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Unlike most of the castles situated on the English / Scottish Border, Ayton Castle is a relative newcomer.
The Magnificent Castle is a leading example of James Gillespie Graham’s Victorian “Gothic Style”. James Graham, Scotland’s leading architect, designed the Castle in 1846, and it was built by the Mitchell-Innes family.
The original Pele Tower, upon which the castle was once built, was a stronghold of the Home family, only to be burnt down in 1834. The late Mitchell-Innes, subsequently purchased the estate and was recorded as William Mitchell-Innes of Ayton Castle, 1853-1859.
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The new owner commissioned Scottish architect James Gillespie Graham to build the new Ayton castle in 1851. The castle was to be built from red sandstone, in a unique Scottish baronial style, as it stands today.
Further additions and extensions were carried out from architects David Bryce and James Maitland, including the addition of a Billiard room and an extension of the present drawing room between 1860 and 1867. In 1860, following the death of William Mitchell-Inness, the castle was passed to his eldest son and heir, Alexander.
Alexander followed in the footsteps of his family and continued in the extensions and building works at Ayton, most notably by commissioning a fine new parish church, complete with impressive 36 metre spire.
The Barony of Ayton, the castle and its lands was sold in 1895 to Henry Liddell-Grainger of Middleton hall, and it remains in the family to this day. The castle is a lived in as a family home.
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