Scotland · Still standing
Stobo Castle
Stobo Castle is an early 19th‑century castellated country house at Stobo in the Scottish Borders, built 1805–1811 to designs by Archibald and James Elliot. The house is a Category A listed building and sits in extensive designed grounds that include terraces, Japanese‑influenced water gardens and three large lakes. The property faces the River Tweed near its junction with the Lour Burn and today is operated as a health spa and hotel.
Its prime
1905
Today
Still standing
As it stood in 1905
What Stobo Castle looked like in its prime.
A large early‑19th‑century castellated stone country house with battlemented roofline and a prominent entrance porte‑cochère on the main front. The composition reads as a landscaped country seat rather than a medieval keep, set behind formal terraces that descend to water features and three broad estate lakes. Broad lawns and specimen trees frame the approach; the River Tweed and the junction with the Lour Burn lie close by, visible from the lower garden levels. The house appears complete and in active use.
Its story
The story of Stobo Castle.
Hill House, the Barony of Stobo and the Montgomery Purchase
Stobo Castle is the seat of the barony of Stobo, a feudal lordship created in 1577 with origins dating back to the twelfth century. A tower house known as Hill House formerly stood on the site of the present castle. In 1650, together with Dawyck House, the Stobo estate was the first in Scotland to introduce the non-native horse chestnut.
The estate was owned by the Murrays of Tweedsmuir around 1750. In 1767 the Stobo estate and its barony were bought by James Montgomery, a judge who served as Lord Advocate and Lord Chief Baron of the Scottish Exchequer from 1775. He was created a Baronet in 1801.
The Elliots' Castellated House and the Graham-Montgomery Additions, 1803–1872
On Montgomery's death in 1803 his son James inherited the estate and commissioned a new house from the architect James Elliot, brother and partner of Archibald Elliot. Stobo Castle was built between 1805 and 1811 in a castellated style, under the supervision of both brothers. In 1849 Sir Graham Graham-Montgomery, 3rd Baronet, added the porte-cochère to a design by John Lessels, and in 1872 he had the grounds redesigned by John Hay.
Philipson's Water Gardens, the Countess of Dysart and the Health Resort
In 1905 Stobo was sold to the English cricketer Hylton Philipson. A keen gardener, Philipson laid out the Japanese-influenced water gardens and terraces and formed three large lakes on the estate. In 1939, after Philipson's death, it was sold again to Wenefryde Scott, 10th Countess of Dysart.
In the post-war years the estate was subdivided, and the contents of the house were auctioned by Sotheby's in April 1972. The castle was purchased in 1975 by the Winyard family, who established a health resort. A large extension of new hotel rooms and a swimming pool was opened in 2003. In late 2020 the 3,884-acre Stobo Estate was put up for sale at an asking price of £12 million, and was subsequently sold in seven lots and broken up. As a result of these property disposals the barony of Stobo is now held independently of ownership of either the castle or its surrounding lands.
The house is operated as a health spa and has been protected as a category A listed building since February 1971. Its grounds, which face the River Tweed near its junction with the Lour Burn in the Scottish Borders, are included in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland, the national listing of significant parks and gardens.
Step inside
7 places to explore in 1905.
The record describes 7 distinct spots at Stobo Castle, including the full exterior approach. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.
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Clans who held Stobo Castle.
The families that held Stobo Castle for a decade or more across its history, follow a name to its clan.
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