Journeying from Ayr, a ruined castle on the seashore is seen as you approach Glenside Station, and that is the original defensive home of the Kennedys. Domestic life in Ayrshire in those wild times ...

Remains of an 18th Century garden have been found at Culzean Castle during excavation works to install a new drainage system. Archaeologists working for the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) found ...

The garden is thought to have been built on the east side of the castle by Sir John Kennedy of Culzean, second Baronet, in 1733. It appears on a map of the castle, drawn in 1755, which records ...

The castle was rebuilt in the late 18th century for Ayrshire’s Kennedy clan and during the following century the 1st Marquis of Alisa undertook the planting of five million trees, creating the ...

Culzean Castle viewed from the Fountain Garden. The revamp includes the creation of new orchards, a nuttery and a brewing garden. Photograph: NTS/David Robertson ...

Culzean Castle was the country’s best hidden gem, according to Francesca who described it as a “must-see for architecture fanatics and historians alike”. She added: “Built in the 16th ...