0:00:06 > 0:00:09Once we walked through that gate, we were hooked.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12When I look at the house I just think, "Wow."
0:00:12 > 0:00:15Every time I see it I'm just like, "Wow."
0:00:15 > 0:00:17It's a castle, it's a castle.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19How can you not buy a castle?
0:00:19 > 0:00:24- Wow! That's some fireplace. - It's going to be an amazing home.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27- First day of the rest of its life. - Are you happy?
0:00:29 > 0:00:33We are way, way, way over budget.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37I mean, I am actually living in a building site.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39You have to make sacrifices.
0:00:39 > 0:00:44There are days when you just think, "Have we made the right decision? Are we doing the right thing?"
0:00:44 > 0:00:47I want it to look what it looked like when it was first built.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51This is just such a beautiful place,
0:00:51 > 0:00:55it's like every romantic part of my brain is just firing.
0:00:56 > 0:01:00You don't have any idea how much money this is going to cost you.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03I don't think either of us
0:01:03 > 0:01:06envisaged quite as big a project as we've actually taken on.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10It's still a dream, a dream that we're actually doing it.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13I can't wait to move in. It seems just to take for ever.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15It's just a nightmare.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18I'm telling myself not to worry. What can I do?
0:01:18 > 0:01:20I've got to finish the house.
0:01:30 > 0:01:32This is Cassillis House,
0:01:32 > 0:01:37set in 295 acres of dramatic Scottish landscape in Ayrshire.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41The core of this vast castle is believed to date back to
0:01:41 > 0:01:42medieval times.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47It has been altered and extended over the following 600 years,
0:01:47 > 0:01:50but today the whole building is under threat.
0:01:50 > 0:01:56It's considered to be one of Scotland's most important houses,
0:01:56 > 0:02:00but the roof leaks, the interior is disintegrating
0:02:00 > 0:02:02and parts are even under water.
0:02:04 > 0:02:09The restoration of Cassillis House will require someone with money,
0:02:09 > 0:02:13determination and guts in enormous amounts.
0:02:14 > 0:02:19Australian-born Kate Armstrong believes she fits the bill...
0:02:19 > 0:02:21We don't have any castles in Australia,
0:02:21 > 0:02:24so to come to something that was built in the 1400s,
0:02:24 > 0:02:28which was before Australia was even discovered by Captain Cook,
0:02:28 > 0:02:31just seems utterly incredible.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35Kate moved to the UK 20 years ago.
0:02:35 > 0:02:40An Australian comes over here, works, finds a castle, buys it, does it up.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45As a successful businesswoman and entrepreneur,
0:02:45 > 0:02:48when Kate first saw the castle she was not only able to
0:02:48 > 0:02:52dream of saving it, she also had the means to actually try.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55It's a dream. It's every Australian's dream.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58It's a castle. How can you not buy a castle?
0:02:58 > 0:03:00With her children away at school
0:03:00 > 0:03:03and her husband holding the fort at their current home on
0:03:03 > 0:03:07the Isle of Arran, Kate will be masterminding this restoration on her own.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10I've never done this sort of renovation before.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12Nothing on this scale or nothing of this age.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14I think it is a big responsibility
0:03:14 > 0:03:18because there is so much history here and it is really important.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22I'm not buying this to turn it into a hotel, I'm buying it to make
0:03:22 > 0:03:26a house, you know, that respects the integrity of what's there already.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28I see it more as, you know, we're custodians of it
0:03:28 > 0:03:32for the time being, and we will restore it as best we can.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37The house was purchased for £3 million in July 2009
0:03:37 > 0:03:41and Kate and her family moved in straight away.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44I mean, literally, we were camping in a couple of rooms.
0:03:44 > 0:03:45It was kind of ridiculous, really,
0:03:45 > 0:03:48cos there was heating in two rooms, it had one shower in the
0:03:48 > 0:03:53whole building which was quite a long trek from the bedroom.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56Unfortunately that was the really, really cold winter and the
0:03:56 > 0:04:00whole place froze, and we just had to move out, we couldn't live in it.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03And then we started planning the work.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06Cassillis consists of a medieval tower,
0:04:06 > 0:04:09with an early 19th century house on the front.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11On the lower ground floor
0:04:11 > 0:04:15Kate's creating her showpiece family kitchen.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17There's also a cinema and gym.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22On the ground floor, rooms include a dining room and drawing room,
0:04:22 > 0:04:25and in the tower, a bedroom and bathroom.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30On the first floor, there are seven of the castle's 13 bedrooms
0:04:30 > 0:04:32and six bathrooms.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37The tower continues up, containing a library and a ballroom.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39And at the top, more bedrooms and bathrooms.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52It's important that it functions as a family home, even if it's got things
0:04:52 > 0:04:55in it like a ballroom, you know, this is not a room we'll use all the time.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58I mean, we're already having arguments about whose
0:04:58 > 0:05:02bedroom is going to be whose and how close they are to things.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08This is my favourite room - or will be.
0:05:09 > 0:05:14It was just a boring WC, but now we've knocked that wall out
0:05:14 > 0:05:19and you can see this is the old staircase, and so my idea is
0:05:19 > 0:05:22that you can now sit on a toilet in the corner here and look up
0:05:22 > 0:05:27the stairs and... There is some graffiti. There's a love heart
0:05:27 > 0:05:33from 1936 and someone writing something in 1945. Who knows how they
0:05:33 > 0:05:35got up there and why they were writing graffiti on the walls,
0:05:35 > 0:05:39but we're going to leave that as well. It's going to be awesome.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42It is an adventure and I'm really interested in history
0:05:42 > 0:05:45and I'm just...I'm a nerd.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47I get very excited by this sort of stuff.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52The restoration of Cassillis is a huge undertaking, the largest
0:05:52 > 0:05:55and most expensive we have ever seen.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58Work's already started on the house.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02Kate's brought in a big team headed up by project manager Jim Elliot.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06The first time I saw Cassillis was in 2011
0:06:06 > 0:06:10when we came on site to start doing works to the externals.
0:06:10 > 0:06:11I looked over the whole job and I thought,
0:06:11 > 0:06:15"Oh, my God, this is going to be a bit of hard work."
0:06:15 > 0:06:17Render/repair jobs in Scotland
0:06:17 > 0:06:21in winter - ain't exactly the best time of year to do it, so we
0:06:21 > 0:06:23knew it was going to be a challenge.
0:06:25 > 0:06:29Up until now, Jim and the team have been making the building watertight,
0:06:29 > 0:06:32but Cassillis is moving into its most critical phase...
0:06:32 > 0:06:37saving and meticulously restoring the extensive interior.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41And it's this interior that has helped give it the highest grading
0:06:41 > 0:06:44awarded to historic buildings in Scotland.
0:06:44 > 0:06:49It's a full-on A listed building and just about every single
0:06:49 > 0:06:51part of it we've got to consider what we do with it.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53But the biggest challenge of all
0:06:53 > 0:06:57is that Kate wants the restoration completed in just four months.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00We do have a very, very tight programme
0:07:00 > 0:07:03and we're going to have to go some to get it there.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10To finish on schedule, every part of this build must run
0:07:10 > 0:07:14like clockwork. I've come to see Kate, and the scale of her dream.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16Really good to meet you.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19- Good to meet you too. - And at your fantastic house.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21- It's pretty imposing.- Isn't it?!
0:07:21 > 0:07:26We're surrounded by Portakabins, by diggers, by dumper trucks.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28How many builders are on site?
0:07:28 > 0:07:30Um...I've actually lost track,
0:07:30 > 0:07:34but I do know last week there were close to 25 to 30.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37Wow! Do you have any idea when you'll be moving in?
0:07:37 > 0:07:39Well, I'm hoping we'll move in in June.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41- Three and a half, four months away.- Yeah.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43- God, it's a big push. - Yeah, absolutely.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48Here we go. I hope I don't break my neck going down.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50SHE LAUGHS
0:07:50 > 0:07:52- This is the...?- Kitchen.- Kitchen.
0:07:52 > 0:07:57Yeah, it hasn't been used as a kitchen for a very long time.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00And so what's changed here? Something's missing from here.
0:08:00 > 0:08:05Yeah, there were a couple of ranges - big, old cast iron ranges from the 1800s,
0:08:05 > 0:08:08and one of them we're going to keep and refurbish,
0:08:08 > 0:08:13so we've got our kitchen designer incorporate the old range.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17- Then an island here?- Yeah, a big island and a couple of window seats.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20Obviously the floor level at the moment is probably half a metre
0:08:20 > 0:08:23below where it will end up, but we've had to dig it out so that we can...
