this immediate area. However, bats are known to roost within the Castle.
The Urban Farm
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When approaching from the south via the Dean Bridge, the Urban Farm is the second
zone of the Country Park that visitors enter. Passing over the bridge the visitor
encounters the thirteenth key landscape element of the Country Park: the Canalised
sections of the Fenwick Water immediately to the north of Dean Castle. The river is a
largely artificial feature within the landscape being re-aligned at some point between 1828
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and 1841 when the 4 Duke of Portland diverted the then Borland Water from its natural
course, along the base of Judas Hill thus protecting the Dean Quarry from flooding and
allowing for further expansion of the quarry. The re-aligned course of the river cuts
through bed rock exposing the strata in a series of steps that are still clearly legible today.
It thus bisected the former designed landscape that is clearly visible in Roy’s Map of
1747-55 but has entirely disappeared by the time of the publication of the Ordinance
Survey map of 1856. The embankment of the canalised river was built up and reinforced
by gabions in the 1970s.
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Figure 3-45: The Dean Bridge, September 2013 (Ironside Farrar)
The canalised section of the Fenwick Water is of regional significance. The Phase 1
habitat survey, associated mapping and target notes points out that there are invasive
species (knotweed and balsam) along sections of Fenwick Water. It also notes bird and
bat species generally associated with the river corridor.
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The fourteenth key landscape element is the Quarry area and Quarry pond. This is the
most complex area within the Country Park – the section of the park that has had the
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most fluid character over the course of the 18 , 19 and 20 centuries. The space was
subject first to massive earth works associated with industrialisation and later
amelioration to mitigate the impact of the industrial revolution on the landscape. The
changes include:

The removal of the original ancient woodland landscape to the north of the castle
that was associated with the original defensive strategy for the medieval castle
from 1360s onwards.

The mid 17 Century replacement of the ancient woodland landscape by James,
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the 9 Lord Boyd’s renaissance landscape scheme. This scheme (recorded on
Roys Map of 1750) included an allee centred on the Castle’s north elevation and
extending away towards the north before terminating in a rondel tucked into the
bend of the Borland Water where it follows the contour at the base of Judas Hill.

The erosion of the renaissance landscape by a small freestone quarry for building
material – the old Quarry –before it was entirely swept away by a larger new quarry
– the Dean Quarry – that occupied the area where the rondel was formerly located.
The two quarries were used for the extraction of stone, coal and fireclay and are
recorded as early as the 1780 map of the Kilmarnock Estate.
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
The diversion and canalisation of the Borland - later Fenwick – water between
1828 and 1841 so as to prevent the flooding allow for expansion of the quarry.

Quarrying operations came to an end in April of 1872 with the Kilmarnock Standard
noting that:
‘The old place now looks rather bare and desolate, the crane and other plant
having been removed. Only a very small number of stones dressed for the market
are to be seeing it and these are rapidly disappearing. We suspect in the course of
a week or two every person and thing connected with the quarry will have left.-If we
except a few old houses that were used by the workers for work purposes’.
In consequence a decision was taken to flood the quarry so as to create an
ornamental feature in the landscape.
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
The subsequent draining of the quarry pond and the partial re-opening of the
quarry for freestone in 1910 only for it to be closed once more in 1918 at the end of
the Great War. However, in tandem with the quarry faces being in part re-worked,
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the 8 Lord Howard de Walden also appears to have taken a decision to introduce
public amenity and access into this area of his estate. This took the form of both
the construction of a series of trails, and planting of specimen trees, throughout the
Quarry area. The estate records show that the Estate Forester, Thomas W
Dalgleish, introduced circa thirty types of conifer trees into the Quarry with each
one recorded as to species, country of origin, date planted, origin of seed and by
whom identified.

The partial flooding of the quarry in the 1920s creating a diminished quarry pond –
possibly used for curling - across the southern part of the quarry. The main quarry
trail appears to have been partially submerged under the pond.

The Howard de Waldens also erected a large outbuilding at the end of the main
avenue from the Dean Castle. The use of this building is unclear, it may either
have been a curling shed associated with the Quarry pond, or a garage. It is
possible that its role as a garage came about after the infilling of the quarry area.

