To live in a castle is to understand that it is most certainly haunted. Although, I firmly believe this is (probably) true for pretty much any lodging space or venue that is remarkably old. Now, to be fair, I’ve never lived in a castle—and I’m confident neither have my friends. But Dominic West has one. So does Ozymandias himself, Jeremy Irons. And if I had to guess, I’d say both castles are probably haunted. It’s just the vibes. But for those interested in cohabitating with an otherworldly roommate, do I have news for you. A 16th century castle in Scotland is up for sale, and it comes with its own alleged ghost. A likely descendant of Robert the Bruce, no less!
Located in Fife, Scotland, Earlshall Castle, is just an easy 50 miles north of Edinburgh. Around 53 acres in total, the estate boasts a trio of cottages, a walled garden, and a five-car garage. In the main house itself are 10 bedrooms, six bathrooms (featuring an additional two dressing rooms), and eight reception rooms. Plus, per Smithsonian Magazine, where we first saw this news, two major Scottish regents visited the castle: Mary, Queen of Scots and James VI and I. How’s that for a little bit of history?
But let’s get back to the notable feature at hand: the ghost. The allegedly haunting is courtesy of Sir Andrew the Bloody Bruce, who, per the listing, a “notorious” Baron of Earlshall. While he held that intriguingly brutal title in life, in ghost form he largely keeps to himself, meandering the same stairwell. Per the listing, “His footsteps are said to be heard on the spiral stairs of Earlshall to this day.”
That stairwell in the image above may just be the home of the Bloody Bruce. The brochure certainly gives us a better look at his ghostly lodgings.
The Bruce line died out in the early 18th century, and fell into dereliction after the Hendersons, who’d inherited the castle, sold it in the mid 19th century. However, it was later restored by the famed Scottish architect Robert Lorimer, at the behest of one Robert Mackenzie in the 1890s. And as the pictures suggest, it’s still looking quite stunning—if a little busy.
A vast estate in the countryside, that’s adjacent to the home of golf and just a quick trip to the city? Not a bad deal. Especially given Bloody Bruce doesn’t insist on occupying a whole wing. However, if it sounds too good to be true, it might very well be considering the listing doesn’t name a price. So that means it’s probably going for a pretty steep opening offer. But one can dream!