0:08:23 > 0:08:26- It's very wet, isn't it? - ..lay a damp course.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28We needed a rowing boat to get across here the other day.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32- And why is that?- Because this house - we didn't know this at the time -
0:08:32 > 0:08:36- was built over field drains. Old clay pipes.- Right.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40And as soon as we took the floor up, the water just leaked everywhere.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43- Wow.- Yeah, it took us a bit by surprise.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47- Just watch all the wires.- Yeah.
0:08:49 > 0:08:54- Dining room.- Gosh, so that is quite a long way from the kitchen, isn't it?
0:08:54 > 0:08:57What a beautiful room!
0:08:57 > 0:08:58Yeah, it's lovely, isn't it?
0:09:02 > 0:09:05So this is coming out of the Victorian house.
0:09:05 > 0:09:09What I really love is the fact that you're in Victorian Scotland here,
0:09:09 > 0:09:12two steps down here, completely another time in history.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14What happens through there?
0:09:14 > 0:09:17- 15th century.- 15th century! Not Narnia.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19SHE LAUGHS
0:09:21 > 0:09:26- What's this?- This is the original entrance to the tower.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30This was a portcullis, and I can't show you cos I'm not strong enough,
0:09:30 > 0:09:33but this door opens up.
0:09:33 > 0:09:34No!
0:09:34 > 0:09:36- It does.- That's hilarious.
0:09:36 > 0:09:41I know, but at some stage they knocked through the walls here
0:09:41 > 0:09:45and made, sort of, staircases up to the floors above.
0:09:45 > 0:09:49One side was finished and plastered and painted,
0:09:49 > 0:09:52and the other side was just left as a...rubble.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55We're not going to use these at all cos they're too dangerous.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58The staircases sort of finish about halfway up,
0:09:58 > 0:10:00- but we're going to keep them. - Yeah.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02And keep the openings and have some lights
0:10:02 > 0:10:05so you can throw a light switch and actually have a good look up there.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08Oh, that's great. That's great, so you'll be able to...
0:10:08 > 0:10:11It's like a little art installation, you'll be able to look
0:10:11 > 0:10:14through a window into a piece of the house's history.
0:10:14 > 0:10:15Exactly.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18I think it's so exciting to still see the history,
0:10:18 > 0:10:22but in nice, modern living.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25And that's what's so exciting about this building.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27And why I love it.
0:10:28 > 0:10:30I don't blame you. It's fascinating.
0:10:32 > 0:10:36As Kate's race against time to complete Cassillis begins,
0:10:36 > 0:10:39so too does our historical investigation.
0:10:40 > 0:10:44Historian Dr Kate Williams will begin her search to discover
0:10:44 > 0:10:47the characters that left their mark on this castle.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51But first, architectural expert Kieran Long
0:10:51 > 0:10:55will attempt to decode the story of its architecture.
0:10:57 > 0:11:01Your first impression as you walk up to it is that there
0:11:01 > 0:11:03are in fact two buildings here.
0:11:03 > 0:11:07One, this honey-coloured stone house to the left,
0:11:07 > 0:11:11and the main one, this kind of magnificent imposing tower,
0:11:11 > 0:11:15which clearly is situated strategically on this amazing,
0:11:15 > 0:11:18beautiful river, looking down this valley.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20And it tells you there are two very different things going on here.
0:11:20 > 0:11:24One, it's about being a castle, being defensive,
0:11:24 > 0:11:27and another one which is about, you know, a different kind of lifestyle.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29The house, it's 19th century.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33I suspect that not only did they add this house to the front
0:11:33 > 0:11:36of the tower, but have substantially remodelled the tower house itself.
0:11:36 > 0:11:40We can already see these large sash windows - they have nothing
0:11:40 > 0:11:43to do with castle architecture - these are Victorian additions.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46The skyline of the building really diverts the eye,
0:11:46 > 0:11:49really makes your eye dart from one place to another.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52Weather vanes and turrets and spires and these stepped gables and so on.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55These are all part of romanticising the landscape
0:11:55 > 0:11:57and romanticising this building.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10Well, we've just walked through the big,
0:12:10 > 0:12:13thick perimeter wall of the oldest piece of this property - the tower.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17We're now standing in the deepest window reveal I think I've ever seen.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21This must be, what, three metres nearly?
0:12:21 > 0:12:23And that is the depth of the wall.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25That's the perimeter wall of the tower house.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28Cannon balls could hit this wall and this thing wouldn't fall down,
0:12:28 > 0:12:29and that's what this was all about.
0:12:29 > 0:12:34What's really nice is that right behind me here we can see a bit of it exposed.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36This is real rough and ready construction,
0:12:36 > 0:12:39really effective, and all about fortification.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41This was not supposed to go away,
0:12:41 > 0:12:43and indeed it has lasted for 600 years or so.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54Well, I really love this detail because it's one of those really
0:12:54 > 0:12:57authentically medieval-looking pieces of stonework.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59Long covered up by render
0:12:59 > 0:13:04and would've probably lead straight into a rather grand hall-like space.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06So it's here where you start to get that real atmosphere
0:13:06 > 0:13:09of what the building would've been like 600 or 700 years ago.
0:13:16 > 0:13:20Well, it's when you get up here that you realise what this tower
0:13:20 > 0:13:24typology was all about. Why do they build castles like towers?
0:13:24 > 0:13:28Well, it was to command the landscape. Look at the view you get.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30You know, any trouble that was on the horizon,
0:13:30 > 0:13:33you'd be prepared for by the time it got here.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37Well, when this was a fortification, this roof line would've
0:13:37 > 0:13:38looked very different.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41Probably battlements, you know, defensive kind of architecture.
0:13:41 > 0:13:45Now, that's all been replaced by a kind of Victorian fantasy.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55There's so much to go on here, I mean, this is a significant building
0:13:55 > 0:13:58and there are two main strands for me that I am most interested in.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01One is the history of these tower houses - I want to understand
0:14:01 > 0:14:05what this would've been like when it was really working as a castle.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08The other is the 19th century building and the additions
0:14:08 > 0:14:11to the skyline, and all of that makes this building a kind of
0:14:11 > 0:14:15living document of the history of this area and of Scotland.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22With emergency restoration work done to make both
0:14:22 > 0:14:26sections of the house structurally sound and watertight,
0:14:26 > 0:14:30Jim's army of workmen can now head inside the castle.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34But this old house still has plenty of surprises...
0:14:34 > 0:14:36Jim has found a major problem in the kitchen.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39I've now discovered that the scullery
0:14:39 > 0:14:42and pantry wall has been built on top of the existing floor,
0:14:42 > 0:14:48rather than built off a foundation, so what we're having to do is
0:14:48 > 0:14:51take the wall down because it's become structurally unsafe.
0:14:51 > 0:14:53This was not part of the programme.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57We've originally taken the plaster off the wall, and as we took
0:14:57 > 0:15:01the plaster off, we found the wall was moving side to side.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04You always find wee anomalies where things are built differently -
0:15:04 > 0:15:08somebody's altered it - and to a degree you'll get that in every job,
0:15:08 > 0:15:10but in this particular case there's so much.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18There are more problems at the top of the house.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21Cassillis was heated by a series of open fires
0:15:21 > 0:15:24that lead up to the 15 chimney stacks.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28One of the chimneys is blocked and Robert Hutchison has got
0:15:28 > 0:15:31the painstaking task of trying to trace the problem.
0:15:31 > 0:15:35This chimney is quite unique in comparison with the other two.
0:15:35 > 0:15:40It's shared between the new building here and the old tower.
0:15:41 > 0:15:45And it's the only chimney that we've found a blockage in.
0:15:45 > 0:15:49Our plan is basically just to open up a hole, effectively,
0:15:49 > 0:15:52in the side of the chimney stack and have a look in.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57Specialist driller Roger Williams has bored a hole in the chimney
0:15:57 > 0:15:59and has hit the jackpot.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05Somebody's old pair of jeans... or shirt.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10Yeah, somebody's tried to jam the chimney to stop the draught.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14I think that is it clear now.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18With that flue now working,
0:16:18 > 0:16:22Roger can continue helping to modernise the castle.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25The oldest part has never had central heating, and installing it
0:16:25 > 0:16:30will mean drilling down through two and half metres of stone floor.
0:16:30 > 0:16:35This to put the heating pipes up for the radiators.