Upon the death of 8th Lord Howard de Walden the quarry area was neglected until
the remnants of the quarry were filled in with Fly ash from Kilmarnock power
station in the early 1950s and planted up with larch.
The current form of the Quarry area dates from the opening of the Dean Castle Country
Park in May 1981. The larch covering the quarry area was harvested and the former
quarry re-developed as a recreational area within the Country Park centred on ’Pets
Corner’, a petting zoo with small paddocks for domestic animals and approximately 10
aviaries, combined with an adventure play area and picnic area. The former outbuilding
was converted to act as a base for the Ranger Service. A pond was also formed at the
northern end of the former quarry. The pond is the largest and deepest of the water
bodies throughout the Country Park and contains floating islands for nesting birds.
However, as it has no inlet or outlet the water level fluctuates significantly throughout the
year. The woodland edge around the former quarry space is predominantly made up of
beech and spruce.
This current iteration of the Quarry area is of local significance. The Phase 1 habitat
survey, associated mapping and target notes highlights bird and amphibian species
located within the existing pond and towards the woodland to the east of this pond. There
is also evidence of a heronry and badger sett within this general location and therefore
from a natural heritage perspective, this general area has regional significance.
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The fifteenth key landscape element is the ancient woodland of the Judas Hill plantation.
This originally formed part of the Assloss Estate until it was sold by Adam Assloss to
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Thomas, the 6 Lord Boyd, in 1595. It has remained a part of the Kilmarnock estate since
then. The dense woodlands of the plantation are clearly indicated on the 1856 Ordinance
Survey but are also noted on the earlier 1824 estate map. An assessment of the
condition of this area reveals that there are relatively few trees greater than 100 years old
though there are considerable stands of mature Scots Pine which give the slopes of
Judas Hill a highly distinctive character of regional significance. The Phase 1 habitat
survey, associated mapping and target notes highlights badger setts and native bluebell.
From a natural heritage perspective, this general area has a regional significance.
The Countryside Zone
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Upon winding their way out of the Quarry area, on the path alongside the Fenwick Water,
the sixteenth key landscape feature that the visitor comes across is the Hollybrae
Plantation - a triangular wedge of ancient woodlands that sits at the top of the
escarpment or bluff that is being undermined by river. This area of trees has been
denoted on Estate maps since at least 1780. It is bounded on its northern edge by
Assloss Road. A tight footpath runs along the top of the embankment overlooking the
Fenwick Water while another footpath defines the western edge of the trees. The
Hollybrae Plantation is of regional significance. The Phase 1 habitat survey, associated
mapping and target notes highlights Noctule bats, Flycatchers and Orange ladybirds
within this area. There is no specific reference to nests or roosts. From a natural heritage
perspective this area has a regional significance.
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The seventeenth key feature of the landscape is the steep sided bowl of the Assloss car
park - the remnant of a freestone quarry. This quarry is first recorded on the 1780 map of
the Kilmarnock Estate. According to a 25 September 1828 article in the Ayr Advertiser
this quarry was reputedly connected to the Dean Quarry by a tunnel below the river, the
70ft long and 12 foot wide tunnel being cut through solid freestone and therefore not
requiring support or arching. The steep sides of the former quarry are dominated by larch,
Norway spruce, and rhododendron. The former Assloss Quarry is of local significance.
The Phase 1 habitat survey, associated mapping and target notes has not highlighted
any significant ecological features associated with this area.
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The eighteenth key feature of the landscape is Assloss Bridge – a single span possibly
Georgian bridge that leaps across the small wooded glen containing the Fenwick Water.
To the north west of the bridge lies the nineteenth key landscape feature, the ancient
woodland of the Wardneuk Plantation though the historic wedge of trees seen on the
1843 estate map has been supplemented and filled out by the time of the 1937
Ordinance Survey map. This is evidence of further designed intervention in the earlier
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part of the 20 Century to strengthen boundary of the estate – possibly in reaction to
interwar sub-urban encroachment. There has also been further intervention with
coniferous planting possibly associated with commercial planting of the estate in the
1960s. Assloss Bridge is of local significance. The Phase 1 habitat survey, associated
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The twentieth key feature of the landscape is the Assloss Walled Garden which is located
on an eastern slope overlooking the Craufurdland Water. Though still enclosed by its
imposing walls the space formerly occupied by the garden no longer reflects the
productive layout on the indicated on the 1843 Estate map. The Assloss Walled Garden
is currently of local significance. The Phase 1 habitat survey, associated mapping and
target notes has not highlighted any significant ecological features associated with this
area. The adjacent Jeans Field has reference to brown hares and yellow hammer.
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3.158
After the Assloss Road winds up to Assloss House and the riding school, the landscape
levels out, broadening out as the valley is left behind. In Rambles around Kilmarnock
Archibald Adamson remarks that once he had:
‘ascended Assloss brae, and on past the farm and mansion-house of that name. On the
face of the brae I leaned over a fence and looked down upon Dean Castle, and through
the valley that lies before it, upon the town in the distance and the hills of Craigie in the
background. In this scene the past and the present are beautifully blended. The old ruin
represents feudalism and the doggish systems of the past; the busy town beyond, with its
schools and churches, its workshops and factories, represents the present progressive
system of society, and shows what can be attained when a people are unfettered by
absurd laws and restrictions. The spot is well worth a visit, the view of the town being
good perhaps the best to be had in the district.’
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Such is the density of the tree planting since the start of the 20 Century, this view is
impossible to discern nowadays. However, in complete contrast to the interrupted views
to the south, the views across the landscape to the north are open. Sitting within this
landscape is the twentieth landscape feature – the remains of Assloss Tower an ancient
Keep now incorporated into the courtyard of a farm. Though just outwith the boundary of
the Country Park it sits on the edge as a remainder of the feudal nature of much of the
landscape the visitor has just travelled through. Assloss Tower’s role in the landscape is
of local significance. The Phase 1 habitat survey, associated mapping and target notes
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The twenty first landscape feature is the Craufurdland Water – a meandering river with
both steep embankments and low flood plains. There is a former ford close to the Assloss
Walled Garden. Path along majority of west bank – in some sections path above steep
high banks, affording views over wider landscape. The Craufurdland Water is of local
significance. The Phase 1 habitat survey, associated mapping and target notes has not
highlighted any significant ecological features associated with this area. Natter bats have
however been noted foraging along the river corridor.
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The eastern edge of the estate contains the twenty second and twenty third landscape
features, the Target and Wardlaw Plantations. Both these semi-ancient woodlands are
important elements within landscape structure of designed landscape and perform a role
of increased importance in terms of retaining the landscape character country park as a
result of their containing the visual impact of suburban housing estates that extended
along Kennedy Drive from the late 1960s onwards. The Target Plantation in particular is a
mixed woodland with a significant percentage of Scots Pine, with Oak, Beech and Birch.
By forming the eastern horizon of the Country Park it lends a particular character to the
landscape of the park. These two plantations are of regional significance. The Phase 1
habitat survey, associated mapping and target notes has not highlighted any significant
ecological features associated with this area.
Current Landscape condition
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The current entrance to the Country Park is confused with the tarmac area of the public
car park competing with the Lodge and Gates built by the Howard de Walden’s. The
architecture of the Edwardian Lodge and Gates was intended to serve as a visual and
aesthetic introduction to the quality of the Dean Castle complex. It is a hint at what is to
come and is a key part of the entrance sequence to the designed landscape. The car
park area directly adjacent lacks the visual quality and enclosure of the Lodge and Gates
and, though screened from it by the dense conifers of the Castle Paddock area, appears
as an erosion of the edge of the Country Park landscape. The consequence of there
being two vehicular entrances to the park in quick succession along Dean Road is that
people arriving by car bypass the intended entrance so miss out on the start of the spatial
sequence.
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Figure 3-46: The Lime Avenue, September 2013 (Peter Drummond Architects)
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Once past the entrance, either via the Lodge and Gate or via the car park, the next
feature within the spatial sequence of the Country Park is the Lime Avenue. The limes
trees that comprise the Avenue are approximately 104 years old. They are generally in
good condition though there are some missing trees and some replacements are not
always limes. The Avenue is surfaced in tarmac which is unlikely to be the original
surface treatment. The Avenue forms the main pedestrian route into the Country Park
and has restricted vehicular use so acts as a shared surface with good integration of
pedestrians, cyclists with the limited vehicles.
3.164
Continuing into the park the next key point in the sequence is the Castle Paddock now
referred to as the Main Drive Plantation. This once intended to be open grazing land but
its character has been completely transformed by the planting of Norway spruce so as to
provide screening for the Castle from the suburban residential development on the former
South Dean Plantation. The intensive tree cover results in a very different experience of
the Dean Castle landscape from what it would have been barely four decades ago being
far more spatially enclosed. The trees are not in good condition and their dense canopy
combined with grazing by deer, has resulted in little ground vegetative cover. In addition
their root systems are now impacting upon the historic landforms of the Bell Cast Pits.
3.165
Opposite the Main Drive Plantation, and tucked discretely up on the hillside, is the visitors
centre dating from the early 1990s. Again the backdrop to the visitors centre is largely
coniferous. This is as a result of an earlier decision to sell off land for residential
development resulting in the 1970s extension to Landsborough Drive. The remains of the
open paddock to the south east of Landsborough Drive was then infilled with dense
planting of Norway Spruce so as to provide screening of the suburban encroachment
from the Lime Avenue. Again this has further diminished the spatial qualities of the
entrance sequence along the Lime Avenue providing a much greater degree of enclosure
than that intended in the Howard de Walden landscape scheme, or indeed previous ones.
The hard landscape of path, stair and ramps to the visitor’s centre, which is lined with
shrubs, also appears at odds with the earlier Howard de Walden planting of the estate.
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Figure 3-47: The former Castle Paddock now Main Drive Plantation and the Bell Cast Pits , September 2013 (Peter Drummond Architects)
3.166
Beyond the visitors centre the Lime Avenue then opens up to the north with the start of
the Castle lawn which has remained largely intact. The exception to this is the tennis
court which sat on a terrace between the lawn and the base of the hillside with dense
deciduous tree cover. The terrace remains but the tennis court – which appears in the
late Victorian landscape, and was retained in the Howard de Walden landscape – is no
longer extant.
3.167
The next major feature on the Lime Avenue is the Motte which is now largely obscured by
self seeded trees and woody scrubs. A raised boardwalk has been erected across the
paddock area to the west of the motte thereby supplying access to a stepped whin
footpath ascending to the viewpoint and benches at the top of Motte. While the broadwalk
is in good condition, the encroachment of the woody scrub is excessive. This needs to be
managed in order to better reveal this key landscape feature, which is essential to an
understanding of the Country Park Landscape.
3.168
Separating the Lime Avenue from the Castle Paddock and the Motte is the Paddock wall.
The condition of the wall needs to be verified by a structural engineer. Given the age and
exposure of the wall an assessment of the condition of the bricks is required as well as a
degree of repointing in an appropriate lime mortar. The simple wrought iron estate railings
on top of the Paddock wall also need to be assessed for their integrity and may also
require a degree of maintenance and repair.
3.169
Lime Avenue deposits the visitor at the lawn in front of the Castle revealing the Memorials
sculptures and associated planting that clusters around the entrance to the Dower House
and along the south elevation of Castle. The Memorials are in varying degrees of
condition. Some of them – such as the 9/11 memorial are of relatively recent origin. Their
setting appears ad-hoc adding to sense of visual clutter along the southern elevation of
the Castle complex. The current circular drive and rondel in front of the Dower House
appear to be an attempt to recreate the late Victorian landscape scheme that the Howard
de Walden’s replaced with a simple lawn when the new entrance and gatehouse on the
north elevation of the Castle was opened in 1937. The drive and its associated landscape
is in good condition but analysis of historic photographs reveals that it does not quite
match the proportions or location of the original gravel drive.
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Figure 3-48: The Castle Paddock (with the Bell Cast Pits) and the Motte in the late 19 century (copyright East Ayrshire Council)
3.170
From the entrance to the Dower House the eye is drawn to the heavy coniferous hedge
separating the lawn around Castle and Dower House from the hillside of the Pinetum.
The hedge largely obscures an Edwardian retaining wall which incorporates a small flight
of steps flanked by a pair of ceramic lions that mark the entrance to the path leading up
the hillside to the Graves. Analysis of historic photographs reveals that the ceramic lions
were not part of the original Howard de Walden landscape scheme and must have been
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added at some point in the latter half of the 20 Century. The wall appears in reasonable
condition though this should be verified by a structural engineer. Given the age and
exposure of the wall it is likely that an assessment of the stone condition is required and
an allowance should be made for a degree of repointing in an appropriate lime mortar.
3.171
Beyond the retaining wall is the Pinetum that was planted by the Howard de Waldens
between 1933 and 1938. In the 1960s the Pinetum was heavily planted with Norway
Spruce effectively smothering the specimen conifers. Together with regeneration of
beech and sycamore, this has led to the demise of nearly 85% of the specimen trees.
Analysis of Historic Photographs reveals that the current Pinetum is far denser than
originally intended and that the spatial complexity of the original planting scheme has
been lost. In addition features such as the ornamental bedding scheme flanked by flights
of stairs and terminating in a bench are no longer apparent.
The existence of the Original planting lists creates a unique opportunity for full, species
accurate, restoration of the Pinetum. Consideration should also be given to renewal of
paths, and interpretation. Management and planting of understorey would increase the
status of landscape. Removal of adjacent commercial conifers would give the opportunity
to create associated tree collections that would be sympathetic to existing Pinetum and
expand this landscape character.
3.172
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The path through the remains of the Pinetum takes the visitor up to the vault containing
the three Howard de Walden Graves The three graves are in good condition but their
setting could be considerably improved (refer to Fig. 3-42 for current condition).
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The quality of the design of the fence enclosing the two elegantly carved slabs that mark
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the graves for the 8 Lord Howard de Walden and Lady Howard de Walden is poor. It is
not commensurate with the design quality of the graves and obstructs the line of sight to
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the Blue Angel marking the grave of the 7 Lady Howard de Walden. The paving around
the graves also requires consideration. In addition the small wooden fence behind the
hedge enclosing the graves is incongruous and not commensurate with the design quality
of either graves or landscape. Finally, the setting of the graves has been obscured
through replanting with blanket conifers and self-seeded trees and scrub.
3.173
Returning to the Lime Avenue the next feature on the route through the Country Park is
the Medieval Kitchen Garden that sits in an elevated position to the east of the Castle
below the 1937 Curtain wall to the Keep overlooking both the Lime Avenue and the
Fenwick Water. The garden was developed into a wildlife garden by the Countryside
Ranger Service over 15 years ago. However access to the garden for the public is poor.
The entrance from the Courtyard is closed and the two flights of steps are relatively steep
and hazardous. The garden is generally in good condition but access needs to be
improved if it is to fulfil its interpretative role.
3.174
Continuing along the Lime Avenue to the north of the castle the drive curves back around
to meet the grand 1937 gatehouse. Though originally fronted by a simple landscape
defined by low box hedging this landscape has been cluttered by relatively recent
interventions including the car parking, containers housing service equipment and a
transformer unit. The poor condition and clutter of this area gives the impression of it
being a service yard and rear entrance to the Castle – entirely at odds with the intention
of the Howard de Walden landscape. Effort should be made to remove the recent
interventions, minimise clutter in this area and refocus the space on the intended grand
entrance.
3.175
Adjacent to this area and the Lime Avenue is the Riverside walk – the Dark Path. The
pathway appears to have been constructed during the period of landscape restoration
and created as a public route, leading to Dean Bridge and the specifically created trails
within the Quarry Pond area. This work was associated with substantial tree planting to
create a tree lined route overlooking Kilmarnock Water to the east and the Castle
Paddock and Motte to the west. The Riverside walk is surfaced in tarmac which is
unlikely to be the original surface treatment. It is generally in good condition though it is
relatively narrow for utilisation as shared cycle / footway.
3.176
At the junction of the Lime Avenue and the Riverside walk is the Dean Bridge over the
River Fenwick. The condition of the bridge requires to be verified by a structural engineer.
The gate posts have been heavily re-pointed in an inappropriate cement mortar with the
arrises of the stone having badly eroded. The parapets and the circular caps of the gate
are covered in a heavy moss. These require to have the vegetation and friable material
removed from the stonework before being treated with biocide and washed down. Given
the age and exposure of the gate posts, parapets and ashlar voussoirs of the single span
it is likely that an assessment of the stone condition is required and an allowance should
be made for a degree of raking out of all open and defective joints and repointing in an
appropriate lime mortar. In addition the cast iron railings between the Dean Bridge and
the Lime Avenue are in need of restoration, with one of the crenelated gate posts
missing. This requires to be replaced. The cast iron railings are important as they are key
to understanding the Howard de Walden’s strategy of opening up certain parts of their
Kilmarnock Estate to the public.
3.177
Passing over the Dean Bridge the visitor can observe the Canalised sections of the
Fenwick Water. The condition of the Canalised embankments requires to be verified with
a structural engineer. The Canalised section of river is cut into the ground rock as a
series of steps and terraces. The embankments have been formed via a combination of
stone and brick walls – it is the condition of these that need assessed. Further
investigation of original drainage and hydrology recommended.
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Figure 3-49: Pets Corner in the former Dean Quarry, September 2013 ( Peter Drummond Architects)
3.178
Beyond the Canalised section of the Fenwick Water, the visitor enters the former Quarry
area. Having been infilled with ash from Kilmarnock Power Station in the early 1950s this
area now contains ’Pets Corner’, a petting zoo with small paddocks for domestic animals
and approximately 10 aviaries, combined with an adventure play area and picnic area.
The former outbuilding – either curling shed or garage – is now the base for the Ranger
Service. A pond was also formed at the northern end of the former quarry. The pond is
the largest and deepest of the water bodies throughout the Country Park and contains
floating islands for nesting birds. Though the adventure play area is of recent construction
and is in good condition, sections of this area appear run-down, waterlogged and with
evident damage to Larches planted after the Quarry was infilled. The pond has good
biodiversity but is fenced off from the public which detracts from the asset. There is
potential for archaeological interest associated with both the former quarry and
associated industrial buildings namely J. & M. Craig’s Fireclay works. A detailed site
investigation is recommended to discover nature of infill material of the Quarry particularly
with regards to its hydrology and composition.
3.179
To the east of the Quarry area is the ancient woodland of the Judas Hill plantation. An
assessment of the condition of this area reveals that there are relatively few trees greater
than 100 years old though there are considerable stands of mature Scots Pine.
3.180
To the west of the Quarry area, at the top of the escarpment overlooking the Fenwick
Water is the Hollybrae Plantation. This triangular wedge of trees has been denoted on
Estate maps since at least 1780 and is a key element within the designed landscape. Its
presence emphasises the importance of the Castle’s North elevation. However, over
recent decades it has suffered from the intrusion of poorer quality conifer infill and selfseeded trees. It would benefit from better management to create a high quality landscape
with habitat interest.
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Figure 3-50: remaining Quarry pond in the former Dean Quarry, September 2013 ( Peter Drummond Architects)
3.181
At the northern end of the Quarry area is the Assloss car park – itself the remnant of a
freestone quarry. The steep sides of the former quarry are dominated by larch, Norway
spruce, and rhododendron and self seeded trees. The slopes would benefit from better
management to create a high quality landscape with habitat interest. The car park is
predominantly used by dog walkers. The surface of the car park has not been tarmaced
and suffers from poor drainage leading to pot holes. The area also appears to be used for
storage of timber from tree felling.
3.182
To the west of the car park is Assloss Bridge – a single span possibly Georgian bridge
that spans the Fenwick Water. The condition of the bridge requires to be verified by a
structural engineer. The low parapets are covered in both algae and a heavy moss.
These require to have the vegetation and friable material removed from the stonework
before being treated with biocide and washed down. Given the age and exposure of the
parapets and ashlar the single span it is likely that an assessment of the stone condition
is required and an allowance should be made for a degree of raking out of all open and
defective joints and repointing in an appropriate lime mortar.
3.183
To the north west of the bridge lies the Wardheuk Plantation an historic wedge of trees
which are clearly part of the designed landscape having been indicated on the 1843
estate map. As indicated on the 1937 Ordinance Survey map the plantation was
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supplemented by additional planting in the early part of the 20 Century. There has also
been further intervention with coniferous planting possibly associated with commercial
planting of the estate in the 1960s. In consequence there is a mix of ages condition and
value (landscape and biodiversity) of this woodland.
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Figure 3-51:Assloss Walled Garden, September 2013 ( Peter Drummond Architects)
3.184
Further to the north east along Assloss Road is the Assloss Walled Garden. The walls of
the garden are not in good condition being heavily pointed up with a cement slaister and
the copes are missing in part. The condition of the walls requires to be verified by a
structural engineer. An allowance should be made for a degree of raking out of all open
and defective joints and repointing the wall in an appropriate lime mortar, however, this
falls outwith the scope of the current project.
3.185
Adjacent to the Assloss Walled Garden is the Craufurdland Water. It is a meandering
river with both steep embankments and low flood plains. There is a former ford close to
Assloss Walled Garden. There is a path along the majority of west bank – in some
sections the path passes above steep high banks over the river affording views over the
wider landscape. The watercourse is of high landscape value with variety of riparian
features.
3.186
Above the east bank for the Craufurdland Water is the Target Plantation – a semi-ancient
woodland that is an important element within the designed landscape. The Target
Plantation is a mixed woodland with a significant percentage of Scots Pine, with Oak,
Beech and Birch. Its condition is to be confirmed.
3.187
On the east bank opposite the Assloss Walled Garden is the Wardlaw Plantation another
semi ancient woodland. Its condition is to be confirmed.
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Landscape Conclusions
3.188
In conclusion an unsympathetic and poorly informed approach from the post Second
World War era until the late 1990s has, unfortunately, detracted from the clarity of the
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early 20 Century landscape scheme; inappropriate planting of evergreen and coniferous
shrubs and trees is mainly responsible for this. The proliferation of furniture, fittings,
materials and footpath design that has also led to a degree of ‘municipalisation’ of the
Country Park.
3.189
Visitors (tourists and locals) to Dean Castle Country Park today are given a general
impression of a somewhat tired and neglected Country park in which certain buildings are
open to the public but the key building – the Castle - because of its condition, is only
partially open. Access is still possible to the Keep but not the Palace range and key
components, including the Medieval Kitchen Garden, are out of bounds. Aside from the
loss of the Renaissance landscape as a result of industrialisation in the Georgian era, the
site has suffered from alterations to the later Howard de Walden / Edwardian design
landscape when the Castle grounds and estate were designed to provide an amenity for
the Kilmarnock public, and help underscore the status of what had historically been the
key private residence of the town if not Kilmarnock’s most important historic feature.
3.190
The local authority have in place various interpretative measures including information
boards, leaflets, and school packs. These have been gradually built up over a number of
years and do not always reflect our evolving understanding of the site. As a result the
present interpretative offer could be improved with more information about its historic
importance.
3.191
Though the visitor is given a limited idea of the significance of the Castle and the lengthy
history of the site, greater interpretation would allow a better understanding of how the
entire Country Park landscape evolved. It would also help explain the site’s long
association with medieval Scottish history and governments, key Georgian Aristocratic
figures and the industrialisation they brought, as well as the later impact of the Edwardian
super-rich. As such the Country Park offers Kilmarnock a unique heritage resource.
Landscape Management - Strategic Recommendations
3.192
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The landscape management strategy associated with the Dean Castle and Dower House
area should reflect the following principles to be consistent with the Howard de Walden
designed landscape would be as follows:

Reduction of visual emphasis of access to Dower House

Reduction of visual clutter to Landscape associated with Dower House and
southern elevation of castle.

Opening up of banking to west of Dower House, that leads up to Pinetum, to be
more consistent with the Howard de Walden designed landscape.

Sensitively consider location and potential for relocation of memorial features and
memorial trees. Assess useful life expectancy of memorial trees (such as cherries)

Consider areas of quality horticultural intervention to include garden to east of
castle and also to area associated with Pinetum. This could include possible
relocation of sculptures and memorials which would retain the vision of a simplified
landscape to the south of the Castle where the massing of the restored building is
emphasised.
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Figure 3-52: Dean Castle Country Park – archaeology. Baseline mapping data reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey
on behalf of HMSO. Crown copyright and database right 2014. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey Licence number
(100023409).
Archaeological Appraisal
3.193
Given the complex history of the Country Park, and the layering of the designed
landscape and uses across the site, inevitably there are areas of significant
archaeological value and sensitivity.
3.194
The appraisal of the site’s archaeology included a desk-based assessment in order to
identify the archaeological potential of the site. A walk-over survey was also carried out
to better inform a course of action for the conservation management plan and the
strategy for an appropriate level measured survey and recording, prior to any other works
at the site. Initial observations, photographs and notes were made the objective of which
was to provide a general appraisal of the key archaeological, historical and architectural
features within the Country Park and in the landscape directly adjacent to the Dean
Castle.
3.195
There is clear evidence of long standing habitation of the site and it must be considered
as having considerable archaeological interest across multitude of sites:
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
There is potential for pre-medieval archaeology with a polished stone axe found by
J Hunter in 1981 at the foot of Judas Hill (Canmore ID 42812).

There is some potential for medieval archaeology around the Motte itself and to
lawns directly to the south west of the Dean Castle, which would help inform our
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understanding of the early development of a strongholdin or around the 11 / 12
centuries. The Motte has already had some archaeological investigations with two
trenches dug by J Hunter in 1977-8 (Canmore ID: 42802).
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3.196

There is also 16th Century / Scottish Renaissance archaeological potential
particularly to the area to the north east of the Dean Castle which is associated
with the Renaissance designed landscape indicated on Roy’s Map of 1750.

There is potential for Reformation and Restoration archaeology in the now forested
former Castle Paddock with possible medieval Farmsteads and unidentified
Medieval Pottery being located in this area. In 1979 – 1981 J Hunter discovered
the footings of two rectangular, stone-built and compartmented buildings and
partially excavated one of them thereby confirming its late (probably 17th/18th
century) date and domestic function. Finds included green glazed pottery and pipe
stems. (Canmore ID 42823).

There is the potential for early industrial archaeology in the area around the Coal
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Bell Pits on the former Castle Paddock. These are believed to date to the 18
Century and were previously surveyed by J Hunter in 1982 (Canmore ID:42824).
Unusually there is a fully documented history of these features.

There may also be further evidence of Georgian or possibly early Victorian
buildings and design landscape features to the south west and west of Dean
Castle, all of which are shown on the 1860 OS Mao (surveyed 1855). This includes
an embankment at the back of the Dower House which extends away to the west –
possible evidence of a relict landscape. The extent to which this may have been
compromised by the later widespread Edwardian landscaping is unknown.

There is potential for medieval to Georgian era archaeology within the courtyard of
Dean Castle itself. The extent to which this may have been compromised by the
removal of earlier structures during the rebuild of the Curtain wall in the 1930s
remains to be ascertained.

