Myres Castle is a Scottish castle situated in

Fife Fife ( , ; ; ) is a council areas of Scotland, council area and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in Scotland. A peninsula, it is bordered by the Firth of Tay to the north, the North Sea to the east, the Firth of Forth to the s ...

near the village of

Auchtermuchty Auchtermuchty ( ; , 'upland of the pigs/boar') is a town in Fife, Scotland. It is beside Pitlour Hill and north of Glenrothes. History Until 1975 Auchtermuchty was a royal burgh, established under charter of James V of Scotland, King Jame ...

. Its history is interleaved with that of nearby Falkland Palace with present-day castle construction dating to 1530. The castle and magnificent Scottish garden are now operated as a private conference centre with lodging.

Name derivation and early history

Its history is intertwined with the nearby Falkland Palace, since Myres was the hereditary home of the Macers, or Sergeants of Arms, of Falkland. The word "myres" is associated with a boggy place; in fact, Myres Castle is located within fields and policies with marginal drainage. Further drainage improvements to the fields were made as late as the 1970s. There exists an attractive pond in front of the Castle, which also serves to collect runoff. The lands of the present Myres estate originally were part of the extensive properties of the Earl of Fife, the Myres portion being conveyed by marriage to Robert, Duke of Albany. In the year 1425, Murdoch, the son of Robert, forfeited the holding to the crown. From that time until the 16th century, the tenant farmers' rents were recorded in the rolls of the Royal Exchequer, indicating continued ownership by the king. The first recorded tenant of the south quarter of Auchtermuchty, known as "the myres", was Robert Coxwell who resided at the Scottish Royal Court.

Architectural history from 1530

The castle itself originated circa 1530 as a Z-plan fortress, perhaps designed by its owner John Scrimgeour, and has an

ochre Ochre ( ; , ), iron ochre, or ocher in American English, is a natural clay earth pigment, a mixture of ferric oxide and varying amounts of clay and sand. It ranges in colour from yellow to deep orange or brown. It is also the name of the colou ...

harled exterior with some exposed grey

ashlar Ashlar () is a cut and dressed rock (geology), stone, worked using a chisel to achieve a specific form, typically rectangular in shape. The term can also refer to a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, a ...

stonework on its square tower added in 1616. The tower is adorned with garland stonework, heraldic relief with carved initials and a parapet. The basement course appears to be an older, possibly 14th-century piece, due to its Romanesque barrel-vaulted construction, and clear architecture of a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

kitchen. Further modifications took place in the 17th and 18th centuries. For example, the north wing was added c. 1700, and the west wing c. 1822. In 1872 the building was repaired and slightly remodelled. Scots Baronial touches were added by James Campbell Walker. At the property entrance there is a detached Victorian stone

gatehouse A gatehouse is a type of fortified gateway, an entry control point building, enclosing or accompanying a gateway for a town, religious house, castle, manor house, or other fortification building of importance. Gatehouses are typically the most ...

, described in 2022 as containing a "bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, sitting room". Another building was a Courtyard Cottage with "3 bedrooms, sitting room, kitchen, shower room, WC". The grounds included a Vatican walled garden, a vegetable garden, greenhouse, maze, pond, tennis court and helicopter pad.

20th century events

Myres is set amongst of gardens, farmlands and policies. The Fairlie family has been associated with Myres for some time. There are Fairlie memorabilia at Myres including shooting diaries as far back as 1903. A recording is noted in the year 1915 that James Ogilvy Reginald Fairlie, Chamberlain to His Majesty, resident of Myres was killed in action in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. His brother was the distinguished Scot architect Reginald Fairlie. David Fairlie owned the castle in the 1960s and completed some alterations. It was sold in 1999 and the new owner completed "a major refurbishment project ... adding 10 bathrooms, complete rewiring, plumbing and heating system". In August 2022, the property was listed for sale. At the time, it was being used as a private home and as a venue that could be rented.

Bibliography

* Nigel Tranter, '' History of the Fortified House in Scotland'', Five Volumes (1962-1971) * ''The Catholic Who's Who and Yearbook 1916'', and Burns and Oates

References

{{coord, 56.28446, N, 3.22759, W, region:GB_source:enwiki-osgb36(NO241109), display=title Buildings and structures completed in 1530 Castles in Fife Category B listed buildings in Fife Listed castles in Scotland Country houses in Fife Romanesque architecture in Scotland 1530 establishments in Scotland