On a damp Saturday in August I drove through to Kilmarnock to visit Deans Castle. It is situated in Deans Country Park. The castle was used in season 2 in episode 8 – “The Fox’s Lair”.
Dean Castle, home and stronghold of the Boyd family for over 400 years, is open all year round to visitors and is one of Ayrshire’s greatest free attractions. The Keep, dating to around 1350, and the Palace or Place, built about 100 years later, house outstanding displays of historic weaponry, armour, plus medieval tapestries and more.
The restored 15th century Palace was spectacularly restored from ruins by the 8th Lord Howard de Walden in the 1930s in keeping with the interior design of the 16th and 17th centuries and even re-using original 17th century fixtures and fittings taken from Balfour House, Fife. It is clear why Dean Castle has been regarded as one of the finest restored medieval castles in Scotland.
The 8th Lord Howard de Walden inherited Dean Castle in 1901. He was a man of many interests and during his life he built up one of the country’s finest collections of arms and armour which are now housed within Dean Castle, alongside his father-in-law’s collection of rare and important early musical instruments.
With permanent displays, changing exhibitions and regular events, from live music to medieval mayhem, Dean Castle has something for everyone. Source – Deans Castle