There is potential for mid Victorian industrial archaeology in the area of the former
Quarry that was occupied by the site of the former J. & M. Craig’s Fireclay works.
It is worth noting that though the Dean Castle complex forms an ‘A’ Grouping at the heart
of the designed landscape, the Country Park itself, though critical to the setting of the
protected building, is currently not included in Historic Scotland’s Inventory of Gardens
and Designed Landscapes in Scotland and is also not a conservation area. Nevertheless
the evolution of the designed landscape was established through examination of early
maps and post WWII aerial photography.
Archaeological Value
3.197
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With the exception of the Motte, although there is little of evidence of earlier structures
visible in the area around the Dean Castle today, there is clear evidence of long standing
habitation of the site and it must be considered as having considerable archaeological
interest across multitude of sites and ages. This includes the slopes of Judas Hill, the
Motte, the Bell Cast Pits, the former Quarry area, the areas to the south east, south west,
west and north east of the Dean Castle, and the Castle courtyard. The extent to which
this may have been compromised by later widespread development and landscaping is
unknown.
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Social Value
3.198
It must be recognised that the importance of a site goes beyond academic assessments
of historical, archaeological, landscape or architectural importance. In assessing social
value, we seek to identify the qualities for which a place has become a focus of spiritual,
political, national or other cultural sentiment. Being subjective by its very nature, there
are many different aspects and it is perhaps most challenging aspect of any conservation
plan.
3.199
The Dean Castle and the Kilmarnock Estate have played a highly important role in the
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history of Ayrshire from the 14 Century onwards encompassing a vast range of history
through the feudalism of the Medieval era, the politics associated with Royalty and
Nobility of the post Medieval era, the disruption of the Civil Wars and the subsequent
Restoration is associated with the prestige of the Castle set within a Scots renaissance
designed landscape, the struggle for power between the Hanoverian Government and the
Jacobite rebellion resulting in the downfall of the Boyd family and the relinquishing of the
Castle, the impact of early industrialisation on the landscape first via the Boyds and later
the Portlands / Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck as absentee, if very active, landowners who put
the estate to work, the rise of the Edwardian super-rich leading to the restoration of the
Castle and creation of an Edwardian designed landscape, the consequent re-assertion of
the rights of the Kilmarnock public to access the grounds of the Castle as part of the
amenity of the town and the eventual gifting of the Kilmarnock Estate to the people of
Kilmarnock in 1974.
Social Empowerment and Community Use
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3.200
The Dean Castle and Kilmarnock have played a important social role throughout the 20
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century. Although the initial gesture of access to the estate appears to come from the 8
Lord Howard de Walden it was the people of Kilmarnock who, in an example of social
empowerment, challenged his proprietorship and were insistent on their right-of–way
through the whole estate thus indentifying it as a key feature of the town’s amenity.
3.201
This is underscored by the later gifting of the Castle, its contents and 40 acres of
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surrounding ground to the people of Kilmarnock by the 9 Lord Howard de Walden in
1974 with the Keep and Palace range then assuming a civic role as a museum.
3.202
The ongoing importance of the park to the people of the town is clear throughout the 20
century; it was a popular and frequently very busy place to spend leisure time in a town
dominated by heavy industry and mining, featuring in images and publications of the
period.
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Social Value Today
3.203
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Today, the park remains very popular as a green space that is close to Kilmarnock town
centre. Though the condition of the landscape is somewhat diminished, during the
surveys for the plan it was observed that visitors were most frequently joggers and dog
walkers, as well as children using the site for educational purposes and family use at
weekends. There was also a significant number of visitors to the petting zoo.
Nevertheless judging from public interest it is clear that this remains a very important
place for many in the community.
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Dean Castle Country Park Heritage Asset (Building) Summary
Heritage Asset (Building)
Dean Castle Keep
Dean Castle Palace Range
Dean Castle Curtain Wall
Dean Castle Dower House
Dean Castle Laundry and Kennels
Dean Castle Country Park Visitors Centre
Dean Castle Country Park Rangers Building
Assloss Mains
Assloss House
Assloss Farm
Significance
National
National
National
Regional
Local
Local
Local
Local
Local
Regional
Dean Castle Country Park Heritage Asset (Landscape) Summary
Heritage Asset (Landscape)
The Lime Avenue
The Bell Cast Pits / Castle Paddock
The Motte
The Paddock Wall
Memorial Sculptures at Dower House
Retaining wall at the Pinetum
Pinetum
The Howard de Walden Graves
Medieval Kitchen Garden
Drive to Castle Gate Lodge
Riverside Walk
Dean Bridge
Canalised Fenwick Water
Quarry (Design Heritage)
Quarry (Natural Heritage)
Judas Hill
Hollybrae Plantation
Assloss Quarry
Assloss Bridge
Assloss Walled Garden
Assloss Tower (landscape)
Craufurdland Water
Target Plantation
Wardlaw Plantation
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Significance
Regional
Regional
Regional
Regional
Local
Regional
Regional
Regional
Local
Local
Regional
Regional
Regional
Local
Regional
Regional
Regional
Local
Local
Local
Local
Local
Regional
Regional
Page | 87
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4.0
VULNERABILITY
(CMP Stage 2)
4.0 VULNERABILITY AND RELATED ISSUES
4.1
Historic places and landscapes are a product of a process of refinement and change over
generations to meet the needs and aims of the original owners and well as the
populations they now serve. Pressure for change can, however, present difficult issues
which can erode the special character and distinctiveness of a place. Economic changes,
population movement, and other issues can result in obsolescence, neglect and
deterioration of the physical fabric and landscape leading to erosion of their character and
distinctiveness. Change, however, can also provide opportunities for intervention and
enhancement. Understanding the dynamics of an historic environment is therefore
important in securing its future.
4.2
This section of the Conservation Management Plan identifies those issues which have
affected the significance of the site in the past, and more importantly might affect it now
or in the future, in order that policies can be brought forward to retain and enhance its
value. Broadly speaking these fall into four main areas:

Physical condition – the current state of the fabric, previous inappropriate
alterations, and conservation needs.

Ownership, management, and use – is the current regime affecting the significance
of the site? Is it appropriate? Are public and community expectations leading to
conflict? Are there sufficient resources?

External factors – are there any issues which adversely affect the site through
visual intrusion, inappropriate development or uses, and traffic?

Development and change – how might the site be vulnerable to change in future?
What impact will statutory requirements have?

Understanding – is a lack of understanding of the site’s significance leading to
inadvertent damage or missed opportunities?
Physical Condition
4.3
The Dean Castle Country Park is a good example of a medium sized picturesque
Edwardian landscape which unusually incorporates medieval and industrial artefacts and
features. As a result of the impact of the Edwardians there is a clear sense of the
compartmentalisation of the landscape with a series of compartments or spokes radiating
out from a central hub i.e. the Castle. The various compartments, within this picturesque
landscape, have different themes and spatial qualities but all were clearly designed to
reference back to the restored Dean Castle as the key feature within the Estate –
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doubtless a key intention of the 8 Lord Howard de Walden.
4.4
The subsequent over-planting of the estate landscape in unsympathetic modern species
has both fragmented and dissipated the three dimensional visual and spatial qualities of
the original design. The designed landscape should be primarily regarded as a work of
art; in effect a three dimensional painting which is in need of restoration towards its
original layout and structure in order to conserve its heritage value and better display the
buildings and structures by recreating the originally intended views and spatial
sequences. .
4.5
In particular the character and amenity of the designed landscape is vulnerable through:

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Erosion of the original Estate woodland structure. Although the basic form is
currently intact, it needs management to spread the age of planting and ensure the
overall long-term survival of the scheme, together with replanting of more recent
losses.
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4.6

Loss of specimen planting. This is particularly pronounced in the Pinetum where
heavy planting with Norway Spruce in the 1960s has effectively smothered the
specimen conifers. Together with regeneration of beech and sycamore, this has
led to the demise of nearly 85% of the specimen trees and the effective of the key
spatial sequence from the Dower house, up to the ornamental bedding and bench
on terrace and the curving path up to the vault with the graves, with its complex
sense of gradual enclosure then release, has been swamped by inappropriate
planting.

Lack of underplanting. No herbaceous underplanting remains other than in the
shrub planting, including the rhododendrons. The large herbaceous beds along the
terrace and the base of the Palace range have been removed and replaced by
topiary during the early phase of municipal country park development only for this
to have become neglected and overgrown.

Diminution of features:

The three graves, although in good condition, have lost their key role as
the focus of the spatial sequence at the heart of the Pinetum. The poor
quality fenced enclosure surrounding the graves is also of low visual
amenity and poor condition which detracts from the setting of the graves.

The lack of safe access to the medieval kitchen garden has resulted in its
importance being overlooked by visitors who cannot look into the garden
given its terraced location outside the Curtain walls.

The location of storage containers and service yard facilities to the north of
the Castle has diminished the setting of the Gate house and undermined
the importance of the key planned Howard de Walden designed landscape
spatial sequence where the Dean Avenue sweeps around to meet the
gate.
The limitations of the existing management and maintenance regime need to be
addressed as an immediate priority in order to initiate a phased approach to restoration.
Ownership and Use
4.7
It is generally recognised that the best way of ensuring the means of ensuring the
preservation of historic buildings and landscapes is through continuing, economically
sustainable uses. Maintaining and enhancing the quality the economic and social fabric of
the historic environment is vital if it is to be passed on in good order to future generations.
4.8
At present the Dean Castle is underutilised due to a combination of access and problems
with the Building fabric. The collection in the Great Hall in the Keep due to problematic
access while the Palace range is currently unsuitable for the display of the collection due
to the condition of the Building Fabric. In the medium to long term this is simply not
sustainable and consideration must be given to identifying a suitably robust long term
conservation strategy if the Castle buildings are to be saved.
4.9
The care of any important historic site is an onerous undertaking, requiring significant
skills and resources. The local authority – East Ayrshire Council along with East Ayrshire
Leisure - has recognised these issues and is addressing them through the
implementation of this conservation management plan and associated proposals. It is
important that this is an ongoing and sustained process, using suitably skilled Council
staff and building upon the extensive work already carried out within an appropriate
management and review framework.
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External Factors
4.10
The greatest external challenge to the site is the impact of suburbanisation on the
integrity of the Edwardian landscape scheme. The dense coniferous screening of 1960s
and 70s suburbanisation directly adjacent to the park has had a direct impact on the
character of the Edwardian landscape and has affected people’s perception of the park
as being more spatially enclosed than it actually was. Suburbanisation has had a
detrimental impact on the principal approaches to the Park with the loss of the gates and
partial severing of the entrance sequence off the Glasgow Road being particularly
detrimental. The conservation and upgrading of the Park will improve the environmental
quality of it but needs to be balanced by the risk of visual encroachment.
4.11
On a more localised level, there have been unfortunate works around the immediate area
of the Park including clutter/poor design at the main Dean Road (south) entrance and the
low design quality of the 1960s gate at the Woodlands Place (west) entrance to the Park
which replaced the earlier gates on Glasgow Road. These undermine the value and
understanding of the Park’s importance, and there is a need for a more sensitive
masterplan which focuses on the wider townscape/approaches to the Country Park and
could tackle issues such as the need for sensitively sited and planned overspill car
parking.
Development and Change
4.12
The Country Park requires a sensitive approach to any alterations.
underlying themes which must be recognised:
There are two

The informal design approach of the Edwardian designed landscape based on an
improved natural landscape with picturesque ideals and a clear sense of
compartmentalisation and spatial enclosure predicated on informal views of
specimen trees/groups i.e. the Pinetum.

The amenity landscaping of the Country Park with facilities such as petting zoo,
horse riding facilities, local memorials and woodland paths for dog walking, jogging
and for educational purposes.
The clarity and relationship between these has been obscured by either inappropriate
planting or poor design, dependant on viewpoint. A clear and concise strategy has to be
developed to reverse this and reinforce the Country Park’s key design features.
Understanding the value and significance of the site
4.13
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One of the most important ways of ensuring the protection of our built heritage is ensuring
that the wider public understand the value and significance of historic sites. It is certainly
arguable that in an Ayrshire context, the history of the Boyds and their association with
Dean Castle is much better understood than the later phases of the Kilmarnock Estate’s
history. This is particular so with the impact of industrialisation on the landscape, which is
largely obscured with the infilling of the Quarry area and the suppression of the bell cast
pits as a landscape feature under coniferous planting. In a post-industrial era where the
tangible evidence for this story is becoming increasing rare this is an area of heritage that
would benefit from improved interpretation and presentation.
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Figure 4-1:Postcard illustrating the impact of industrialisation on the Dean Castle and Kilmarnock ( RCAHMS)
4.14
However, the same is also true with regards to the impact of the Edwardian super-rich. It
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is arguable that 8 Lord Howard de Walden’s motives for the restoration of Dean Castle
are very poorly understood as is the huge sweep of social progress that occurred during
the Edwardian era, a time of extreme polarisation of wealth and society – a complex story
that has curious echoes in the present day. Unless an appropriate means of interpreting
and presenting this heritage is implemented, there is likely to be a missed opportunity and
a medium to long-term problem.
4.15
This later history appears to be quite poorly understood within the wider community and
there is a very real need to bring developed a focussed programme of interpretation and
education of this important period not just in the history of the site but its place within the
industrialisation and later social development of both Kilmarnock and the West of
Scotland.
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Dean Castle Country Park Heritage Asset (Building) Risks Summary
Heritage Asset
(Building)
Dean Castle Keep
Dean Castle Palace
Range
Dean Castle Curtain Wall
Dean Castle Dower
House
Dean Castle Laundry and
Kennels
Dean Castle Country Park
Visitors Centre
Rangers Building
Assloss Mains
Assloss House
Assloss Farm
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Risks (lack of
development)
Fabric at risk of physical
decay
decay
decay
Not able to cope with
increased visitor numbers
decay
N/A (not part of proposals)
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Risks (with development)
Inappropriate repair
Vulnerable to change
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Dean Castle Country Park Heritage Asset (Landscape) Risks Summary
Heritage Asset (Landscape)
The Lime Avenue
The Bell Cast Pits / Castle
Paddock
The Motte
The Paddock Wall
Memorial Sculptures at Dower
House
Retaining wall at the Pinetum
Pinetum
The Howard de Walden Graves
Medieval Kitchen Garden
Drive to Castle Gate Lodge
Riverside Walk
Dean Bridge
Canalised Fenwick Water
Quarry (Design Heritage)
Quarry (Natural Heritage)
Judas Hill
Hollybrae Plantation
Assloss Quarry
Assloss Bridge
Assloss Walled Garden
Assloss Tower (landscape)
Craufurdland Water
Target Plantation
Wardlaw Plantation
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Risks (lack of
development)
Loss of trees
Feature at risk of
physical decay
Feature at risk of
physical decay
Feature at risk of
physical decay
Undermine
understanding of site
Feature at risk of
physical decay
Loss of specimen
planting
Diminished significance
Lack of access
Diminished significance
Feature at risk of
physical decay
Feature at risk of
physical decay
Feature at risk of
physical decay
Lack of understanding
increased visitor
numbers
Loss of trees / lack of
underplanting
Loss of trees / lack of
underplanting
N/A (not part of
proposals)
N/A (not part of
proposals)
N/A (not part of
proposals)
N/A (not part of
proposals)
N/A (not part of
proposals)
N/A (not part of
proposals)
N/A (not part of
proposals)
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Risks (with
development)
Increased traffic
Sensitivity to change /
public expectations
Inappropriate to repair
Increased traffic
Increased traffic
Increased traffic
Increased traffic
Increased traffic
N/A (not part of
proposals)
N/A (not part of
proposals)
N/A (not part of
proposals)
N/A (not part of
proposals)
N/A (not part of
proposals)
N/A (not part of
proposals)
N/A (not part of
proposals)
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5.0
CONSERVATION APPROACH
(CMP Stage 4)
5.0 CONSERVATION APPROACH
5.1
The historic environment is a finite and non-renewable resource, a fundamental part of
our cultural landscape. Maintaining and enhancing the economic and social fabric of the
historic environment is vital if the variety, quality and special characteristics of this
resource is to be sustained for future generations.
5.2
Despite the application of measures for the protection of the historic environment, as well
as greater public awareness and support for heritage issues, the historic environment can
still be threatened by inappropriate development. Historic areas are not immune to the
effects of economic decline and population change, which can result in obsolescence,
neglect and deterioration of the physical fabric and erosion of their character and
distinctiveness. Historic places are a product of a process of refinement and change over
generations to meet the needs of existing populations. Pressure for change can,
however, present difficult issues.
5.3
Having identified the value of Dean Castle Country Park and how it might be vulnerable
to change, the next step is the development of policies guiding its development and
setting out the actions necessary to preserve the cultural and historic significance of the
site. This will allow us to reconcile the need to protect our built heritage with the need to
accommodate suitable opportunities for change.
5.4
This section of the plan is divided into three main sections: a brief overview of the
conservation philosophy and approach as it applies to this project, a review of the key
strategic objectives identified by the study team, and detailed conservation policies
including:

General Policies – Management and Use of the Site

Understanding the Site – Further Investigation, Research, and Archaeology

Conservation and Alteration of Historic Fabric

Development Proposals

Access and Interpretation
Conservation Philosophy
5.5
Conservation policy is set out in a broad range of national and international guidance
including Scottish Historic Environmental Policy (December 2011) NPPG5 and NPPG 18
(Scotland), BS7913: 1998 Guide to the Principles of the Conservation of Historic
Buildings, BS 7913:2013 Guide to the conservation of historic buildings and the ICOMOS
Burra Charter. Although there are differences between the various documents, there are
a number of underlying common themes.
Understanding and Knowledge
5.6
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An historic building, townscape or landscape setting together with its fixtures and fittings
can be regarded as a composite work of art and historical document. They are often
extremely complex, comprising different elements and phases of build which may reflect
the development of the heritage site and changing society over time. All significant work
should be preceded by thorough documentary research and physical investigation in
order to ensure that the site is fully understood and informed decisions regarding the best
way of caring for it can be made.
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Economic Sustainability
5.7
Historic areas are not immune to the effects of economic decline and population change,
which can result in obsolescence, neglect and deterioration. The most appropriate way
to ensure the care of our built heritage is to ensure that sites have a sustainable, viable,
ongoing use. This may not be the most profitable use; the aim should be to find a new
economic use that is viable over the long term with minimum impact upon the special
architectural and historic interest of the site. Achieving best viable use may require
adaptation of the fabric. This should be undertaken carefully and sensitively, with regard
to its architectural and historic interest, character and setting.
Minimum intervention
5.8
The stock of historic buildings is finite and every loss significant. The destruction,
alteration or renewal of parts of a building can be similarly damaging and should always
be carefully considered and properly justified. A conservative approach of minimal
intervention and disturbance to the fabric of an historic building is therefore fundamental
to good conservation.
Restoration
5.9
A presumption against restoration is an important theme of the British approach to
building conservation. Restoration can diminish the authenticity and thus the historic
value of a building and the aesthetic value of a building or site. A case for restoration can
be made in certain circumstances, particularly cases where there it forms an incomplete
or destroyed aspect of a design and where there exists known or proven design for the
missing building, element, feature or detail.
New Work
5.10
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The design of new work should not damage, mask or devalue the old, either physically or
visually. It should be of appropriate quality and should complement the old. It should be
reversible and, whether carefully matched, blended or contrasted with old work, should
combine to form a composite building or group of buildings of overall architectural and
visual integrity. There is a general presumption that new work should be in a
contemporary style, rather than a pastiche of the original styles.
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6.0
KEY STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES
(CMP Stage 4)
6.0 KEY STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES
6.1
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Avoiding the neglect and loss of historic built fabric and designed landscapes requires the
promotion of efficient use and reuse of land and buildings within the historic environment.
In order to do this the primary objectives of any management strategies and future
proposals for the Dean Castle Country Park should therefore :

Be based on a thorough understanding of the site’s most important heritage and
landscape assets.

Learn from the site and gain further knowledge of those periods and cultures about
which it contains evidence.

Protect and conserve those material assets which are of historic, scientific and
cultural significance for this and future generations and ensure that their value is
not diminished by unsympathetic alteration or new development.

Present the historic assets of the site in an integrated manner so that they can be
enjoyed, appreciated and understood within the context of Kilmarnock and the
wider Ayrshire region.

Preserve and enhance the special landscape character and ecology of the site so
that these features continue to contribute to the quality of the rural scene both in
the interests of public amenity and to support Kilmarnock’s visitor and tourist
economy.

Ensure that existing and future uses within the study area contribute to the
business case for the Country Park and the economic and cultural life of the town
in ways which do not conflict with but make best use of its historic fabric, historic
associations and landscape assets.

Be mindful of existing legislation, national planning guidance and local planning
policy.

Support the understanding, interpretation and conservation of the study site
through the sustainable and efficient use of the financial resources of the site
owners, grant aid and any finance for those purposes that could be generated
through planning agreements, disposals or income generating uses.

Supporting the understanding, interpretation and conservation of the study area
through an appropriate programme of education and outreach.

