Ferniehirst Castle

A kick in the knickers from Jedburgh, Ferniehirst Castle is a hidden gem nestled in the borders.

Ferniehirst is a curious name and unpicked means ferns on a hirst which is a barron hillock or a rocky summit of a hill. Sitting in a prime position between Edinburgh, Otterburn and Newcastle, it was a key location for invasion and marauding, when a kick in the knickers was the least you got as a Laird!

Historic home to the Kerr Clan, the Kerr Marquises of Lothian and Earls of Ancrum still own the castle and Monteviot House.

Rather awkwardly upon arrival and having paid the entry fee and being quite enthusiastic about the imminent tour, the lady behind the desk asked me in her Scottish accent what my ears heard as “Are you a CARER?”. Rather embarrassed, I said “Oh no, my husband doesn't have a disability” and then realised she was asking if I was a Kerr!!

We were accompanied by some very interested American tourists who were descendants of the Kerrs who'd travelled all the way from Newcastle in Colorado, a bit further than us then. It was nice to see them get so much out of the visit and enjoy each and every drop of history.

Ferniehirst Castle sits high above Jed Water and a few years before our visit, back in 1470, was the first home of newlywed cousins, Thomas of Smailhome, Andrew Kerr's third son and Margaret Kerr of Kersheugh who built a tower here. A year later they had a baby known as Dand who was a feisty left-handed or corry-fisted fighter at an early age, who the English believed rode with the devil at his side! He encouraged his followers to fight left-handed and built a lefties staircase in the tower which was advantageous should the tower be raided by righties.

We were the only English people on the tour and tried to look placatory and non-confrontational throughout, however, Steve is left-handed, so if things had taken a turn, he'd have been up them stairs in a shot!

The first thing we clocked was the cool corbie stepped gable ends of the old bastle house which in the 17th century was transformed into a private chapel for the Kerrs and is now the informative visitor centre.

We loved the unusual cobbles around the doors known as 'The Eggs of Creation' which apparently symbolise new beginnings, and the quaint buckle quoins at the corners of the building, worth a closer look. Such detail in the decoration.

We were met by our convivial Kerr Clan guide and expert Bob, who buoyantly brought the centuries to life with his absorbing facts and banter. I usually prefer to peruse my historical properties on me todd, but Bob, having been the curator at Ferniehirst Castle for many years knew the breadth of the building and all of the voices who'd filled it over time. He articulated who was married to who, who had beef with who and who slew who! It was fascinating.

Inside the panelled staircase, we found out that the current lady of the house, Lady Marie-Claire, is an artist who enjoys portraiture and landscape. Some of her paintings can be seen on display around the house.

Inside a small chamber at the top of the staircase, the previous Marchioness of Lothian, in 1987 commissioned panels to depict specific historical enactments reflecting border conflicts. Sadly, they were never completed. Scottish artist and friend to the Marchioness, David Wilkinson met with a terrible accident in which he lost his life when returning home to Edinburgh after working on the friezes. The mock corbels below hold tiny portraits of each of the craftsmen who helped with the restoration of Ferniehirst Castle.

Every panel, cornice and chunk of stone tells a story of the history and heritage of Ferniehirst Castle. As we gathered in the Long Room, archaic portraits glowered at us whispering stories from behind oil stokes and gilt frames. For me, the most memorable was the wedding portrait of Robert Kerr and his wife Christine Hamilton.

If you look closely, you will see she is cradling a small squirrel, a symbol of preparation. The logic was that once baby Kerr came along, the squirrel would be overpainted by the bouncing new baby. Sadly, they were never to conceive, and Christine was saddled with the squirrel while Robert was the last in the male line of Kerrs and he died in 1692.

We liked the look of and the name of the joggle-lintelled chimneypiece. Zoom in and you'll see the way the stone interlocks like a jigsaw. And check out the delicate little stone carvings with quatrefoil paterae, triquetra, and fleur de lys. It must be a hefty old fire when it's ablaze. We learned that at an earlier point in time, the fireplace had been used as a larder.

Look at the external dimensions of the massive stepped chimney stack. Room for Santa and all his family.

My favourite castle hidey-hole was the library. This beautifully bijoux book nook held a spiral of spines and pages gathered together over the years, in concentric circles of stories and facts. It was only a little over 7ft wide. Amidst the greatness of the space, I'd spend all my hours in here.

Fascinatingly, the 11th Marquess of Lothian, a complex character who was in favour of the appeasement of Germany, encouraged the move away from celebrating historic properties with a view of utilising them for more social purposes such as for education or religion. He believed country houses were an anachronism and was a leading force in the National Trust Act in 1937 which paved the way for the takeover of many country houses for the greater good of the public after the Second World War. In 1935, aside from a short spell as a billet for soldiers in WWII, he turned over Ferniehirst Castle to the Scottish Youth Hostel Association; a bit of a fancy pants place to stay in a sleeping bag!

Succeeded by his cousin and 12th Marquess of Lothian, the castle was scooped up once again in 1984 when the Youth Hostel was closed and brought back into habitation as a castle once again, largely shaped by his wife, Lady Antonella to the standard we see today.

Not a huge country pile, but Ferniehirst Castle is filled with symbolism and quirk. It is only inhabited for part of the year by the Kerrs who live on a more full-time basis in Melbourne Hall in Derbyshire but spend Christmases at the castle. We loved the decorative pistol holes, of which there were many, with their curious shapes and trims; keyhole, quatrefoil and rayonée sunshine circles.

In reading about it, I learned the term the piano nobile, which just means the first floor. I loved the castle's principal staircase which was housed under a Hansel and Gretel style conical roofed semicircular turret. Look at the way the base mirrors the roof. As with lots of stonework, I had to have a little feel. It was beautiful.

The front door was an event too. We admired the elaborate surround and the ogee pediment with the small dog tooth carvings similar to the fireplace. Above were three heraldic panels which commemorate Kerr's past. One is dated 1598! We just have a door number on slate! And look at the back gate to rival all back gates from the 1620s.

We had a little perambulation around the whole building but were followed by a sinister cordless mower who seemed to be ushering us to go. I loved the contrast of old and new on the same hirst. It was mowing the hirst. And then it all slotted into place. You could see at once what it meant, bobbling along between the ferns on the hirst!

You can stay here in the lap of luxury, emulating a Scottish Laird and can hire the whole shebang, or if the smaller scale is your thing, you can hire the Bothy instead.

The castle is only open to visitors during July each year.

We rounded the corner to find the Americans Face-timing their family back in Colorado. We said our goodbyes and they called after “You'll have to y'all come and stay in Newcastle!”. As we drove down the avenue of trees, waving, we discussed the fact that they'd not left an address.