Tlic Country Gcntlcinmis Ulaga.zinc 



229 



Uhc ^anbcl) Proprietors of ©reat Britain. 



No. I.— THE DUKE OF ROXBURGHE. 



IN Scotland there is hardly any baronial 

 residence that can surpass in beauty of 

 situation and magnificence of architecture 

 the Duke of Roxburghe's Castle of Floors, 

 near Kelso. Situated on the banks of a noble 

 and classic river, overlooking one of the most 

 highly cultivated straths in Scotland, and 

 within sight of the English border, its sur- 

 roundings conjoin the rich fertility of England 

 with the romantic beauty of the mountainous 

 Caledonia. Apart from its agricultural im- 

 portance, the district is attractive because of 

 its old associations. It was the battle-field 

 in the old Border wars ; in its neighbourhood 

 was situated one of the first four burghs of 

 Scotland ; it was the cherished possession of 

 comfortable old abbots ; and the castle of 

 Roxburgh was a favourite royal residence. 

 Last year our gracious Sovereign honoured 

 the Duke and Duchess of Roxburghe with a 

 ^■isit, and a brief descriptio* of the noble 

 edifice, which for three days gave hospitality 

 to Queen Victoria, may not be unacceptable 

 to our readers. 



It was about the middle of the 1 7 th century 

 that Robert Ker, the first Earl of Roxburghe, 

 transferred the family residence from Cessford 

 Castle to the neighbourhood of Kelso, where 

 the amenity was greater, and where the 

 windows of his mansion could overlook the 

 fertile lands acquired from the churchmen by 

 successive royal gifts. The site for a resi- 

 dence was chosen with admirable taste, and 

 the subsequent arrangements have been 

 planned and executed so skilfully, that, as 

 Sir Walter Scott says, "The modern mansion 

 of Floors, with its terrace, its woods, and its 

 extensive lawn, form altogether a kingdom for 

 Oberon or Titania to dwell in, or any spirit 



who, before their time, might love scenery, of 

 which the majesty and even the beauty im.- 

 press the mind with a sense of awe mingled 

 with pleasure." In its present form the man- 

 sion was built in 17 18 by John, the fifth earl, 

 created the first Duke of Roxburghe in 1707, 

 one of the most accomplished men of his 

 time, a public-spirited nobleman, and a strong 

 supporter of the union with England. The 

 designs were furnished by Sir John Vanburgh, 

 and the ideas of mediaeval grandeur are finely 

 blended with those of modern taste. Thirty 

 years ago it was enlarged and improved under 

 the direction of Mr Playfair of Edinburgh, 

 and it now forms one of the most admired 

 specimens of the Tudor style of architecture 

 to be found anywhere in Scotland. 



To the traveller approaching Kelso by rail- 

 way, or viewed from a variety of points south 

 of the Tweed, Floors Castle has all the ap- 

 pearance of a royal residence. On the north 

 side of the Tweed is an expanse of rich 

 natural grass, upward from which rise a suc- 

 cession of terraces, and on the apex of the 

 highest, flanked with woods on either hand, as 

 well as sheltered behind, is the castle, a thing 

 of architectural beauty, skilfully adapted byart 

 to fit in with the natural beauties of the situa- 

 tion. To the northward there is a gradual 

 ascent, broken by undulating hills, one of 

 which is capped by Hume Castle, and an- 

 other by Smailholm Tower, and in the distant 

 north the horizon is bounded by the blue 

 ridge of the lofty Lammermuirs. From the 

 castle itself, the prospect to the southward is 

 unsurpassed for richness and beauty. In the 

 lawn near the river-side an old tree marks 

 the spot where King James II. was killed by 

 the bursting of his own cannon ; and across 



