The Tale of Two Castles

of an outrageous world. For centuries the feuding Gardynes slept safe

within the bulwark of Gardyne Castle in Angus. Meanwhile, to the south,

a rocky outcrop on the Fife coast awaited the advent of two Cambridge

scholars.

WHEN Mr Rhodes and Mr Thomas, both in the business of repairing

musical instruments, were seeking new premises, Mr Rhodes happened to

climb a beech tree and discovered the perfect site. An outcrop of rock

standing above wooded slopes rising steeply from the Forth estuary at

Aberdour formed the basis of their project, which several years later

became Easterheughs, a magnificent trompe l'oeil Scottish tower house in

the style of the 16th century -- and built in 1946.

Thomas and Rhodes, who always referred to each other by their

surnames, were both physics graduates of Cambridge University where they

met in the Twenties, and they built the house virtually by themselves

under the tutelage of a retired builder. A team of local workman was

recruited, but largely the philosophy governing the construction of

Easterheughes was quite simply: ''Ye don't fuss. Ye just put the stones

thegither and if ye've an eye, they soon rattle up''.

While the massive walls of Easterheughs were rattling up, another Fife

castle, Rossend, at Burntisland, was crumbling down. Thomas previously

had digs in Rossend and was sentimentally attached to it with its fine

views across the firth. Indeed, when it became clear during the war that

the council had no plans for its preservation, Thomas was already

planning its replacement which of course culminated in Easterheughs.

Thomas and Rhodes managed to salvage some of the fittings at a cost of

#6 per load and skilfully incorporated them into Easterhughs. Doors,

window sills, fire surrounds, panelling were rescued from the derelict

castle, but of course remain original in their own right.

In fact much of Easterheughs relies on second and third-hand building

materials. Stone was brought down from High Binn, a local deserted

village; crow step gabling was rescued from another village; while

pantiles came from a distillery at Auchtertool and carved stonework from

a derelict stately home. However, far from appearing cobbled together,

the effect in its entirety is a marvellous mosaic of architectural

delights.

Equally outstanding is Easterheughs' setting, surrounded as it is by

mature trees and shrubs cascading down from the sides of the rock on

which it stands, and two acres of well maintained grounds. Latterly,

Rhodes and Thomas were enthusiastic gardeners and spent much of their

time fending off visiting deer and rabbits.

The views up the Firth of Forth to the two bridges, and across the

firth to Edinburgh are largely uninterrupted and take in Arthurs Seat

and the Pentland Hills. The house, in its spectacularly elevated

position, can be easily discerned from the Edinburgh coastline.

Sadly, age caught up with Thomas and Rhodes before they were able

quite to complete their project. However the present owner has carried

on the good work and fully modernised and renovated the structure, which

now boasts gas-fired central heating, a video security system, and flood

lighting.

The accomodation, attractively laid out on three floors with a wide

turnpike staircase, is of manageable proportions with the main windows

facing south, creating an atmosphere of light and warmth. There are five

reception rooms and four bedrooms plus a turret room with barrel vaulted

ceiling. A door from the turret room leads to a sun terrace sheltered by

the battlements, with access to a look-out tower.

Particular features are the panelling and pilasters in the drawing

room as well as the doors and fireplaces rescued from Rossend Castle.

And there is, of course, a secret room built in the roof space and

entered from a panel in the drawing room.

Easterheughs is currently on the market at offers over #250,000.

Anyone wishing to acquire their very own folie de grandeur should

contact G.W. Tait & Sons, tel: 031 554 3441.

An ideal refuge

from warlike

neighbours.

QUARRELLED with your neighbours lately? Falling out with the people

next door is one of the most common reasons for moving home. People who

find themselves regularly arguing over the garden fence might wish to

consider Gardyne Castle near Friockheim in Angus: for centuries the

place was used as a refuge during a blood feud between two neighbouring

families.

The earliest tower on the site was built possibly as far back as 1375

by the Gardynes, a family who needed the strength of Scottish stone

around them. According to historian Nigel Tranter, the Gardynes ''seem

to have been almost permanently at feud with the neighbouring Guthries

of that Ilk, after a daughter of the house married a Guthrie in 1558 and

their son, quarrelling with his relatives, was stabbed to death by his

Gardyne cousin.'' Bad enough, but things got even worse.

Tranter says that the Guthries got their own back by slaying Patrick

Gardyne of that Ilk in 1578. ''Ten years later the Gardynes achieved

success by the slaughter of the Guthrie chief, suffering prosecution for

the deed. In two more years, however, the Guthries fell upon the

Gardynes and killed that laird and others.

This sort of thing continued for several generations -- although

presumably the generations were brief ones! In the end King James Sixth

had to intervene . . .'' Community workers were thin on the ground in

Angus in the old days.

Despite the long-running feud, the castle must have given its

inhabitants a sense of security. Throughout its colourful history it has

been continuously lived in and owned by only three families. And now

it's on the market again.

Before it was acquired 30 years ago by the family of the present

vendors, the castle had not changed hands for 311 years. In 1682 it was

sold by the Gardynes to one James Lyell, an Angus merchant who had made

his money in London.

Selling agents Savills say that the original part of today's castle is

generally held to date from 1568, although a Lyell family history

asserts that the ancient tower was built by the Gardyne family around

1375. The main body of the castle was built by James Lyell toward the

end of the 17th Century. The new wing was built toward the end of the

last century.

Today's building is a blend of 16th, 17th and 19th centuries, plus

20th century comforts. The property has ten bedrooms and four main

reception rooms, including an elegant first floor drawing room (typical

of Scottish lairds' dwellings).

The castle is set in wooded grounds and policies with a fine walled

garden. Although the blood fued ran out with the Lyell's purchase, it

simply meant that the neighbourhood disputes took on a more legal bent.

One of the Lyells had a boundary quarrel with a neighbouring landowner,

but instead of getting the daggers out they made the fatal error of

going to law. In an early version of falling out over the ''Gardyne

wall', the litigation cost them both a fortune and an absurd wall was

built to keep them apart. It's still there.

Even when the toffs got the vote the disputes didn't end. In the days

when only a handful of the gentry had the right to vote in parliamentary

elections, a Lyell of Gardyne was determined that his candidate should

win the election. After a pre-election dinner, he invited his guests

(the total electorate of the neighbourhood) to sample his wine cellar --

which had been carved out of the castle's lower dungeon.

Yes, you can guess the rest. When John Major gets back from Portugal

he might want to offer the back-bench 1922 Committee a drink in the

Gardyne vaults.

The castle is offered for sale with some 33 acres, including the

wooded Gardyne Den. The policy grounds include a walled garden with a

laburnum walk leading to the orchard, a paddock and policy woodlands,

which provide shelter and seclusion to the property.

With its brawling history and defensive features, it offers the ideal

retreat from neighbourhood disputes. Nigel Tranter says that each corner

turret has a handy little feature ''for the pouring of boiling water,

pitch or other unpleasantness upon unwelcome visitors.'' If that doesn't

make them return your lawnmower, nothing will.

Would-be buyers will have to take a stab at offers over #370,000.