0:16:35 > 0:16:39They're getting fed through from the ballroom to the third floor.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44Originally I was supposed to just be here for a week,
0:16:44 > 0:16:47but I've been here for five weeks now.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50As I say, "every hole is a challenge."
0:16:51 > 0:16:55Prior to this restoration, parts of the castle haven't changed
0:16:55 > 0:16:58since its construction in medieval times.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01One person who knows what Cassillis was like as a home is
0:17:01 > 0:17:03Lady Elizabeth.
0:17:03 > 0:17:08It's been a huge part of my entire life really.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11She was the last in the Kennedy family line to live there,
0:17:11 > 0:17:14and it was her medieval ancestors who built it.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18It was a wonderful place to grow up.
0:17:18 > 0:17:23We had such fun exploring, making dens, you know,
0:17:23 > 0:17:25it was a very lovely, safe place to be.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29And it was incredibly cold.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32There was no heating or electricity in the old wing,
0:17:32 > 0:17:38and if we were going to the old wing, we had to put on our winter coats and woollen hats.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42Lady Elizabeth moved into the house as a child in 1957
0:17:42 > 0:17:44and lived there for many years.
0:17:46 > 0:17:52The room that was the billiard room, my mother changed into a ballroom
0:17:52 > 0:17:58and we used to have lovely dances up there, and that was great fun.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00And New Year's Eve parties.
0:18:01 > 0:18:06After my mother died we made the decision -
0:18:06 > 0:18:08the very hard decision - that we'd have to sell.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14We were the old adage of being land rich and cash poor.
0:18:14 > 0:18:18We were not in a position to be able to spend the sort of money
0:18:18 > 0:18:20that would be needed to keep the house
0:18:20 > 0:18:23so we would hope it would stand for another 600 years.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35Lady Elizabeth's ancestors, the Kennedy clan, will be
0:18:35 > 0:18:38the focus of Kate's investigation.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41She is starting at the National Library of Scotland
0:18:41 > 0:18:45and has found a book detailing the history of Scottish castles.
0:18:46 > 0:18:50This is where I found the first mention of the family
0:18:50 > 0:18:51who are connected to Cassillis.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55The Kennedy family, who came into possession of it in 1373,
0:18:55 > 0:19:00when Sir John Kennedy married the heiress to the property, Marjory de Montgomerie.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03And what it seems like, it was a piece of land, it was a house,
0:19:03 > 0:19:06and it was the Kennedy family who actually built the castle.
0:19:09 > 0:19:13This book refers to the Kennedy family as the Kings of Carrick.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17Carrick was the area in which Cassillis was at the time, suggesting that these people were
0:19:17 > 0:19:20the Kings of Carrick shows how significant they were.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23And it seems as if they had a rather tricky time,
0:19:23 > 0:19:26because according to this book, their history was,
0:19:26 > 0:19:30"one long catalogue of violence, savagery and sudden death."
0:19:32 > 0:19:36Cassillis comes after a great period of battle and struggle for Scotland.
0:19:36 > 0:19:40From 1296 to 1357 it was the Scottish Wars of Independence in which they
0:19:40 > 0:19:44were constantly battling the attempts of the English to invade.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47There was a time in which everyone was really building fortified houses,
0:19:47 > 0:19:50fortified castles, to try and protect themselves,
0:19:50 > 0:19:53their wealth and also the surrounding area.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56Kate's identified that the Kennedy family came into possession
0:19:56 > 0:20:00of the land that Cassillis now stands on in 1373.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05Kieran's first step will be trying to discover
0:20:05 > 0:20:07when the castle was built on the land.
0:20:07 > 0:20:11His search begins at the National Archives of Scotland.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14He's located two royal charters relating to Cassillis,
0:20:14 > 0:20:17which are over 600 years old.
0:20:17 > 0:20:22This is a charter from 1404 from King Robert III of Scotland,
0:20:22 > 0:20:25granting the estate of Cassillis to the Kennedy family
0:20:25 > 0:20:27and all of their heirs.
0:20:27 > 0:20:31The document's in Latin, but this tells us that this
0:20:31 > 0:20:34is a document referring to the grant of lands.
0:20:34 > 0:20:40This document is from 1453 and is King James II also granting
0:20:40 > 0:20:43the land to the Kennedy family, but he mentions
0:20:43 > 0:20:46the Castle of Cassillis and that tells us
0:20:46 > 0:20:51that there was a castle built in the gap between 1404 and 1453.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54We still don't know exactly when, but it suggests that that
0:20:54 > 0:20:56first half of the 15th century was the birth of Cassillis.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01To understand what the original tower house at Cassillis
0:21:01 > 0:21:03looked like, Kieran's come to Kinross on the
0:21:03 > 0:21:06east coast of Scotland.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08He's visiting Loch Leven Castle,
0:21:08 > 0:21:11constructed in the 14th century.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13Well, it's amazing to see it from the loch,
0:21:13 > 0:21:15because, of course, it feels completely impregnable.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17It makes you imagine what Cassillis must've been like
0:21:17 > 0:21:19for approaching armies.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22The kind of intimidating way that it commands that landscape is
0:21:22 > 0:21:24exactly echoed here.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40It's really extraordinary to be standing in this space
0:21:40 > 0:21:42because the tower, of course, is here, it's beautiful,
0:21:42 > 0:21:45but it's surrounded by a whole other world of ancillary buildings,
0:21:45 > 0:21:48of another line of defensive walls.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51It really gives you a sense of that kind of activity of the place
0:21:51 > 0:21:53that would've been, you know, really teeming with life.
0:21:58 > 0:22:02What we see here, of course, are these windows
0:22:02 > 0:22:06which are all about being defensive, not about looking out of.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08Quality of light wasn't a great concern.
0:22:08 > 0:22:11They really only needed to be big enough to fire arrows out of and later, guns.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13This wall is a really beautiful one.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16It's our very image of what a castle wall should be, you know,
0:22:16 > 0:22:20massive pieces of stone, not really put together in any form or way.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22So all of this is covered up as Cassillis,
0:22:22 > 0:22:25and that's, in a way, a shame because these castle walls are so evocative.
0:22:33 > 0:22:35I really wanted to come and see Loch Leven Castle
0:22:35 > 0:22:38because it's a castle in its original form.
0:22:38 > 0:22:40It gives you that sense of the toughness
0:22:40 > 0:22:42and the strategic importance of these buildings.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44The next step, I think, is to find out who exactly has been
0:22:44 > 0:22:48responsible for the transformation of Cassillis from tower house
0:22:48 > 0:22:51like this one, to the Victorian-looking thing we see today.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55What was happening in architecture at the time to make them
0:22:55 > 0:22:57confident enough to do something next to a castle?
0:23:04 > 0:23:07Back at Cassillis, Jim has been laying siege to the countless
0:23:07 > 0:23:11problems that are arising during this restoration.
0:23:11 > 0:23:15Dozens of man hours have already been spent trying to make
0:23:15 > 0:23:17Kate's future kitchen watertight.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20Jim's determined to get this problem solved.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22Normally you would go at it with just maybe one solution,
0:23:22 > 0:23:25but in this particular instance we've used three,
0:23:25 > 0:23:28because we've got a damp-proof membrane on the outside which
0:23:28 > 0:23:32will stop any water penetrating into the building.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35We've also fitted a field drain which will go into the manhole there,
0:23:35 > 0:23:38which drains out underneath the kitchen.
0:23:38 > 0:23:42And in the kitchen we've put a tanking membrane on the floor
0:23:42 > 0:23:45and that's had a new floor screed fitted to it,
0:23:45 > 0:23:47so it's belt, braces and a little bit more.
0:23:47 > 0:23:51Hopefully that's all done, dusted, and we can forget about it.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56With Jim confident of his victory in this particular battle,
0:23:56 > 0:24:00the concrete trucks arrive and the kitchen floor can finally go down.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08It's the last of the big concrete pours.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11It should've happened right at the very start, but it didn't,
0:24:11 > 0:24:15so now we can move on, start pushing to get it brought back onto time.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20It's the closure of something that's been annoying us
0:24:20 > 0:24:21for four and a half weeks.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32At the National Library of Scotland, Kate's continuing her
0:24:32 > 0:24:35investigation into the Kennedy clan.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38Her search is focusing on the 16th century,
0:24:38 > 0:24:40and the first Earls to live at Cassillis.
0:24:40 > 0:24:41What I have got here is
0:24:41 > 0:24:45the Dictionary of National Biography from 1908, and here I've got
0:24:45 > 0:24:49a reference to Gilbert Kennedy, third Earl of Cassillis,
0:24:49 > 0:24:52and he is a pretty intriguing character.
