Drum Castle, Garden and Estate

A visit to Drum Castle is a little like striding across the centuries. Its chameleon-like character has evolved with the additions made to the building over the years. Here you’ll find a medieval tower, a Jacobean mansion house and several ‘modern’ additions by Victorian lairds. This was the work of 21 generations of the Irvine family who lived here for over 650 years.

Picture this: the castle is under siege, with archers shooting arrows from the battlements, but the family and servants are safe inside the 12ft-thick walls. Sited high on a ridge, Drum was the perfect defensive stronghold and hunting lodge for the laird and his family. Imagine what life must have been like in the High Hall, still in its medieval state with unglazed windows, bare stone walls and earth floor. Climb the ladder to the battlements and take in the amazing views of the surrounding countryside.

In contrast to the tower, the Garden of Historic Roses is a remarkably peaceful corner. Here you can see roses from the shores of Japan, rugged yet delicately perfumed, and roses from China bringing peach and orange to a colour palette of reds, pinks and whites. Feast your eyes on the curtains of roses cascading down the centuries-old walls, heavy with scent and reverberating with buzzing bumblebees. Don’t miss the Old Wood of Drum – a remnant of the ancient Royal Forest and Park of Drum and now a Site of Special Scientific Interest, where you may spot woodpeckers, wrens, red squirrels and roe deer among the old oaks.

Acquisition details:Bequeathed with an endowment by Mr H Q Forbes Irvine of Drum in 1976