Dean Castle

From their humble beginnings, the Boyds, in the space of only a few generations, would be made Knights, Lords and ultimately hold the Regency of Scotland, only to lose their grip on power under accusations of treason before rising again to become the Earls of Kilmarnock.

Their story is one of battles, plots, feuds, kings and politics and includes many figures of historical note – from William Wallace and Robert the Bruce to Mary Queen of Scots and Bonnie Prince Charlie and you will find out more about their story as you wander in and around the Castle.

After the defeat and execution of William Wallace in 1305, Sir Robert Boyd became one of the first supporters of Robert the Bruce. He distinguished himself at the Battle of Bannockburn in directing the right wing of the Scots army. Bruce rewarded Boyd with lands in West Kilbride (Portencross) and Kilmarnock. These lands were probably confiscated from the Balliol family, from whom Bruce took power.

A fire destroyed the Keep and Palace in 1735 (which started in the Palace kitchen) and it remained in ruins until Thomas Evelyn Scott Ellis, the 8^th Lord Howard de Walden, inherited the castle from his grandmother in 1899 and began the restoration. The restoration to the Keep was completed in around 1908 with the Palace being completed in 1930. 

Tommy, as he was affectionately known, attended Eton before being accepted into the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst and was on active duty during the 2^nd Boer War and WW1.

He had a keen interest in music, art, horse racing (as an owner and breeder) and fencing, which he pursed to an international level and was a reserve for the Olympic team in 1908. It is not surprising that this passion led him on to collecting one of the country’s finest collection of weapons, arms and amour.

The 8th Lord Howard de Walden and his wife, Margherita van Raalte, spent a lot of time at their Scottish retreat and actually chose to be buried in the grounds. He died in 1946 and was succeeded by his son, the Right Honourable John Osmaeil Scott Ellis, who became the 9^th Lord Howard de Walden The 9^th Lord spent most of his youth at the Dean Castle and from that time onwards, took a great interest in the prosperity of Kilmarnock and its people. In 1974, he gifted the Castle and its contents to the town of Kilmarnock along with 40 acres of ground.

The Dean Castle Keep houses East Ayrshire’s collection arms and armour, the majority of which belonged to the 8^th Lord Howard De Walden. He was a keen medievalist and enthusiast of knighthood and chivalry. He built his collection with assistance from notable sculptor and armourer Felix Joubert, and brought them to Kilmarnock for display in the newly restored Castle. The majority of the collection are 15^th and 16^th century European creations and several key objects that have origins in East Asia and the Indian sub-continent.
The 8^th Lord Howard de Walden also collected the 16^th century tapestries that now hang in the Keep. Tapestry is one of the oldest forms of woven textile art using wool or fabric and traditionally woven by hand on a loom y skilled artisans. These tapestries were produced in Brussels, one of the major production centres at the time.
Charles van Raalte collected the musical instrument collection displayed in the Palace. His daughter, Margherita, married the 8^th Lord Howard de Walden and after her father’s death, she brought many of the most historically important pieces to the Castle.
The collection includes many interesting and unusual instruments  - miniature viols, early ivory recorders, flutes, harps and drums.
For certain types of instruments, this is one of the most important collections in the world! In particular, there are examples from the lute family which date from as early as 1570 that are products of the most famous instrument makers of their time. For their quality and significance, East Ayrshire’s historical musical instrument collection is recognised as a nationally significant collection by Museum Galleries Scotland.

You can search futureumusem.co.uk to find out more about the collections 

The Castle closed to the public in 2018 for a major renovation and restoration project.

East Ayrshire Council, supported by East Ayrshire Leisure, was awarded £1.5m from The National Lottery Heritage Fund towards the restoration and modernisation of the castle. The project had a total cost of £5.2m, with funding of £500k also secured from Historic Environment Scotland, and the remainder coming from East Ayrshire Council. The project involved the refurbishment of the Keep, Palace, Gatehouse, Courtyard and Laundry buildings as well as returning the collections for a redisplay and new interpretation for visitors.

Water ingress over the years had caused damage to the Castle, which in turn meant that the environment was becoming unsuitable to house collections. Major repairs were required to the stonework of the castle, which included picking out the cement mortar and replacing this with lime mortar to stop moisture being trapped. Much of this painstaking process had to be carried out by hand and was regularly inspected by the Lime Mortar Association and Historic Scotland.

The result is a sensitive and beautiful restoration, which means that the castle and its collections can be enjoyed for many generations to come. Some images of the restoration can be viewed in the short video below.

The Evaluation Report for the Project can be viewed here