0:24:52 > 0:24:57Gilbert Kennedy was born in about 1517 and he died in 1558,
0:24:57 > 0:25:01so he's alive in the midst of a most important period in Scottish history,
0:25:01 > 0:25:04and that's that of the Scottish Reformation.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07Henry VIII breaks away from the Church of Rome
0:25:07 > 0:25:10and makes the Church of England, and what he wants is for his nephew,
0:25:10 > 0:25:14James V of Scotland, to do exactly the same thing.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17But James ignored his uncle's request.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20Furious, Henry VIII invaded Scotland.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23James responded by sending troops to England.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27And in 1542, the Scots were defeated at the Battle of Solway Moss
0:25:27 > 0:25:29on the English-Scottish border.
0:25:31 > 0:25:33Many men were captured and amongst them
0:25:33 > 0:25:36was Gilbert Kennedy, third Earl of Cassillis.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39He was imprisoned in the Tower of London.
0:25:41 > 0:25:45The archives within the tower hold the story of what happened next.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48Fate would take a hand in Gilbert Kennedy's future.
0:25:48 > 0:25:52Soon after he was captured, James V died.
0:25:52 > 0:25:56His baby daughter Mary then became Queen of Scotland.
0:25:56 > 0:26:01This gave Henry VIII an idea to sort out a marriage between his son Edward
0:26:01 > 0:26:05and the baby Mary, Queen of Scots, and therefore ally both
0:26:05 > 0:26:09countries, and that would essentially make Scotland his vassal state.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12And what he wanted to do was use Gilbert Kennedy to push
0:26:12 > 0:26:14forward the cause of that marriage, so he decided to let
0:26:14 > 0:26:19Gilbert Kennedy go free, but only if he left behind some hostages.
0:26:19 > 0:26:25Gilbert Kennedy sacrificed his two brothers and uncle for his own freedom.
0:26:25 > 0:26:30Letters give an insight into how horrific their lives as hostages were.
0:26:30 > 0:26:34They're begging our man, Gilbert Kennedy, Earl of Cassillis for help.
0:26:34 > 0:26:35They are saying,
0:26:35 > 0:26:39"We have this miserable case." They mean a miserable state of life.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42"We are desperate. We beg you to honour your promises.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44"We beg you to look after us
0:26:44 > 0:26:46"and push forward the King of England's proclamation."
0:26:46 > 0:26:49And they are convinced they will be suffering death right shortly,
0:26:49 > 0:26:54because if Henry VIII gets angry, he'll simply chop off their heads.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57Fortunately, Henry VIII eventually allowed the hostages
0:26:57 > 0:27:01to be released, even though Gilbert Kennedy did not succeed
0:27:01 > 0:27:04in arranging a marriage between Edward and Mary, Queen of Scots.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09What I have found here is the final piece of the jigsaw.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13After working for Henry VIII, Gilbert Kennedy then starts negotiating
0:27:13 > 0:27:16with France to encourage a marriage between the son of the
0:27:16 > 0:27:19King of France and Mary, Queen of Scots.
0:27:19 > 0:27:21They marry in 1558,
0:27:21 > 0:27:24but it says here that Kennedy gives great offence to the French court,
0:27:24 > 0:27:28and by the end of the year he died in suspicious circumstances
0:27:28 > 0:27:29and was possibly poisoned.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33The third Earl of Cassillis was a notorious character,
0:27:33 > 0:27:37who fraternised with royalty but came to an untimely end.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40What will be the story of the Earls that followed him?
0:27:49 > 0:27:53Kate Armstrong has owned Cassillis for almost four years
0:27:53 > 0:27:55and Jim has been working on it for much of that time.
0:27:55 > 0:27:59During the restoration, he has made a succession of problematic
0:27:59 > 0:28:01and expensive discoveries...
0:28:03 > 0:28:07..but today he's made one that is just plain exciting -
0:28:07 > 0:28:08a secret room!
0:28:10 > 0:28:16- Wow, so there is a doorway, isn't there?- There is a doorway, yes.
0:28:16 > 0:28:20You can see the stone work all round about it, and it's been bricked in
0:28:20 > 0:28:22at some stage in its life.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27You know, I thought we'd discovered everything inside,
0:28:27 > 0:28:32but then, you know, you say, "Just take that stone infill out so that we
0:28:32 > 0:28:37"can see the reveal on the window." And they do that, and oh, my God!
0:28:37 > 0:28:40- It's a complete new room. Cos we've got to keep it.- Yeah.
0:28:40 > 0:28:43You can't just discover this and brick it up.
0:28:47 > 0:28:50Most likely blocked up for hundreds of years,
0:28:50 > 0:28:54this 15th-century room is becoming part of the castle once more.
0:28:58 > 0:29:00It's definitely part of the original structure,
0:29:00 > 0:29:02and more recently it's been used as a coal cellar,
0:29:02 > 0:29:06so it's been full of coal, which again is interesting
0:29:06 > 0:29:08and why it'll be blocked up.
0:29:08 > 0:29:12By the amount of fires they had up here, this was the servants' quarters
0:29:12 > 0:29:18and there was one, two, three, four, six fires up here.
0:29:18 > 0:29:20So it was probably taking a lot of coal,
0:29:20 > 0:29:23so they've converted it and obviously
0:29:23 > 0:29:27when the servants moved out they've just flushed over the whole wall.
0:29:27 > 0:29:29We've been looking at this for three years
0:29:29 > 0:29:35off and on to now see everything and see the groove where the glass
0:29:35 > 0:29:40has been, the tool and the dressing, even the sandstone ceiling above us.
0:29:40 > 0:29:41Good to see it.
0:29:41 > 0:29:44I don't know what we'll do with it, but good to see it.
0:29:48 > 0:29:51'Every new discovery at Cassillis reveals another
0:29:51 > 0:29:55'story about the house, but also more work for Kate and the team.
0:29:55 > 0:29:58'I'm back to see how she's getting on.'
0:29:58 > 0:30:02- How's it going? - It's going really well, really well.
0:30:02 > 0:30:05But we've been through some really big things we have had to do.
0:30:05 > 0:30:08- Are you at the decorating stage yet? - Yes, we are.
0:30:08 > 0:30:10How many rooms have you got to do?
0:30:10 > 0:30:13On the list I've got, there are 112 rooms.
0:30:13 > 0:30:17112! Read it and weep.
0:30:17 > 0:30:20You see, that's my idea of heaven. I'm dying to have a look.
0:30:20 > 0:30:24- Can I go in now?- Of course. - Thank you!- Let's go.
0:30:25 > 0:30:26Yes...
0:30:30 > 0:30:34- So painting has clearly started in here. How exciting.- I know!
0:30:34 > 0:30:39- So this is the original paintwork on this plaster?- Absolutely.
0:30:39 > 0:30:41This is a Kennedy emblem.
0:30:41 > 0:30:44It was such a beautiful piece, we thought we would just leave that.
0:30:44 > 0:30:46It's a beautiful room, isn't it?
0:30:46 > 0:30:50- Imagine a small ceilidh band and a bit of dancing going on?- Yes, I can!
0:30:51 > 0:30:56- Brian...- Hi there.- ..this is an incredibly tiring job, isn't it?
0:30:56 > 0:30:57A bit sore on the neck.
0:30:57 > 0:30:59Do think she has made a good choice in colour, Brian?
0:30:59 > 0:31:03Yeah. The only one I'm a wee bit of kind of...
0:31:03 > 0:31:06iffy in doubt about is the library.
0:31:06 > 0:31:10If it was me, I would have put the darker green on the ceiling
0:31:10 > 0:31:12just to lower it ever so slightly.
0:31:12 > 0:31:16- So you would have done darker on the ceiling and then...? - And a bit lighter on the walls.
0:31:16 > 0:31:19- And lighter on the walls. - Where were you two weeks ago?
0:31:19 > 0:31:21I needed that advice two weeks ago!
0:31:23 > 0:31:27So, the library, Brian isn't sure about this room because...
0:31:27 > 0:31:30- I'm not sure about it either.- I love this green. I LOVE this green!
0:31:30 > 0:31:34I think it's absolutely beautiful. So, this green is perfect.
0:31:34 > 0:31:37You think the ceiling's too light, Brian. Kind of agree, actually.
0:31:37 > 0:31:41- I do, too, but I do like the colour on the walls.- I love the colour.
0:31:41 > 0:31:44- But you could have it on the ceiling too.- I think you can have it on the ceiling as well.
