A grand 17-bedroom castle in the Scottish Borders, steeped in history and boasting a private railway, is up for sale with a hefty price tag of over £3 million. Ayton Castle, nestled in the tranquil countryside near Berwick-upon-Tweed, comes complete with stables, a private chapel, servants’ quarters, and even its own railway system.
The opulent property is currently listed with estate agents GSC Grays, who have set a guide price of offers over £3.25m. The castle is widely recognised as one of Scotland’s finest examples of baronial-style architecture, designed by James Gillespie Graham, a leading figure in the Gothic revival movement of the early 19th century.
Built around a medieval tower house, the castle sits on an expansive plot of over 160 acres. The interior includes three state rooms, 17 bedrooms, nine bathrooms, a breakfast room, two lodges, estate houses, and a traditional stone-built stable yard housing three flats.
The private railway boasts its own platform, ticket office, engine and rolling stock shed, and a joiner’s shop, making it a popular choice for weddings. Inside, a turnpike staircase leads from the gallery to the first floor, with additional stairs to the upper levels.
The first floor houses 12 bedrooms and six bathrooms, while the second floor offers four more bedrooms and two bathrooms. The grounds also feature a stable block, which the current owners have utilised to run a livery business.
Facilities include stabling for approximately nine horses, various loose boxes, several stores, a staff room, a tack room, a workshop and a double garage.
The property also boasts an all-weather manege, an outdoor area for horse riding and dressage training, along with four additional loose boxes behind a barn for storing hay and straw.
Since 2014, the current owners have made significant enhancements to the castle, including partial re-wiring, re-plumbing and redecorating several of the main rooms.
They’ve also designed a formal garden in the southern part of the estate and installed a 10 1/4-inch gauge 600m railway that meanders through a section of the grounds.
This railway features its own platform, ticket office, engine and rolling stock shed, and a joiner’s shop. It has previously served as a unique wedding venue. The historic castle is situated two miles from the Berwickshire coast and close to the village of Ayton, which offers a shop, a primary school and a pub.
Berwick-upon-Tweed is a mere seven miles from the castle, providing rail connections to Edinburgh and London, with the A1 motorway also within easy reach. Edinburgh is 51 miles from the castle, with the airport just 58 miles away and Newcastle upon Tyne 73 miles distant.
According to the GSC Grays brochure: “An iconic Scottish Castle with land, extensive secondary accommodation and limitless potential.
“Ayton Castle is widely regarded as Scotland’s finest baronial-style building and was designed by James Gillespie Graham, Scotland’s leading Gothic revival architect of the early 19th century. The Castle is a magnificent example of a Scots baronial house, primarily over two storeys, with a five-storey ‘Great Tower’.
“The castle is built of squared and snecked red sandstone with sandstone ashlar dressings, corbelled eaves with rope-moulded corbelling to the turrets, crenellated parapets, crow-step gables and roll-moulded stone sills.”
