19 August 2009: Kelburn Castle, North Ayrshire

Kelburn Castle is the seat of the Earls of Glasgow and began life as a Norman keep in the thirteenth century.   The de Boyville family, who built the keep, came to Britain with William the Conqueror in 1066, and eventually settled at Kelburn around one hundred years later. They have remained there ever since – with the de Boyville name changing to Boyle over the years – making Kelburn what is thought to be the oldest castle in Scotland to have been continuously occupied by the same family.

The original keep is now enclosed within a grander castle, completed in 1581 by the then Laird, David Boyle.  Several generations later, in 1700, another David Boyle – the first Earl of Glasgow – was responsible for the construction of a large mansion house joined to the existing castle.

In 2007, conservation experts informed the owners that the concrete harling on the building would have to be replaced to avoid further damage occurring to the stone walls.  The Earl invited four of the world’s leading graffiti artists from Brazil to work alongside Scottish talent to paint the walls and turrets of the south side of the Castle, creating a temporary artistic statement that will disappear when the concrete is removed, possibly later this year.

RCAHMS photographers have captured this clash of urban art form and historic rural castle to add to the national collection of buildings, archaeology and industry, ensuring a lasting record of both Kelburn Castle and the artistic project.