0:31:44 > 0:31:47That wouldn't take too much trouble, would it? Would it?
0:31:47 > 0:31:49Would it take much trouble for you to do the ceiling,
0:31:49 > 0:31:51a couple of coats of that on there?
0:31:51 > 0:31:54- Yes!- Is that all right? - THEY LAUGH
0:31:56 > 0:31:58Next, we're downstairs in the kitchen,
0:31:58 > 0:32:01where there's been some real progress.
0:32:02 > 0:32:06Oh-ho! This is very, very different from the last time I was here.
0:32:06 > 0:32:08- No mud.- No mud!
0:32:08 > 0:32:12And I am up, what, about three or four foot. A huge amount.
0:32:12 > 0:32:15In the end, we did spend more money than we really needed to in here,
0:32:15 > 0:32:18because we did do the belt and braces approach.
0:32:18 > 0:32:23- Is it starting to feel to you like a room in a home now?- It is.
0:32:23 > 0:32:27Particularly once they put the plasterboard up, you could
0:32:27 > 0:32:31really see the shape of the room and get the final measurements for
0:32:31 > 0:32:35how the kitchen is going to be made, because it's a handmade kitchen.
0:32:35 > 0:32:40- Is it?- Yeah.- Ooh, Kate! Lovely. Are you excited?- I am.
0:32:40 > 0:32:44- And it's actually one of the few extravagances I budgeted for.- Yeah.
0:32:44 > 0:32:48That sounds lovely. Slightly... Kitchen envy, can you see it?
0:32:48 > 0:32:52Outside, Kate has one more paint colour to choose.
0:32:52 > 0:32:55Restoring such an important historic building is a huge
0:32:55 > 0:32:59responsibility, so this final exterior colour is certainly
0:32:59 > 0:33:01the most important one of all.
0:33:01 > 0:33:04I gather from your samples up on your walls here, Kate,
0:33:04 > 0:33:08- that you've got a selection of colours to choose from.- Well, yes.
0:33:08 > 0:33:12- Originally, I painted these colours up, nice greys.- Yes.
0:33:12 > 0:33:15- I thought, let's just paint it grey. - Yeah.
0:33:15 > 0:33:19- But then Historic Scotland said, "No."- Oh?
0:33:19 > 0:33:24- "You can have it from a yellow palette or from a pink palette."- Oh!
0:33:24 > 0:33:29And there is no doubt about it, that when this keep was built first,
0:33:29 > 0:33:33it had a harling, which is this render on it,
0:33:33 > 0:33:34and it would have been limewashed.
0:33:34 > 0:33:37And the limewash they would have used would have been yellow or pink.
0:33:37 > 0:33:40So we chose a slightly darker yellow
0:33:40 > 0:33:43- and it matches the yellow stone of the keep.- Yes.
0:33:43 > 0:33:46You are going to be able to see this house a mile away.
0:33:46 > 0:33:49It's going to be my yellow box for the rest of my life.
0:33:49 > 0:33:51It's not yellow, it's cream!
0:33:58 > 0:34:01But the team are far more than just a lick of paint away
0:34:01 > 0:34:03from finishing this restoration.
0:34:03 > 0:34:07With only weeks left before Kate wants it completed, there are
0:34:07 > 0:34:12over 50 workers plying numerous trades all over the castle.
0:34:12 > 0:34:16Having got heating pipes into parts of the house for the first time,
0:34:16 > 0:34:19the plumbers are now trying to hide them.
0:34:19 > 0:34:22We've had to chisel 2-3 inches of wall out to get the supplies back
0:34:22 > 0:34:25so we can get the original features back on the wall.
0:34:25 > 0:34:28- This is the second attempt that we have had of this, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:34:28 > 0:34:31It's a learning experience as well.
0:34:31 > 0:34:35Kate is drawing on every ounce of her business experience
0:34:35 > 0:34:38to keep the schedule moving forward.
0:34:38 > 0:34:40Well, these meetings are absolutely vital,
0:34:40 > 0:34:43because it keeps me up-to-date with the project
0:34:43 > 0:34:46and it also stops things from stalling.
0:34:46 > 0:34:50It's incredibly important to have the right team, people you can trust.
0:34:50 > 0:34:54211 is the floor tiles, which we say are now on-site.
0:34:54 > 0:34:58I always enjoy hearing kind of what progress has been made,
0:34:58 > 0:35:00because obviously I have been able to see it,
0:35:00 > 0:35:02but there's a lot of stuff you don't see.
0:35:02 > 0:35:04The schedule's right for the morning room,
0:35:04 > 0:35:07- but maybe it was another room, Jim. - Might be another room.
0:35:07 > 0:35:11Let's face it, there's 112 of them! SHE LAUGHS
0:35:11 > 0:35:15The plan is to complete all the rooms, so even though parts
0:35:15 > 0:35:19are still a building site, Kate must focus on detail.
0:35:19 > 0:35:26With the carpets, I've ordered some samples of tartan
0:35:26 > 0:35:31which I want to use in all the common areas in the house.
0:35:33 > 0:35:36Finding the Kennedy tartan is actually quite difficult.
0:35:36 > 0:35:41It's not one that they... We'd have to have that one bespoke made.
0:35:41 > 0:35:43And then that would be hideously expensive.
0:35:47 > 0:35:50You can send e-mails, you can send letters, send photographs,
0:35:50 > 0:35:53but unless you physically come and see it on-site, you'll never know.
0:35:54 > 0:35:58'It's always been looking at how do you wire it, how do you plumb it, put lights in?
0:35:58 > 0:36:01'Suddenly it's, how are we going to finish the decoration on that bit?'
0:36:01 > 0:36:04We are no longer dealing with big issues, it's small issues.
0:36:06 > 0:36:10For some things, you have got your own mind of how you want it to go.
0:36:10 > 0:36:15But you know your client has probably got a different idea how she wants it to be finished.
0:36:15 > 0:36:17Another point, guys,
0:36:17 > 0:36:22is that those should come with chrome brackets, not white.
0:36:22 > 0:36:25We only needed half-a-dozen meetings to get it sorted, didn't we?
0:36:25 > 0:36:28Yeah, yeah. It's only taken ten weeks!
0:36:28 > 0:36:30SHE SIGHS
0:36:30 > 0:36:33You know, you get all these things and until you actually go
0:36:33 > 0:36:38and visualise it, see things in situ, you can't make some decisions,
0:36:38 > 0:36:40so, yeah, great meeting.
0:36:47 > 0:36:50Kate's travelled to the west coast of Scotland, to Culzean Castle,
0:36:50 > 0:36:53the Kennedy family's other seat.
0:36:53 > 0:36:59So far, Kate has discovered that the Kennedy clan were notorious in the 16th century.
0:36:59 > 0:37:02The 3rd Earl had links to Mary, Queen of Scots and was held
0:37:02 > 0:37:07prisoner by Henry VIII, only to escape by betraying his family.
0:37:07 > 0:37:11It appears the 4th Earl was no less well connected.
0:37:11 > 0:37:14The 4th Earl is a pretty powerful and impressive man,
0:37:14 > 0:37:17and he really is right there in the centre of Scottish politics.
0:37:19 > 0:37:21Gilbert succeeds his father in 1558,
0:37:21 > 0:37:24and Mary, Queen of Scots returned to Scotland from her marriage
0:37:24 > 0:37:26in France and stayed with him for three days.
0:37:26 > 0:37:31He creates his allegiance to her, he makes himself close to the Queen.
0:37:31 > 0:37:33He is always there, he is always helping her,
0:37:33 > 0:37:36and it certainly seems he is in the thick of what is the biggest
0:37:36 > 0:37:39whodunit in Scottish history - who killed Lord Darnley,
0:37:39 > 0:37:41Mary, Queen of Scots' husband, in 1567?
0:37:45 > 0:37:48Mary and her husband's relationship had become strained
0:37:48 > 0:37:51and he died under very dubious circumstances.
0:37:53 > 0:37:57There was a huge explosion at the house where Lord Darnley was
0:37:57 > 0:38:00staying, but his body was found in the garden,
0:38:00 > 0:38:03giving rise to speculation he had escaped the first
0:38:03 > 0:38:06attempt on his life in the house, only to be murdered outside.
0:38:09 > 0:38:11It's thought that it was one of Mary, Queen of Scots' supporters,
0:38:11 > 0:38:14Lord Bothwell, who wanted to marry her.
0:38:14 > 0:38:16And what we now also know is that someone else who was
0:38:16 > 0:38:19present in that house was our man, Gilbert Kennedy.
