Why we love Kellie Castle & Garden

Transcript

Five speakers: Viv Wilson (Visitor Services Manager); Martin Gulbis (Visitor Services Assistant); Andy Adams (Gardener); Diane Barrie (Gardener); Mhairi Stewart (Visitor Services Supervisor)

Viv
I'm Viv. I'm the Visitor Services Manager here at Kellie Castle, cared for by the National Trust for Scotland.
We are based just outside Pittenweem, 3 miles north-west, in the East Neuk of Fife.  

When you visit Kellie Castle, you'll find a range of things to see here.
We have a beautiful landscaped organic garden.
We also have lots of activities for children. 
We have a beautiful lawned area where you can grab a picnic from our retail shop.
You can also go for a lovely walk all around the extensive grounds.

When you visit us at Kellie Castle, you can book a guided tour.
It's on the hour, daily, and everyone is welcome.

The thing I love most is the diversity that the castle and the grounds offer.
So, you will always be able to find a quiet little area to either have a quiet chat, to sit and reflect on the weather, the sky, or your own life.
Whatever you want to do at Kellie Castle, you will find a place here.

Martin
My name's Martin. I work for the National Trust for Scotland at Kellie Castle, first as a volunteer four or five years ago, and then I became a part-time staff member and now work here full-time.

The castle originally would have been a defendable tower house.
The oldest bit is really old; that's almost 700 years old. But the frontage, that's more early 17th-century.
The Lorimer family were the people who saved it from becoming a ruin.  
But what was good about them, both as a family and individually, was that their ethic was to see what was there, and not just restore it but breathe new life into it.
It was a place that they wanted to live out their Arts & Crafts ideals.   

I think the ceilings of the castle are a real showcase. 
The oldest goes back to 1617 and is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, in Scotland.
That was done to honour the potential visit of the king, King James I and VI of Scotland.

I love Kellie Castle because it's a place that I think becomes more interesting the better you get to know it.
It's alive. It's got an atmosphere. It's got something breathing and living around it. 
And that's partly the people that work here; but the castle itself, it's got a presence.
The presence of the past, the presence of the people who've lived here and of the visitors who come and find new inspiration there as well.

Andy
My name's Andy. I've been a gardener here for 21 years.

It's an Arts & Crafts-style garden. It was designed by the Lorimers, and today we try and keep it in the style that they had it when they developed it. 
So, nothing much changes in the layout; planting-wise, it's kept relatively the same.  
The garden has recently achieved its full organic accreditation from the Soil Association, and it's the first garden in the National Trust for Scotland to do so.
So, we're quite proud of that.

I love Kellie for its unique style.
It's different from a lot of gardens, especially around this area.
I love just the peaceful tranquillity that you can get, come rain or shine. 
It's a nice place to be.

Diane
Hi, my name's Diane. I'm a gardener for the National Trust for Scotland here at Kellie Castle in Fife.

I love this place because we grow produce, from peaches to potatoes, plums to pumpkins. 
This is a produce piece of paradise.

Mhairi
My name's Mhairi and I'm a Visitor Services Supervisor here at the National Trust for Scotland's beautiful Kellie Castle & Garden.

We have an amazing team of full-time  and part-time staff here at Kellie Castle, as well as a fantastic team of volunteers that work in our castle, tearoom, shop and garden, and really help us to look after this place.
We've got an amazing collection here at Kellie Castle.
We're really lucky to still have a lot of the work of the Lorimers, including John Henry Lorimer's beautiful paintings and some of the furniture by Sir Robert Lorimer, as well as sculptures by Hew Lorimer.
It's amazing to see the work of such a creative family that were so heavily influenced by their time at this castle. 

One of my favourite places in the castle is John Henry Lorimer's studio in the North-west Tower.
You can really feel why he was so inspired here and really feel his creativity within the walls of the room.

I love a lot of things about Kellie!
I think one of the most important things to me is something that the Lorimers clearly noticed as well.
They inscribed above the door in Latin: 'This mansion snatched from rooks and owls stands for honest ease amidst labours.'  
And I think that's something I feel every day. 
No matter how hard your day is, you step outside and there's these beautiful surroundings, this tranquil feeling, and it just all melts away.