With eight reception rooms, ten bedrooms, three independent cottages, and 34 acres of land, Earlshall Castle near St Andrews, Fife, offers plenty of living space.
Built by Sir William Bruce in 1546, this opulent Scottish residence dates back to the 16th century and is associated with several royal families. James VI of Scotland, who later became James I of England, is said to have visited in 1561, after Mary Queen of Scots. The monarchs who would have rode from Falkland Palace had hunting possibilities on the castle and its gardens.
The eerie past
Buying this opulent residence might not be for the timid, though, as there are rumors of ghosts in the castle. Sir Andrew ‘the Bloody Bruce’, the infamous Baron of Earlshall, earned his moniker by amputating Covenanter Richard Cameron’s hands and skull after a battle. Even now, many claim to be able to hear his footsteps on Earlshall’s spiral staircase!