0:38:22 > 0:38:25So it's pretty hard not to conclude that he was actually
0:38:25 > 0:38:29part of the plot to kill Mary Queen of Scots' husband, which makes
0:38:29 > 0:38:34him such a significant figure and a pretty murderous this one at that.
0:38:34 > 0:38:41This links the 4th Earl of Cassillis to one of the most intriguing unsolved murders in British history.
0:38:41 > 0:38:44These men reflect Scotland at the time.
0:38:44 > 0:38:47They were venal, they would do anything for power and money,
0:38:47 > 0:38:50and they were men who absolutely were there on the side of power
0:38:50 > 0:38:52and on the side of the monarch.
0:38:59 > 0:39:02Back at Cassillis, and the decor is being finished according to
0:39:02 > 0:39:05owner Kate's exact specification.
0:39:07 > 0:39:10Decorating this house is no simple task,
0:39:10 > 0:39:13as Peter Lawson has been finding out.
0:39:13 > 0:39:17These paints are hundreds of years old. Stripping it off.
0:39:17 > 0:39:19We fill in any damage.
0:39:19 > 0:39:24Just basically whatever your eye can see to get it as smooth as you possibly can.
0:39:24 > 0:39:28The old ceiling is kind of crumbling, so this stabilises it.
0:39:28 > 0:39:3290% preparation, 10% decoration.
0:39:32 > 0:39:36So this ceiling is now going to be lined and painted pure white.
0:39:36 > 0:39:41I would do away with the gold and make it pure white.
0:39:41 > 0:39:44Good for the colour reflection and things. But it's not my choice.
0:39:44 > 0:39:47Not my choice. I am not allowed to pick that.
0:39:51 > 0:39:55Lots of the cornicing in the house has been destroyed by water damage,
0:39:55 > 0:39:57so it must be recreated from scratch.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03Creating this ornate detailing is a highly-skilled trade,
0:40:03 > 0:40:07so the cornicing for Cassillis is being made at a specialist
0:40:07 > 0:40:10workshop in Edinburgh by John Baxter and Fraser Grey.
0:40:12 > 0:40:15A cast has been made from an undamaged section of the
0:40:15 > 0:40:19original at Cassillis, and from this, John has created a mould.
0:40:19 > 0:40:24There's 27 metres of this to do, so we can do maybe ten lengths,
0:40:24 > 0:40:26and that will give them extra.
0:40:26 > 0:40:30We don't like just to give them just the right amount. We'll give them a wee bit extra.
0:40:30 > 0:40:35On the bench, layers of wet plaster are being built up.
0:40:36 > 0:40:39If you like mess, this is great. There it is.
0:40:40 > 0:40:46To make the cornicing stronger, it is reinforced with gauze and wood.
0:40:46 > 0:40:49Then the plaster is shaped into cornicing.
0:40:56 > 0:41:00A bit of indentation here, so we just put that up there,
0:41:00 > 0:41:03and you'll find it'll...
0:41:03 > 0:41:06When the mould goes over, it will be quite smooth now, I hope.
0:41:11 > 0:41:13Yeah, looks good.
0:41:13 > 0:41:16Well, this is what we got from the castle.
0:41:16 > 0:41:18We're going to check it against it.
0:41:18 > 0:41:21Yeah, that's perfect.
0:41:21 > 0:41:24We feel we have got to keep protecting these buildings
0:41:24 > 0:41:26and keep them tiptop.
0:41:26 > 0:41:28I do get a sense of achievement.
0:41:28 > 0:41:31It's good to know that it's going somewhere very expensive as well,
0:41:31 > 0:41:33so it's always good to know that.
0:41:38 > 0:41:43Cassillis started out as a fortress, a defensive home for the wild earls.
0:41:43 > 0:41:47Kate's travelled back to the National Library of Scotland
0:41:47 > 0:41:53to find out about the Kennedys who lived there during a very different time - the 1800s.
0:41:53 > 0:41:56Now it's a peaceful time and the aristocrats no longer have to devote
0:41:56 > 0:42:00themselves to battle, so instead, they devote themselves to pleasure -
0:42:00 > 0:42:05to gambling, parties, drinking, and spending a huge amount of money.
0:42:05 > 0:42:09The 13th Earl of Cassillis, Archibald Kennedy,
0:42:09 > 0:42:11embodies the attitude of the day.
0:42:11 > 0:42:14He's part of a generation of 19th-century earls who
0:42:14 > 0:42:17reaped the financial rewards of lands that their predecessors
0:42:17 > 0:42:21had gained, and lived life to excess, spending the family money
0:42:21 > 0:42:25on transforming their old castles into lavish homes.
0:42:27 > 0:42:31It was during this time that the dramatic extension was added
0:42:31 > 0:42:35to Cassillis, which will now be the focus of Kieran's investigation.
0:42:35 > 0:42:41He's come to Edinburgh, to the Royal Commission of the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland,
0:42:41 > 0:42:45to find out about the architects responsible.
0:42:45 > 0:42:48This book is a book about David Bryce,
0:42:48 > 0:42:50who is one half of the partnership, Burn and Bryce,
0:42:50 > 0:42:54who were responsible for the most significant changes to Cassillis House.
0:42:54 > 0:42:59Their influence on Scottish architecture was really very great.
0:42:59 > 0:43:04They brought a classical education in architecture to Victorian Scotland.
0:43:04 > 0:43:07Burn and Bryce were responsible for the most radical
0:43:07 > 0:43:09changes at Cassillis House.
0:43:09 > 0:43:13What they came along and did was add the large new two-storey range
0:43:13 > 0:43:15to the front of the building, creating a whole new
0:43:15 > 0:43:20very Victorian home on the front of this ancient seat of that family.
0:43:20 > 0:43:26They also added things to the skyline of the tower and so on, meaning that, substantially,
0:43:26 > 0:43:30what we see today is an invention of the Burn and Bryce partnership.
0:43:30 > 0:43:33The changes Burn and Bryce made to Cassillis were in the
0:43:33 > 0:43:35Scottish Baronial style,
0:43:35 > 0:43:38a romantic interpretation of medieval architecture,
0:43:38 > 0:43:42which became the height of fashion during the 19th century.
0:43:42 > 0:43:45Whilst there is no evidence to suggest who had a greater hand
0:43:45 > 0:43:48in the transformation of Cassillis, it is most likely
0:43:48 > 0:43:52to be David Bryce, which would reflect its pedigree.
0:43:52 > 0:43:56Bryce was a superstar architect of the day and one of the greatest
0:43:56 > 0:44:00proponents of the fantasy-like Scots Baronial style.
0:44:00 > 0:44:04Kieran has come to one of his greatest buildings -
0:44:04 > 0:44:07Guthrie Castle on the east coast.
0:44:07 > 0:44:12Like Cassillis, it is a bold 19th-century addition to a much older building,
0:44:12 > 0:44:15and it's a masterclass in this style.
0:44:15 > 0:44:19There are things that we see that we can confidently call
0:44:19 > 0:44:21David Bryce signatures, if you like.
0:44:21 > 0:44:24They are also common to Cassillis, particularly the cylindrical
0:44:24 > 0:44:27turrets kind of hanging off the corners of the building.
0:44:27 > 0:44:31Also, the castellations, the stepped gables, the small details.
0:44:31 > 0:44:34One thing I think is really distinctive is the little
0:44:34 > 0:44:36bits of variation he puts into the building.
0:44:36 > 0:44:39You can see each gable is slightly different,
0:44:39 > 0:44:40has a slightly different set back.
0:44:40 > 0:44:43Each bay window is differently detailed, and all of these kind of
0:44:43 > 0:44:48modulations in the architecture seem very specific to Bryce's work.
0:44:48 > 0:44:52What's happening at Cassillis is exactly what is happening here at Guthrie Castle.
0:44:52 > 0:44:56Bryce is adding to the old, with modern additions,
0:44:56 > 0:44:59but intended to give you more of a romantic skyline,
0:44:59 > 0:45:02not just the functional, fortified skyline of the old tower house.
0:45:02 > 0:45:04And adding to it new buildings, modern buildings,
0:45:04 > 0:45:08what you end up with is something that is romantic, is a bit Disney,
0:45:08 > 0:45:10but it's really, really pleasing.
0:45:11 > 0:45:13I thought it was really important to come and see a building
0:45:13 > 0:45:18by Bryce to understand what was his specific contribution to Cassillis.
