Dean Castle and Country Park

---

Dean Castle Country Park is a fantastic free day out for all the family.

The Park

The Country Park, covering over 200 acres, is nestled in the heart of Kilmarnock and offers much for children and adults alike to enjoy.

The park boasts beautiful woodland walks, adventure playground, pets' corner, visitor centre, tearoom, shop and a 14th century keep, housing world class collections of historic weapons, armour and musical instruments.

Explore the park using scenic paths and trails. Each season brings with it ever-changing plants and wildlife that you might spy along the way. Visit the urban farm area and meet some of the residents - Bruno, Lucy and Murron the Kunekune pigs; our herd of fallow deer; Prince, Lexi and Crystal the llamas; Timmy and Pip the donkeys and our gentle giant - Scott the Clydesdale. Pop into the discovery room and learn more about local wildlife and speak to any of the Rangers who are always on hand to answer questions.

Our Countryside Ranger Service, based within the field centre at Dean Castle Country Park, works to educate, interpret, monitor and protect wildlife and its environment, not just within the country park but throughout East Ayrshire. The work of our Countryside Rangers is very varied and includes:

• practical conservation works
• countryside events
• wildlife surveys
• working with communities/schools
• environmental education 

East Ayrshire Council has approved a development and management plan for Dean Castle Country Park, Kilmarnock. The document and the associated Strategic Environmental Assessment Environmental Report are available to view at Dean Castle Country Park Visitor Centre, on this page or the Dean Castle Country Park website. For further information please contact us.

Please note that the management plan is a 16MB file and may take a minute or two to open.

The Castle

 

 

Dean Castle takes its name from ‘The Dean’ or wooded valley – a common place name in Scotland. The original keep dates from around 1350, with the Palace being added around 110 years later.

Built by the Boyd family, it has strong historical connections with many people and events in Scottish history – Robert the Bruce who gave the lands to the Boyds; James III whose sister married a Boyd; the Covenanters – some of whom were imprisoned there; Bonnie Prince Charlie – whose rebellion was joined by the 4th Earl of Kilmarnock; and Robert Burns, who was encouraged to publish his poems by the Earl of Glencairn who owned the castle at the time.

The 8th Lord Howard de Walden (Thomas Evelyn Ellis) inherited the castle in 1899 and spent many years restoring it, as it had suffered over two centuries of neglect after being gutted by fire in 1735. The restoration of the Keep was completed in 1908 and the Palace in the 1930s. He also collected some of the country’s finest collections of swords, weapons and armour, now housed within Dean Castle.

Lord Howard De Walden was married to Margherita Van Raalte, the daughter of a Jewish Dutch immigrant, Charles Van Raalte, who was responsible for the finest collection of historical musical instruments anywhere in Europe. This collection is also housed within Dean Castle. Lord Howard De Walden died in 1946 and was succeeded by his son – the Right Honourable John Osmael Scott Ellis - as the 9th Lord Howard De Walden and Seaford. In 1974, he gifted the castle and its collections to the people of Kilmarnock and in 1976 the castle was opened to the public. The collections of arms and armour, historical musical instruments and tapestries are some of the finest in Europe.

Free tours of the castle are available all year round.

Visitor Centre

The visitor centre, which was updated in 2008, houses a tearoom and  gift shop with pocket money toys, souvenirs and natural history items . Learn about local wildlife through interpretation and watch some of the resident wildlife of the country park on our nature cameras.

Dower House

This is a prestigious venue for all types of conferences and a popular choice for weddings

Visit our website using the link on this page to find out about the country park, tours of the castle, weddings and much more.

For school bookings, to visit the castle or contact the Ranger service, please contact us using the details below.

 

Contact Information