For most of us, a cursory flick through an in-flight magazine might lead to the purchase of a G&T, or a bottle of perfume. For Alun Grassick, it was a slightly more substantial investment. When he spotted an ad for a crumbling B Listed castle in the Angus countryside, with its towers, turrets, an associated baronetcy and 33 acres of land, he and his wife bought the property. Since 2001, they have spent an eye-watering £2 million restoring it.
The couple had long hankered for a second home in their native country since moving to Hong Kong in the late 1980s. ‘I always had aspirations of owning a large property in the Scottish countryside,’ says Grassick, now ostensibly retired, having worked for many years as an accountant for KPMG in Hong Kong, while Emily had various careers including personnel at Cathay Pacific. ‘Kelly Castle looked interesting, so Emily’s brother, who lives in Dundee, made a visit on our behalf and reported back that it was a dilapidated, rambling old building. This tweaked our interest.’
A short time later, on a visit to Scotland, they viewed it themselves – and put in an offer. ‘I can’t say it was love at first sight, but we saw its potential,’ Grassick says. ’The most alluring parts were the principal rooms because of their size, light and the plasterwork on the ceilings. And we knew our children, who were young at the time, would have great fun exploring the property and the grounds.’
Kelly Castle is in Arbirlot, three miles from Arbroath and 35 from St Andrews. It is officially listed by Historic Environment Scotland as an L-shaped fortified tower house, but it had a wealth of grand castle-worthy features, largely dating from the 16th and 17th centuries. It also had a capacious 10,000 sq ft of living space over four floors, including estate manager’s quarters.
It sits on the banks of the Eliot Water, a small river, and its lands are believed to have been obtained in the 12th century by the Norman settler Philip de Moubray from William the Lion, King of Scotland. The property passed through various noble families over the following centuries, with the current tower originally erected some time in the 1400s.
Forfeited by the Earls of Panmure after the Jacobite Rebellion of 1715, Kelly Castle lay abandoned for a century, during which time it was said to have stored contraband wine from the continent. By the 1900s it was in a parlous state, ready for collapse.
In the fortunate position to have a hefty budget to restore the castle, the Grassicks also had the chance, they say, to ‘have the cherry on the cake’: to purchase the rather grand title of Baron of Kelly. Prior to the abolition of the feudal system in Scotland in 2004, when a baronetcy changed from a territorial dignity to a personal dignity, it was necessary to own the attendant land to buy the title. Although Grassick didn’t have to buy the title, he decided it was the right thing to do – though did so with a refreshing lack of pretension. ‘We felt the title belongs with the house,’ he says, ‘although it confers no rights or privileges.’
The Baron of Kelly in Angus and the Lady of Kelly duly had their heraldry designed by the Lord Lyon of Scotland (two crossed sewing needles, as Grassick derives from the Gaelic word for seamster), which could be used on flags and pennants, should they have an urge to take up jousting. There were, however, other more pressing matters to attend to.
Last restored properly in the 1870s, the entire property needed re-roofing and repointing to be made watertight. ‘Various additions had been made over the generations, Heath Robinson style,’ Grassick says, ‘so it was hard to figure out how everything worked. Bathrooms were 1970s avocado suites, and there were brown carpets laid throughout.’
The ultimately £2 million renovation was carried out in several phases, under the careful guidance of architects and surveyors. New plumbing, electric and hot water systems were installed, with four miles of new copper piping required. Interiors, too, were remodelled for contemporary family life, despite the fact Kelly Castle has only ever been used as a second home, with the Grassicks firmly settled in Hong Kong – the perfect lock-up-and-leave castle, if you will.
Rejigging the living spaces, they chose five double bedrooms, five bathrooms and a self-contained two-bedroom estate manager’s flat, as well as a further one-bedroom staff apartment. The vaulted-ceiling kitchen has been updated with clean-lined cabinetry and a huge island unit, with the series of banquet-worthy reception rooms retaining their vast wooden-shuttered windows and decorative plasterwork, cornicing and fireplaces.
Practicalities aside, Grassick wanted Kelly Castle to be a source of fun holidays. ‘My pride and joy was the establishment of a snooker room and bar on the ground floor, where there was once a collection of unused spaces,’ Grassick says. ‘We also converted two fields into a nine hole golf course which is quite fun and challenging – although sadly it doesn’t appear to have improved my golf handicap.’
When they were younger, their children – now firmly grown up – explored the grounds during school holidays, venturing out to camp when feeling brave, and trying to catch very small trout with nets in the river. Despite the new electrics, winter storms led to a few evenings of boardgames by candlelight, ‘and everyone groaning in disappointment when the lights came back on,’ Grassick says.
With the couple’s main home still in Hong Kong – they live in verdant Sai Kung, dubbed the ‘Hong Kong Riviera’ – and Grassick busy on the Executive Council of the World Wide Fund for Nature, Kelly Castle has become, he says, ‘a very expensive holiday home’. They have now put it on the market for offers over £2.3 million (struttandparker.com) with the title available separately for somewhere in the region of £90,000. Its new owners would be able to design their own coat of arms, and have it registered with the Lord Lyon of Scotland.
‘It’s time to pass the custodianship of it to someone new,’ Grassick says. ‘But they’ll want to keep on top of all the constant care and attention required to maintain the condition and fabric of the building.’
It’s an appealing proposition, says David Laws of Strutt & Parker, as the castle’s flexible interior layout means it could be reconfigured to have eight bedrooms, 12 living spaces and nine bathrooms, all just 76 miles from Edinburgh’s international airport, especially to overseas buyers. ‘As castles come, Kelly Castle is certainly a special one. In immaculate condition, the present owners have worked tirelessly to create a practical family home within these turreted walls. Not only does a potential buyer have the opportunity to acquire a 16th century castle, and with this 33 acres of grounds including a golf course, but the title of Baron of Kelly to go with it.’
Comments
Comment section temporarily unavailable for maintenance.