0:45:18 > 0:45:21I think, when we come here, we start to see similarities that
0:45:21 > 0:45:23make me think that Bryce had a significant hand.
0:45:25 > 0:45:27I think when we went to Cassillis the first time,
0:45:27 > 0:45:30it was clear that there had been a series of additions
0:45:30 > 0:45:34and adjustments that had described this trajectory from defensive
0:45:34 > 0:45:38fortification to a house of pleasure and of family life.
0:45:38 > 0:45:41That's a really interesting journey and one I understand so much better
0:45:41 > 0:45:44now, knowing this was something that was going on across Scotland.
0:45:44 > 0:45:48What I love is they didn't just decide to demolish the ancient buildings,
0:45:48 > 0:45:51but they invented an architecture that could work together with it.
0:45:51 > 0:45:55So you have, in a way, on one site at Cassillis, that continuity of
0:45:55 > 0:45:58ancient Scottish history and modern Scottish lifestyles.
0:46:04 > 0:46:05Back at Cassillis,
0:46:05 > 0:46:09and the final push to get the restoration completed is on.
0:46:09 > 0:46:13Outside, the biggest task of all is starting.
0:46:13 > 0:46:20This next job will hopefully show more clearly than any other that Cassillis has been restored.
0:46:20 > 0:46:23Scaffolding has been erected 25 metres tall.
0:46:23 > 0:46:26Every inch of the tower needs repainting.
0:46:27 > 0:46:29It's a paint job on a mammoth scale.
0:46:29 > 0:46:32First, a fungicidal solution is applied to the render,
0:46:32 > 0:46:35followed by a primer, then three coats of paint.
0:46:35 > 0:46:38It's a painstaking task.
0:46:38 > 0:46:41And nerve-wracking for Kate, as she had to choose the colour.
0:46:41 > 0:46:44This job is going to take a long, long time.
0:46:44 > 0:46:46You know, we are talking weeks and weeks.
0:46:46 > 0:46:51It's a very big, expensive item on your schedule, and you want to
0:46:51 > 0:46:54get it right, because you don't have the money to spend again to redo it.
0:46:54 > 0:46:57It's such a big project.
0:46:57 > 0:47:01I feel a little bit faint, actually, thinking about it.
0:47:01 > 0:47:03You will probably be talking somewhere in the region
0:47:03 > 0:47:05of 40-odd thousand pounds for that scaffold.
0:47:05 > 0:47:10That's a lot of money. The last thing you want to do is miss a bit.
0:47:10 > 0:47:13So a lot of pressure, a lot of pressure on them, and me,
0:47:13 > 0:47:18and everybody else, to meet Kate's expectations.
0:47:18 > 0:47:21Inside, if I make a mistake, it still costs money
0:47:21 > 0:47:23but it's easy enough to change.
0:47:23 > 0:47:27But this is just... It's like a quantum leap.
0:47:27 > 0:47:32It's not a wee gable end of your bungalow, it's a massive castle.
0:47:32 > 0:47:37And if you get it wrong, then, OK, another £40,000 scaffold, please,
0:47:37 > 0:47:39and another couple of hundred litres of paint.
0:47:39 > 0:47:42Get on with it. So, yeah, it has got to be done right.
0:47:42 > 0:47:45You can imagine driving up this drive.
0:47:45 > 0:47:50It's now going to be in-your-face, because it will be yellow.
0:47:50 > 0:47:51SHE WHIMPERS
0:47:53 > 0:47:56I just hope we get the colour right.
0:47:56 > 0:47:59So, good weather and good taste are needed for the final
0:47:59 > 0:48:02chapter of this restoration to be a success.
0:48:04 > 0:48:08Before we see the results of this enormous restoration, owner Kate's
0:48:08 > 0:48:12going to find out all that we have about her magnificent castle.
0:48:15 > 0:48:18So 15,000 men set off to England at what became
0:48:18 > 0:48:20known as the Battle of Solway Moss.
0:48:20 > 0:48:22Gilbert Kennedy was taken prisoner.
0:48:22 > 0:48:25So Henry VIII knew all about Gilbert Kennedy
0:48:25 > 0:48:29and asked particularly that he was taken to the tower.
0:48:29 > 0:48:32So, you know, our man was right there in the centre of things.
0:48:32 > 0:48:34It's amazing.
0:48:34 > 0:48:36We went to see Loch Leven Castle.
0:48:36 > 0:48:39Architecturally, this became a clue to what Cassillis once must have
0:48:39 > 0:48:42been like before its 19th-century additions.
0:48:42 > 0:48:45And if I thought the 3rd Earl was pretty influential,
0:48:45 > 0:48:47the 4th Earl was even bigger.
0:48:47 > 0:48:50And he and Mary, Queen of Scots became, essentially,
0:48:50 > 0:48:53terribly good friends. So she marries her cousin, Lord Darnley.
0:48:53 > 0:48:55He and his valet are both found strangled.
0:48:55 > 0:48:58What's really amazing is, guess who was there?
0:48:58 > 0:49:00Gilbert Kennedy was in the house.
0:49:00 > 0:49:03- Oh, my God!- Pretty thrilling.
0:49:03 > 0:49:07That is, like, an amazing piece of Scottish history. I mean, everyone knows that story.
0:49:07 > 0:49:09This was an important family.
0:49:09 > 0:49:13I mean, players on the national stage, even international stage.
0:49:13 > 0:49:15They are an amazing family.
0:49:20 > 0:49:23When Kate bought Cassillis, its future was threatened.
0:49:23 > 0:49:26With a leaking roof and crumbling walls,
0:49:26 > 0:49:29this Grade A listed property was in desperate need of help.
0:49:30 > 0:49:34The biggest and most costly restoration we've ever seen,
0:49:34 > 0:49:37Kate and the team have given their all to this incredible house.
0:49:42 > 0:49:44And now it's been saved.
0:49:53 > 0:49:57- Hello.- Hello.- It's lovely to see you.- It's great to see you, too.
0:49:57 > 0:50:01- And it's lovely to see the house such a brilliant colour!- I know.
0:50:01 > 0:50:02- After all that!- I know.
0:50:02 > 0:50:05You know, it was the thing that worried me the most,
0:50:05 > 0:50:08and I just love it. Absolutely love it.
0:50:08 > 0:50:11When you look at it now, do you still get that same
0:50:11 > 0:50:14- sense of awe and wonder as when you first saw it?- I think even more.
0:50:14 > 0:50:16- Do you? Yeah. - Yeah, now that it's all...
0:50:16 > 0:50:20You come up, and it was always an imposing structure,
0:50:20 > 0:50:23- but now, it looks so beautiful. - It does.
0:50:23 > 0:50:26It feels like a home, much more than it did so.
0:50:26 > 0:50:28But it's a grand home, I guess.
0:50:28 > 0:50:30So, can we go and have a look? Come on!
0:50:30 > 0:50:32THEY LAUGH
0:50:34 > 0:50:37The interior of Cassillis was dilapidated -
0:50:37 > 0:50:41much of the medieval tower was without heating and running water,
0:50:41 > 0:50:45and the lower ground floor was waterlogged.
0:50:45 > 0:50:48The entrance hall was dismal and uninviting.
0:50:50 > 0:50:53Now it's warm and stately.
0:50:53 > 0:50:54Oh, Kate!
0:50:54 > 0:50:57It's gorgeous.
0:50:57 > 0:50:59What a beautiful colour.
0:50:59 > 0:51:00It isn't orange.
0:51:00 > 0:51:02- THEY LAUGH - It's lovely!
0:51:04 > 0:51:06- CAROLINE GASPS - This is so beautiful.
0:51:06 > 0:51:10- This is a lovely little lobby, isn't it?- Yeah, it's beautiful. It's a beautiful area.
0:51:10 > 0:51:13We don't have a big staircase in the house, so this is kind of THE room.
0:51:13 > 0:51:16Yes, it's lovely.
0:51:16 > 0:51:20The drawing room was tired, with the intricate ceiling crumbling away.
0:51:23 > 0:51:27It's now an elegant space with many of the original features retained.
0:51:29 > 0:51:33- It's pretty blue.- It is so lovely!
0:51:33 > 0:51:36- I was worried a little bit about the blue being too cold.- It's not.
0:51:36 > 0:51:38But it's got a sort of slight warmth about it.
0:51:38 > 0:51:43It was a house that was begging for someone to treat it with respect.
0:51:43 > 0:51:46- Do you think you've done it justice? - I hope I've done it justice.- Yeah.
