Floors Castle was designed by William Adam in 1721 for the 1st Duke of Roxburghe and substantially remodelled by William Playfair in the 1840s, who added the distinctive roofline of towers and cupolas that makes it one of the most recognisable buildings in Scotland. The castle is still the family home of the Duke of Roxburghe and contains one of the finest private art collections in Britain — including works by Matisse, Picasso and Cézanne.

🏰 William Adam's Original Design (1721)

Floors Castle was designed in 1721 by William Adam — father of the more famous Robert Adam — for John Ker, the 1st Duke of Roxburghe. The original building was a relatively plain baroque mansion of seven bays. It replaced an older tower house that had stood on the site since the early 17th century. The duke chose the spectacular site overlooking the River Tweed and the English border to demonstrate the power and prosperity of his family following the Act of Union of 1707.

🎨 The Playfair Transformation (1838–1847)

The castle was dramatically transformed between 1838 and 1847 by architect William Playfair, who added the extraordinary roofline of towers, turrets and lead-topped cupolas that gives Floors its unmistakable silhouette. Playfair doubled the size of the building, added the great reception rooms and the library, and created the ensemble of pinnacles and pointed roofs that make the castle look — from across the Tweed — like a scene from a fairy tale. The result is one of the finest examples of Scottish Baronial architecture in existence.

🎥 Cinema Fame

Floors Castle was used as a filming location for the 1985 film Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, standing in as the ancestral home of Lord Greystoke. The exteriors were extensively filmed and the castle's extraordinary roofline was perfectly suited to the Victorian grandeur required by the production.

🖼️ The State Rooms & Art Collection

The state rooms at Floors contain one of the outstanding private art collections in Britain. Works by Matisse, Picasso, Cézanne, Bonnard and Renoir hang alongside tapestries, period furniture and Chinese ceramics. The collection was largely assembled by the 8th Duchess of Roxburghe in the early 20th century and represents an extraordinary concentration of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art in a Scottish country house setting.

🌼 Walled Garden & River Tweed

The walled garden at Floors is one of the largest in Scotland, with extensive herbaceous borders, vegetable gardens and a garden centre. The castle grounds also offer spectacular views over the River Tweed to the English border, with the ruins of Roxburgh Castle visible on the far bank — the original seat of the Scottish royal court in the 12th century.