Provide for the establishment of appropriate consultation and review mechanisms.
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7.0
POLICIES
(CMP Stage 4)
7.0 CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT POLICIES
7.1
This section of the conservation area management plan sets out the steps which East
Ayrshire Council and East Ayrshire Leisure will take to deliver the strategic objectives set
out previously. It sets out [Insert text] policy guidelines. These should be read in
conjunction with key sections of the Adopted Local Plan:
Local Plan
7.2
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
ENV1 Built Heritage resources

ENV2 Natural Heritage Resources

ENV3 Sensitive Landscape Character Areas

ENV4 Retention, restoration, renovation and re-use of listed buildings,

ENV5 Demolition of listed buildings

ENV6 Scheduled Ancient Monuments and Archaeological resources

ENV7 Development and demolition within a conservation area

ENV8

ENV9 Standards of Design

ENV10 Design Statements

ENV11 Accessibility, Traffic Safety, Community Safety, Sustainability and Energy
Efficiency, contextual sensitivity, landscape setting, open space network

ENV12 Public Art

ENV13 Nature Conservation

ENV14 Precautionary principle

ENV15 Conservation of Intrinsic landscape value

ENV16 Unacceptable Visual Intrusion on landscape character

ENV17 Unacceptable Adverse Impact within Rural Area

ENV18 Preserve and Supplement existing broadleaf and native tree species

ENV19 Sensitive and Sympathetic planting proposals

ENV23 Contaminated land
Development affecting Historic Gardens and Designed Landscapes
For each of the strategic objectives there is a section which outlines the AIMS, a section of
the specific ISSUES, and then a section on DELIVERY, which identifies short (up to 12
months), medium (one to two years) and long term (up to five years) periods. The degree
to which DELIVERY is implemented is going to be dependent on resources.
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General Policies – Use and management
7.3
The historic environment is a finite and non-renewable resource. Maintaining and
enhancing the fabric of the historic environment is vital if the variety, quality and special
characteristics of this resource is to be sustained for future generations. Avoiding the
neglect and loss of built fabric and landscapes while promoting the efficient use and reuse
of land and buildings within the historic environment are the two key ways of achieving this
objective; the aim should be to ensure a continuing use that is compatible with the fabric,
setting, and character of the site.
7.4
The Dean Castle is currently in a poor condition with the Castle, in particular, suffering from
deteriorating fabric. This has affected viability of the buildings as an suitable environment
for the display of the Howard de Walden and van Raalte collections. The surrounding
designed landscape is in variable condition with entire areas lost under commercial tree
planting that is obscuring its meaning and intention. The buildings lend themselves to the
display of the collection - i.e. they already have a sustainable use - while the surrounding
designed landscape – which now serves as a Country Park – is so well utilised to the
extent that the facilities can no longer accommodate the demands placed on them and are
showing signs of age. The deteriorating condition of the building fabric and the landscape
is acting as an obstacle to a vibrant and enhanced use of both the Dean Castle and the
Country Park.
Therefore the sensitive repair of the fabric of both the Dean Castle and the Country Park
must be the first step in any conservation proposals. With care and design expertise it
should be possible to do this in a manner which retains the form, important detailing, and
historic interest of the Dean Castle and reinstates the lost elements of the designed
landscape.
Policy 1:
The principal objective should be the repair of the Dean Castle and
conservation of the Country Park so that the fabric, setting, character, and
special interest are not further eroded. This should include:
(a) An assessment of the immediate (i.e. construction phase) and longer term
impact of any proposals on the heritage value of the site and any mitigative
measures required.
(b) Consultation with stakeholders, the wider public, and appropriate statutory
authorities such as Historic Scotland.
(c) A fully detailed business appraisal assessing both the capital and long term
revenue funding issues, ensuring that the proposed use is sustainable and
can provide a sufficient revenue stream to maintain the site in good order.
(d) Assessment of and appropriate provision for financial/business risk.
7.5
The conservation of the Dean Castle and the Country Park will be an onerous undertaking
which will require significant project-specific staff resourcing and expertise if it is to be
successful. East Ayrshire Council and East Ayrshire Leisure are an appropriately
resourced and skilled owners for the Dean Castle and civic guardianship is an important
element of the site’s history.
7.6
It is recommended that East Ayrshire Council and East Ayrshire Leisure put in place
suitable qualified member(s) of staff (whether internally or externally) in order to manage
the project. Ideally these individuals should have a suitable conservation qualification and
an understanding of financial/grant funding/business plan issues.
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Policy 2:
In view of the very high heritage value of the site, all future strategies for the
site should include for a management plan which ensures that:
(a) adequate financial resources are available to conserve and thereafter
maintain both the Dean Castle and Country Park.
(b) there is adequate provision for suitable qualified and/or experienced
conservation staff within the management framework.
Understanding the Site: Further Investigation, Archaeology, and Recording
7.7
The grounds contain standing structures of local regional and national importance which
collectively represent a crucial insight into the history of the feudal, post medieval, industrial
and post industrial development of Ayrshire and the town of Kilmarnock. It is important that
as part of any future development proposals, initiatives to conserve and repair the heritage
assets within the study area and initiatives to enhance public appreciation thereof are
based on a sound understanding of all aspects of this rare and nationally significant site.
7.8
In addition to the need for such proposals to be informed by the best available knowledge,
it is clear that there is still much to reveal in terms of the history of the Dean Castle and
Country Park. In the interests of furthering academic understanding and to inform and
influence future management and development proposals it is important that further
research and archaeological investigation is pursued.
7.9
Although further excavations and investigations within the context of a research agenda
are desirable, policies must guard against the potential of poorly considered excavation
which could destroy as well as uncover material which may illuminate the past.
7.10
Archaeological remains are a crucial part of our heritage. They are evidence - for
prehistoric periods, the only evidence - of the past development of our society and culture,
and of human interaction with the natural environment, and thus help in the interpretation of
the landscape today. In many ways, there is a continuing and close relationship between
the natural and the cultural heritage, including archaeology.
7.11
At the Dean Castle Country Park, archaeological deposits may tell us more about the
earlier use of the site, particularly about the Motte to the southeast of the Dean Castle, as
well as any evidence of the earlier Scottish Renaissance landscape that disappeared as a
result of early industrialisation and the formation of Dean Quarry.
7.12
These archaeological remains are a finite and non-renewable resource, and should
therefore be regarded as a part of the environment to be protected and managed. The
primary policy objectives are that they should be preserved wherever feasible and that,
where this proves not to be possible, procedures should be in place to ensure proper
recording before destruction.
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Policy 4:
Archaeological excavations of any heritage asset must be carefully considered and
planned to accord with the wider objectives of the conservation plan and the
following principles in particular:
a. Any future archaeological investigation or excavation proposal must be based
on a research agenda which is designed to reveal a full multi-period
understanding of the site or if more limited in scope must not result in the
destruction of material that could compromise that aim.
b. The pursuit of further understanding of one period should not be at the expense
of or prejudice the understanding of other periods.
c. Invasive archaeology and excavations should be clearly related to and
undertaken as part of a comprehensive research agenda for the site.
d. If, for financial or any other reasons, an excavation cannot address the heritage
assets in its entirety, then it should be carefully phased.
e. Any total or phased excavation should have sufficient funding to allow for the
cost of the:
i.
excavation and any temporary and permanent site works such as retaining
structures.
ii.
appropriate assessment of finds.
iii. appropriate storage/ display of finds which cannot be maintained in situ.
iv. display of the material left in situ.
v.
long term maintenance of materials displayed in situ.
vi. proper recording of the excavation, finds and the final location of the
materials which are left in situ, displayed or stored off site.
vii. interpretation and publication of the excavation and its results
f.
Any excavation should be planned on the basis of the best information
about the below ground remains that can be gained through non evasive
techniques.
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Policy 5:
Any phasing of proposed conservation or new works involving excavation of
potential archaeological areas should be planned so that:
i.
they are as self contained as possible in physical terms in terms of the
elements it is designed to uncover and in terms of the research agenda it is
designed to address.
ii.
they do the least possible damage in relation to the material which is not part
of that phase. In particular the vertical section cut should follow a line of
minimum disturbance and should avoid slicing through major components.
iii.
account is taken of any temporary or permanent retaining structures that
may be necessary and of the workspace required for their construction.
iv.
the line of minimum disturbance should be capable of being varied in case
the excavation reveals elements that had not been anticipated.
In the planning of excavation strategies and phasing account should be taken of
the likely advances in technologies, which will inevitably enable future generations
to better understand the site. In particular this applies to:
i.
non invasive and non-destructive techniques, which may allow materials to
remain in situ.
ii.
improved technologies for assessing and interpreting excavated material.
Iii
Excavation strategies and phasing plans should take account of the
possibility that future generations may wish to develop different objectives or
seek to gain an understanding of the site which is not currently recognised
or held to be of major interest.
7.13
Historic sites are irreplaceable and contain information about the past that is available from
no other source. They must be treated responsibly, and the understanding that is essential
to their proper treatment can only be reached by making use of the best possible
information about them and by ensuring that future generations understand what we have
done for their conservation.
7.14
Despite extensive archival research undertaken as part of this conservation plan, much
remains poorly understood about the development of the site. Archaeological and
architectural appraisals have identified structures within the landscape at the back of the
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Dower House extending to the west that may be possible evidence of pre-19 century relict
landscape. Important questions remain about the development of the industrial landscape
as well as the Edwardian designed landscape.
7.15
A key objective of any programme of work should therefore be an appropriate level of
recording and analysis, not just of the main building but also the landscape and structures
within the park.
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Policy 6:
All individual buildings, structures and below ground archaeology identified as
having a degree of significance, which become subject to development proposals
should be surveyed and recorded in accordance with best practice as advised by
Historic Scotland, the Council’s development management team, and the Institute
of Field Archaeology.
a. The level of recording should be in proportion to the impact of the works and
the significance of the building, feature, artefact or archaeological deposit.
b. Historic buildings should be recorded following the guidance of ICOMOS UK’s
Guide to Recording Historic Buildings (1990). Archaeological evidence should
be recorded in accordance with the Institute of Field Archaeologist’s Standard
Guidance for Archaeological Evaluations, Excavations Standing Building
Recording and Building Recording (1999)
c.
Information provided by such recording should be deposited with both national
and local archives.
d. Recorded information should be held by the building and parks owner in order
to guide maintenance and repair programmes and as background information
for future reviews of the Conservation Plan.
Conservation and Repair of Historic Fabric
7.16
Historic sites are, by their very nature, of considerable age. Building materials and
components will often be in poor condition through the combined effects of age, exposure
to the elements, prolonged use, and deleterious repairs or alterations.
7.17
The condition of the Keep at Dean Castle gives cause for concern. The building is badly
affected by endemic damp and is screened of by fencing due to the risk of dangerous
masonry. The poor condition of the Keep upper floors has a severe impact on the character
of the historic property and should be repaired. The most immediate concern is that the
conditions are such that the building is no longer a suitable repository for the Howard de
Walden and vann Raalte collections.
7.18
The Palace range is in a largely structurally secure, wind and watertight, condition;
however, the area is also badly affected by endemic damp and is screened off by fencing
due to the risk of dangerous masonry.
7.19
The restoration in the first half of the 20 century employed techniques which are not
appropriate for historic buildings and in the medium to long term will require replacement;
examples include the use of cement based mortar, which traps moisture within the building
and is now resulting in endemic damp as well as accelerated erosion of stone faces at the
arises.
7.20
In addition several of the outbuildings within the Castle complex – including the kennels
and the laundry - have been re-rendered in a dense cement render, which will trap
moisture within the buildings and is already failing in areas, and the use of unsympathetic
roller shutters as a security measure on these buildings has had an adverse visual impact.
Though the outbuildings are generally in fair condition for their age, their roofs require
varying levels of attention in order to minimise further deterioration
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Policy 7:
A comprehensive conservation and repair scheme should be implemented as part
of any wider programme of works to the Dean Castle and the Country Park.
(a) The following sections of the Castle are a priority and must be addressed in
the immediate to short term:

Water ingress and timber deterioration at chimneys

Masonry repairs including indenting of stone where appropriate

Remedial works to the pointing throughout the Castle including raking
out and reinstatement in an appropriate lime based mortar

Reroofing and repair of single storey laundry and kennels

General high level maintenance/repairs and improve ventilation

Asbestos Survey

Reroofing and repair of single storey laundry and kennels
(b) As soon as practicable, and certainly within the next 5 to 10 years, remove
and replace poor quality modern repairs including impervious cement
based render coatings and external roller shutter housings to the laundry
and kennels.
(c) The repair of all historic structures on the site should follow the best
practice guidance contained within:
•
BS7913: 1998 Guide to the Principles of the Conservation of Historic
Buildings
•
BS 7913:2013 Guide to the conservation of historic buildings
•
The Technical Advice Notes published by Historic Scotland
•
Repair of Historic Buildings, Principles and Methods by C Brereton
published by English Heritage.
•
The Technical Pamphlets and Guidance Sheets published by the
Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, (SPAB)
7.21
Inappropriate over-planting of the design landscaped, as well as the replacement of
herbaceous beds within the vicinity of the Castle with topiary, has fragmented and
dissipated the visual and spatial qualities of the original design, which is in need of
restoration towards its original layout and structure in order to conserve its heritage value
and better display the Castle by recreating the originally intended views. Such a restoration
of the structure should accommodate the transition of the private gardens to a semi public
park at the start of the Edwardian period.
7.22
This can only be achieved by a planned programme of works over a number of years. An
initial phase of conifer removal and thinning and removal of mature/over-mature trees in a
dangerous condition, would bring about immediately discernible improvements to the
landscape structure and spatial quality of the site.
7.23
A secondary phase aimed at the removal /thinning of trees of least botanical importance,
which do not form part of the pre- Second World War layout, or are now so mature that
they block out intended vistas, would bring about substantial improvements and recreate
the basic structure of the originally intended layout.
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Policy 8: There is a need to conserve and restore the landscape scheme; modern alterations
have had a significant detrimental impact which in turn has an adverse impact on the
setting of the historic buildings within the site. This must have particular regard to:
 The protection and conservation of structures, planting, and other features of the
area which are of special landscape value.
 The replanting of overgrown of historic planting which have been lost due to age,
overgrowth, or inappropriate modern landscape features.
 The conservation of historic boundary walls, the vault containing the Howard de
Walden graves, embankments, paths, and drives in their historic form.
 Special consideration should be given to the restoration of the Pinetum in the study
area. The existence of the Original planting lists creates a unique opportunity for
full, species accurate, restoration and consideration should also be given to
renewal of paths, and interpretation. Management and planting of understorey
would increase the status of landscape. Removal of adjacent commercial conifers
would give the opportunity to create associated tree collections that would be
sympathetic to existing Pinetum and expand this landscape character.
 Retention and, where appropriate, recreation of key vistas within the Park
7.24
Maintenance is recognised as the best way to look after historic buildings and landscapes.
Yet in practice it is often a low priority, responsive rather than pro-active. Repair regimes
must follow best practice guidelines as inappropriate maintenance techniques or poor
workmanship can damage sensitive historic buildings and landscapes and accelerate
rather than prevent decay.
Policy 9: Any proposals for the site should include for the development of a co-ordinated 10
year maintenance plan incorporating:
 Detailed recommendations for the conservation and care of the Dean Castle,
Dower House and various outbuildings.
 A comprehensive review and update of the existing landscape management plan
for the Country Park.
 Appropriate steps to ensure that any occupiers and tenants implement similar
provision.
7.25
Conservation of a historic site will typically involve a combination of preservation,
restoration, reconstruction, and development. The development or adaptation of a building
or landscape for a new use may have an impact on the authenticity and character of a
historic site. With care and design expertise it should be possible to do this in a way which
ensures that the authenticity and legibility are not adversely affected.
7.26
Heritage assets identified as being of high significance should be afforded the very highest
level of protection from any adverse change; these should generally be conserved on an
“as found” basis, conserving and restoring historic fabric or features as required.
7.27
Heritage assets identified as being of moderate significance should be protected against
any change which could adversely affect their essential character or important features.
Some alteration to adapt to new uses may be acceptable provided these supported the
objectives of the conservation plan. Radical alteration or removal of buildings of this status
could only be justified in very exceptional circumstances.
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7.28
Heritage assets which are identified as being of little or no significance could be the subject
of substantial alteration or even replacement provided the proposals were of sufficient
townscape and design quality and supported the objectives of the conservation plan.
Buildings in this category, for example, include those ‘listed’ by association with a principal
building but not of sufficient merit to be listed in their own right.
7.29
Policy and other guidance including BS7913, SHEP, and SPP23 recognises that there may
be a case for removing historic fabric on the basis that it is required to implement a
proposal demonstrating clear and overwhelming ‘public good’ benefits that outweigh the
loss in terms of heritage. Public good benefits are not defined but generally understood to
be very wide ranging. They could, in very exceptional circumstances, for example, possibly
include benefits in relation to the understanding and public appreciation and enjoyment of
other heritage assets. Each case would have to be evaluated on its particular merits.
Policy 10: Detailed proposals for the Dean Castle, Dower House and various outbuildings
should include a further analysis and heritage impact assessment, however In general
terms the development approach should be:
(a) No significant alterations should be permitted to the Keep, Palace Range, south
east and north west elevations of the Curtain Wall, and the Gatehouse or the
general roofline and massing of the Castle buildings.
(b) The principal public apartments at ground, first and second floor levels of the
Keep and Palace Range (denoted in Red) should be conserved on an “as found”
basis, retaining and restoring historic finishes as required.
(c) Secondary spaces of interest (denoted in Pink), particularly the principal rooms in
the Dower House and the Gate House, can accommodate modest change but
remain of importance and historic wall lines, surviving finishes, etc. should
generally be retained.
(d) Areas indicated in white are of little or no interest and bolder solutions may be
appropriate.
(e) There is scope for sensitive redevelopment to the various outbuildings.
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Policy 11 Detailed proposals for the designed landscape around the Dean Castle complex
must also be based upon further analysis and heritage impact assessment,
however in general terms the development approach should be to:
(a) Minimise any new planting or structures within the key areas of the designed
landscape to the immediate south and west of the Dean Castle in order to
preserve the character of the historic spaces and ensure that key vistas to the
Castle are maintained.
(b) Where an important landscape feature has been damaged and the original
design is understood, then repair and/or substantive restoration to the original
design may be acceptable i.e. the Pinetum.
(c) Where an important landscape feature has been obscured i.e. the Motte and
the Bell Cast Pits then clearances of trees and shrubs to re-emphasise the
feature in the designed landscape may be acceptable.
(d) Where an important landscape feature has been lost, leaving a void in the
design (for example the quarry pond and trails) then rebuilding in a high
quality, contemporary style may be acceptable.
(e) Consideration should be given to managing appropriate areas of tree and
shrub planting in a manner which encourages a greater diversity of botanical
specimens and local flora and fauna.
(f) New landscape features should only be considered in conjunction with
necessary interventions and should follow the precepts of the original
Edwardian designed landscape. New landscape features should not be
introduced for their own sake.
(g) The principles of the Edwardian / Howard de Walden design should be
embodied in a landscape restoration masterplan which should become a key
management and maintenance reference document (refer to Figures 6.1 and
6.2 for diagrams illustrating a hypothetical reinstatement of the Howard de
st
Walden Landscape scheme adapted to the 21 Century Country Park
boundaries and condition).
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Figure 7-1: Dean Castle Country Park – hypothetical reinstatement of the Howard de Walden Landscape scheme adapted to
st
the 21 Century Country Park boundaries and condition. Baseline mapping data reproduced by permission of Ordnance
Figure 7-2: Dean Castle Country Park – hypothetical reinstatement of the Howard de Walden Landscape scheme adapted to
st
the 21 Century Country Park boundaries and condition. Baseline mapping data reproduced by permission of Ordnance
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CMP Policy 12 The design and construction of any new structures, alterations to historic
buildings or landscaping would involve reconciling the new to the old so that the
significance of the old is preserved and enhanced, not diminished.
(a) Any new building or extensions should be limited to development which would
support the re-use of existing structures or benefit the conservation and
appreciation of the site as a whole or otherwise support the policies and objectives
of the conservation plan.
(b) New buildings should not be erected to accommodate uses which could be
housed to optimum effect within vacant historic buildings or structures important to
the character of the park.
(c) Any alteration or adaptation of existing buildings and structures must be
necessary for their re-use, represent good stewardship and support the
conservation of the site as a whole.
(d) All alterations, extensions and new structures should be well designed, of a quality
at least commensurate with the historic buildings and the character of the site.
(e) Physical proposals for existing buildings should be informed by the inherent
character, form and special qualities of the building.
(f) New work to existing buildings should not imitate original work so closely that new
and old become confused. Substantial alterations and insertions might have a
strong character of their own while minor works should not draw attention to
themselves.
(g) New buildings, additions or alterations should be “of their time” and should not be
capable of confusion with the original. They should complement rather than
parody existing buildings.
(h) New utilities, mechanical and electrical services should be planned to minimise
their impact and to avoid damage to any building fabric, features, artefacts,
historic services or below ground archaeology of significance.
(i) The design of major new structures should involve wide ranging consultation with
the Council’s development management team, Historic Scotland, WOSAS,
specialist amenity groups and the local community.
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CMP Policy 13: All buildings, artefacts, features and areas, if these are to be subject to change,
must be assessed and evaluated and recorded before design decisions for future
proposals are made.
(a) A detailed record must be made of any part of the site which would be irreversibly
altered, lost or demolished prior to the work taking place.
(b) ‘As built’ records should be made following any works of alteration and held in
safe keeping by the owner for future reference.
As a minimum such records should be broadly equivalent to an English
Heritage/RCAHME level 2 survey as set out in Recording Historic Buildings, A
Descriptive Specification (RCHME Third Edition, 1996).
7.30
East Ayrshire Council have consistently provided good interpretative material with regards
to the history of the buildings and collections across the site; however, the work involved in
this study has revealed a landscape that is clearly much more complex than perhaps had
previously been understood and it would therefore benefit from greater interpretation.
The Dean Castle Country Park offers tangible and substantive evidence for the impact of
political, social and industrial history on Kilmarnock and the surrounding area of Ayrshire in
the form of feudalism of the Medieval era, the politics associated with Royalty and Nobility
of the post Medieval era, the disruption of the Civil Wars and the subsequent Restoration,
the struggle for power between the Hanoverian Government and the Jacobite rebellion, the
impact of early industrialisation on the landscape, the rise of the Edwardian super-rich and
the parallel re-assertion of the rights of the Kilmarnock public to access the grounds of the
Castle as part of the amenity of the town.
The study area is a visitor destination and contains facilities that are of key importance to
Kilmarnock’s tourist economy. These include both the Dean Castle and surrounding design
landscape and visitor facilities such as the petting zoo. There is much about the area which
is successful and an asset to the town. As a result of the decay of fabric not all of these
facilities; however, are currently operating at their full potential in attracting visitors or in
providing physical access or opportunities for enjoyment, understanding and appreciation.
This project offers an unsurpassed opportunity to include for an appropriate programme of
presentation.
7.31
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A key objective of the project should therefore be to present the historic assets of the site in
an integrated manner so that they can be popularly enjoyed, appreciated and understood
within the context of the park and the wider town of Kilmarnock. The linkages, in terms of
pedestrian movement, signage and interpretation between the various elements could be
much enhanced.
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CMP Policy 14: The general public should be enabled and encouraged to appreciate the
history of the area and its cultural values.
(a)
Intellectual access should be facilitated by the production of general guide books
and research publications taking account of the latest research.
(b)
The historical importance of the site should be used as a resource for
educational projects and suitable information should be prepared. The pinetum
and former industrial landscape may offer science opportunities.
(c)
The knowledge and enthusiasm of people with special knowledge or interest in
the site and associated topics should be utilised as a resource.
(d)
Advantage should be taken of the potential linkages between various heritage
and tourist assets within the town and across East Ayrshire as a whole.
(e)
Advantage should be taken of opportunities to allow controlled and guided public
access to archaeological investigations and restoration work.
Access to the heritage assets within the study area should be considerably improved
within the context of a strategy for enhanced interpretation.
(f)
Pedestrian circuits within the country park should be improved and linked with
signage and interpretation.
(g). Provisions for disabled people (including blind, partly sighted and those with
ambulant difficulties) must be considered in the planning of access and
pedestrian facilities in accordance with developing statutory requirements
(h)
7.32
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The Castle and the designed landscape should be the subject of a
comprehensive display and interpretation strategy, linked with and periodically
reviewed in relation to archaeological investigation and research. On site
interpretive material should:
i.
enable visitors to understand the form and purpose of each heritage asset
and their component parts, how they were used and what they reveal about
their period.
ii.
place each heritage asset within the chronological development of the site as
a whole so that sequential changes can be understood, enabling extant
features to be understood in relation to other features that have now been
lost or are not visible.
The Dean Castle Country Park currently has no status as a designed landscape both in
terms of East Ayrshire’s current local plan (2010) - where it is only noted as being part of
the Settlement Protection Area under Policy RES 9 – and in terms of Historic Scotland’s
Inventory of Designed Landscapes. In light of the extensive research now undertaken, we
would respectfully submit that this undervalues the importance of the site:

Though concealed by later commercial planting and screening from surrounding
th
suburban estates it is potential a regionally important early- to mid 20 century design
landscape, which appears to have sophisticated relationship to the inclusion of
medieval and industrial landscape features.

The Kilmarnock Estate was clearly regarded as a key part of Kilmarnock’s amenity by
members of the public leading to a serious showdown when Lord Howard de Walden,
as landowner, tried to obstruct access to the estate in 1908. However it was resolved,
the dispute resulted in the creation of a public amenity, in the form of the Quarry trails,
radically different from any of the other Victorian era parks and open spaces within
Kilmarnock.
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
The relationship between the Dower House and the Howard de Walden Graves
resulted in a spatially sophisticated sequence of spaces that ascend from Dower
House, up along a terrace with herbaceous and topiary planting as well as a pausing
space, through the Pinetum up to the vault containing the graves and culminating at
the statue of the Blue Angel whose provenance has still to be determined.

The planting of the Pinetum itself was informed by the botanist and dendrologist Albert
Bruce Jackson – one of the leading authorities on the subject. Furthermore, the
Howard de Walden’s social milieu included Norah Lindsay, one of the key figures in
garden design and planting in the inter war years and a close friend of Lady Howard
de Walden for more than 40 years.

th
The early to mid 20 Century restoration of the Castle within its Edwardian / Howard
de Walden design landscape, and the story behind the motivation for doing so, is of
equal interest to other better known Castle restorations from that period i.e. the
reconstruction of Eilean Donan Castle or the transformation of Lindisfarne Castle.
CMP Policy 15:The Dean Castle Country Park is one of the most important historical sites in
Ayrshire and is of regional importance. Historic Scotland should be approached with
a view to its inclusion within Inventory of Designed Landscapes and East Ayrshire
Council should consider its designation as a Conservation area.
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8.0
IMPLEMENTATION
(CMP Stage 5)
8.0 IMPLEMENTATION, MONITORING & REVIEW
8.1
This Conservation Management Plan forms just the first stage in the development of
proposals for the repair, and re-use of this important historic site. At the present there is
much of potential importance about the site which requires further investigation and will
only become known as the project develops. It is therefore important that the Conservation
Management Plan is regularly reviewed and revised as more becomes known about the
site, and at key stages in the design project.
8.2
It is also important that the views of stakeholders such as the local community and
statutory authorities are taken fully into account in the Plan. Appropriate mechanisms must
be put in place to ensure that such consultation takes place and the results fed back into
the plan. It is recommended that the Council form a small consultative working group
comprising a range of stakeholders, who can provide wider feedback as the project
develops.
8.3
The natural landscape evolves and changes more rapidly than buildings so there is a need
for frequent, regular review of the Conservation Management Plan to ensure it identifies
and reflects any changes. We therefore recommend five yearly reviews in conjunction with
two and a half year (or more frequent) reappraisals and health checks.
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9.0
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND CONTACTS
9.0 BIBLIOGRAPHY AND USEFUL CONTACTS
General References
McKay, A. (1858) The History of Kilmarnock 2nd Edition
Paterson, J. (1863) History of the counties of Ayr and Wigton, vol 3 pt 2
Adams, A. (1875) Rambles Round Kilmarnock with an introductory sketch of the town
Ludovici, A. 1947 Rodin as I knew him, published in the Listener no.37 pp. 97-98
Savage, P. (1980) Lorimer and the Edinburgh Craft Designers, Harris (1 April 1980)
ISBN-10: 0904505391
th
The Independent (15 July 1999) Lord Howard de Walden and Seaford obituary
Hayward, A. (2007) Norah Lindsay: The Life and Art of a Garden Designer. Frances
Lincoln (25 Oct 2007) ISBN-10: 0711225249
Peter McGowan Associates (2009) Ayrshire Designed Landscapes Survey
Preston, P. (2010) The Doves of War: Four Women of the Spanish Civil War.
HarperCollins; New Ed edition (9 April 2010) ISBN-10: 0006386946
Seymour, T. (2012) My Grandfather A Modern Medievalist, The Life of the 8th Lord
Howard de Walden
Nicolas Boyes Stone Conservation Ltd, Masonry Condition Assessment and Remedial
Works Proposal December 2013
Scottish Lime Centre Trust, Stone Analysis and Match Report
Scottish Lime Centre Trust, Report on Mortar Analysis BS44555-2005+A1-2010+A2-2013
Legislation and Statutory Instruments
Planning (Listed Buildings & Conservation Areas)(Scotland) Act 1997 as amended by the
Historic Environment (Amendment) Scotland Act 2011.
The Historic Buildings and Ancient Monuments Act 1953 as amended by the Historic
Environment (Amendment) Scotland Act 2011.
The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended by the Historic
Environment (Amendment) Scotland Act 2011.
Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Scotland) Order 1992, and
subsequent amendments.
Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981
Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004.
Policy Context
Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) February 2010
Scottish Historic Environment Policy (SHEP) July 2009.
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Planning Advice Note 71: Conservation Area Management
Planning Advice Note 2/2011: Planning and Archaeology
Adopted East Ayrshire Local Plan 2010
Emerging East Ayrshire Local Development Plan Main Issues Report October 2012
Conservation
East Ayrshire Council (planning policies and guidance): www.east-ayrshire.gov.uk/
Historic Scotland (Extensive guidance/advice available on the repair and maintenance of
the historic built environment including INFORM Guides and Managing Change in the
Historic Environment Guidance Notes): www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/
Scottish Civic Trust (Buildings at Risk Register): www.buildingsatrisk.org.uk/
Royal Commission on the Ancient & Historical Monuments of Scotland
[RCAHMS](photographs, books, plans, historic land use etc.): www.rcahms.gov.uk/
Maps and details of listed buildings, scheduled monuments, designed landscapes,
RCAHMS records, and Sites & Monuments or Historic Environment Records:
www.pastmap.org.uk/
National Library of Scotland (maps, books): www.nls.uk/
National Archives of Scotland (documents, manuscripts, plans): www.nas.gov.uk/
SCRAN (photographs, maps): www.scran.ac.uk/
Statistical Accounts of Scotland: www.edina.ac.uk/stat-acc-scot/
West of Scotland Archaeological Service (including map search and database search
facilities for the NPA area): www.wosas.net
West of Scotland Archaeological Service advice for developers:
www.wosas.net/information.html
Contacts
Anneke Freel
Team Leader - Countryside Development
East Ayrshire Leisure
Dean Road
Kilmarnock
KA3 1XB
t. 01563 554748
w. eastayrshireleisure.com
Jason Sutcliffe
Team Leader - Collection Care
East Ayrshire Leisure
The Dick Institute
Elmbank Avenue
Kilmarnock
KA1 3BU
t. 01563 554345
w. eastayrshireleisure.com
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Appendix 1
Appendix 2

dean castle country park: conservation

Transcription

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