0:51:46 > 0:51:48I certainly feel it's got mod cons,
0:51:48 > 0:51:54but I did always want to preserve the history and the ambience.
0:51:56 > 0:51:59One of the biggest challenges they faced in this enormous
0:51:59 > 0:52:02restoration was downstairs in the kitchen.
0:52:02 > 0:52:04Do you know, I actually haven't seen it.
0:52:04 > 0:52:07They've put it in while I have been away in Australia,
0:52:07 > 0:52:10and I did come and try and look at it, and it was just covered...
0:52:10 > 0:52:13- It was wrapped up.- Shall we go and have a look?- Yeah, let's go.
0:52:13 > 0:52:15Oh, I'm really excited!
0:52:15 > 0:52:19It took weeks to solve the extensive flooding problems and the scullery
0:52:19 > 0:52:23and pantry walls needed rebuilding, but it's finally finished.
0:52:33 > 0:52:35- Whoa!- Kate!
0:52:35 > 0:52:37- I know!- It's dreamy.
0:52:37 > 0:52:40Look at this!
0:52:40 > 0:52:42- THEY BOTH GASP - What's in there?
0:52:42 > 0:52:44- It's the coffee machine.- Oh, wow!
0:52:44 > 0:52:46Look. Oh, look at this!
0:52:46 > 0:52:50It is so stylish. This pattern is beautiful.
0:52:50 > 0:52:52- Did you decide on this pattern? - Well, the pattern...
0:52:52 > 0:52:55- This is the original pattern. We took photographs of the floor.- Oh, I see.
0:52:55 > 0:52:57Having waited and worked long and hard,
0:52:57 > 0:53:00now you are in the kitchen, what do you think?
0:53:00 > 0:53:03Oh, yeah, can't wait to have my first cappuccino.
0:53:03 > 0:53:05SHE GIGGLES
0:53:05 > 0:53:09'Central to this restoration from start to finish
0:53:09 > 0:53:11'has been project manager Jim.'
0:53:11 > 0:53:13- How's it been?- It's been great.
0:53:13 > 0:53:16It's a job that we're never going to replace.
0:53:16 > 0:53:19It's going to be really difficult to get the same scenery,
0:53:19 > 0:53:24settings and just the history of the building. What more can you ask for?
0:53:24 > 0:53:25It's a special place, isn't it?
0:53:25 > 0:53:28Mm-hmm, and I have had the pleasure of working here.
0:53:29 > 0:53:33The best part has been the small cupboard we found
0:53:33 > 0:53:36when we never knew it was there. After that, probably the ballroom.
0:53:36 > 0:53:38It's beautiful, isn't it?
0:53:38 > 0:53:42We had so much work getting the services put through that,
0:53:42 > 0:53:45and getting it to look back the way it is has been just great.
0:53:45 > 0:53:48- Will you miss the house?- Yeah.
0:53:48 > 0:53:51Hey, there's always next year when we come back for the snagging.
0:53:54 > 0:53:56Come back, hope there's a big list!
0:53:58 > 0:54:04The stairs between the 19th-century house and the medieval tower were dark and dreary.
0:54:04 > 0:54:06I love the fact you have decided to whitewash this,
0:54:06 > 0:54:08because it ties the whole house together
0:54:08 > 0:54:11and it's brought light into what was a very dark space.
0:54:11 > 0:54:13- I know.- I've never seen that.
0:54:13 > 0:54:15I've never seen it before, until they painted it.
0:54:15 > 0:54:17It's fantastic, isn't it?
0:54:17 > 0:54:20This is actually one of my favourite views now of the whole house.
0:54:20 > 0:54:24- If you look down, it's like living in the inside of a shell.- Yes, it is.
0:54:26 > 0:54:29Every part of this house has been restored and modernised
0:54:29 > 0:54:35by its new owner, but what will former resident and descendant
0:54:35 > 0:54:39of the Kennedy clan, Lady Elizabeth, make of this transformation?
0:54:40 > 0:54:42Oh, my goodness!
0:54:42 > 0:54:44It's so light. I love the colour.
0:54:44 > 0:54:48It's particularly lovely that the house has been
0:54:48 > 0:54:51bought by someone who has put so much effort and love into it.
0:54:51 > 0:54:53Oh, this is lovely!
0:54:53 > 0:54:56I love this. Fabulous.
0:54:56 > 0:55:01It's sort of lovely to see it decorated like this, because it
0:55:01 > 0:55:06was a very happy room, and we had lots of happy family times on here.
0:55:06 > 0:55:11And it's super. You want to get big sofas and things in now, don't you,
0:55:11 > 0:55:12and make it like that.
0:55:12 > 0:55:15Make it live again and laugh again.
0:55:15 > 0:55:18When we were growing up, this level was known as the basement,
0:55:18 > 0:55:21where the dog slept. My father had his workshop.
0:55:21 > 0:55:26This was the old basement kitchen, which... Oh, how glorious!
0:55:26 > 0:55:29..which we used as a laundry.
0:55:29 > 0:55:32How amazing. I never thought they would use this as a kitchen.
0:55:32 > 0:55:37This was where, as children, we kept our bikes, all that sort of stuff.
0:55:37 > 0:55:42It's lovely to see a house restored like this. It really is.
0:55:42 > 0:55:45As the Kennedy family say goodbye to Cassillis,
0:55:45 > 0:55:49this house is starting a new chapter.
0:55:49 > 0:55:51This is your work, this place,
0:55:51 > 0:55:54and it is an incredible thing you have done here.
0:55:54 > 0:55:57You know, we've got lots of quirky little bits that we have left
0:55:57 > 0:55:59and could easily have covered up.
0:55:59 > 0:56:03But I personally like that. It gives me a bit of a thrill every time...
0:56:03 > 0:56:05- But are you going to stay in this house?- Well...
0:56:05 > 0:56:09Because I've always had difficulty with imagining it as your home.
0:56:09 > 0:56:11Do you know, it's one of those things, Caroline.
0:56:11 > 0:56:15The fact of the matter is, I don't think I can.
0:56:15 > 0:56:20Our personal circumstances have changed a bit in the last few months.
0:56:20 > 0:56:22I certainly want to spend more time with my mum in Australia.
0:56:22 > 0:56:25You know, the house and the project that we have achieved,
0:56:25 > 0:56:31and the achievement we have done, is kind of an award in itself.
0:56:31 > 0:56:33We don't necessarily have to live in it.
0:56:33 > 0:56:36Either way, if you decide to stay, fabulous.
0:56:36 > 0:56:39If you decide not to, I think it was your connection with the
0:56:39 > 0:56:43history of the house that bound you up to bringing it back to its glory.
0:56:43 > 0:56:48- But are you proud of what you have achieved?- Oh, absolutely.
0:56:48 > 0:56:50I am so proud I could burst.
0:56:50 > 0:56:55It's just absolutely beyond my wildest expectations, actually.
0:56:55 > 0:56:58It is a beautiful building and I think it always was
0:56:58 > 0:57:03a beautiful building, but now it's just like a fairy-tale castle.
0:57:08 > 0:57:11When construction started on Cassillis 600 years ago,
0:57:11 > 0:57:13it was built to last.
0:57:13 > 0:57:15It served as a fort,
0:57:15 > 0:57:20a home and a pleasure palace for 21 generations of the Kennedy clan.
0:57:20 > 0:57:23But in this last century, that history has taken its toll,
0:57:23 > 0:57:26and the walls were beginning to crumble.
0:57:26 > 0:57:29Salvation came not from Scotland,
0:57:29 > 0:57:33but like a whirlwind from across the world.
0:57:33 > 0:57:36Kate had very little association with this place, but what she did have
0:57:36 > 0:57:41was a love of history, a crazy dream, and pretty deep pockets.
0:57:41 > 0:57:44In the short time she has been at Cassillis,
0:57:44 > 0:57:47she has made it strong again.
0:57:47 > 0:57:51And she and her team, with their tireless dedication to its past,
0:57:51 > 0:57:54have now guaranteed its future.
0:57:59 > 0:58:03Next time on Restoration Home...
0:58:03 > 0:58:05In a street of despair,
0:58:05 > 0:58:10a house beyond hope has finally found a hero.
0:58:11 > 0:58:14When I look at that house, I just think, wow.
0:58:14 > 0:58:17But he's in a race against time.
0:58:17 > 0:58:19I mean, I am actually living in a building site.
0:58:19 > 0:58:23And he's staking everything on one wild gamble.
0:58:23 > 0:58:26Technically, yeah, they could take the house off me.
0:58:32 > 0:58:35Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd