Castle owners to review safety after death of wedding guest

Man died when car left single-track road

The owners of a Perthshire Castle where a wedding guest was killed in a car crash will review safety measures on their main drive following the tragedy.

Steven Keddie was killed when his car left the single-track road at Fingask Castle on Saturday evening.

Owner Andrew Murray Thriepland was returning from a holiday when his estate manager called him with the news.

He initially feared the car had fallen down one of the many steep gullies that run along each side of the road.

Although the crash appeared to have happened on a straight, flat section of track, Mr Murray Thriepland said he would be improving safety measures elsewhere on the route as a precaution.

He said: “We got back at 11.30pm having had messages from Renton Leadbetter, the manager, that there had been a death and police had closed the road to the castle.

“When I first heard about it I thought they could have gone into one of the gulches – there’s a big drop on either side and if that had happened it would have been fatal for all of them.

“They went into a hedge, but it’s made me realise that I don’t think my fences are strong enough. Therefore I’m going to strengthen them where they cross the gulches.”

He added that he had offered the use of the castle to Mr Keddie’s family for a funeral and celebration of his life.

A popular hairdresser at the Cutting Edge salon in Cupar, the 29-year-old had styled bride Emma-Louise Taylor’s hair for the ceremony, and was also attending as a guest, having known Emma and fiancé Gavin Bissett, from Fife, since their school days.

On Sunday morning tyre tracks could be seen on the road surface leading from a verge on one side to a damaged hedge on the other where the accident appears to have occurred. Another track behind the hedge was cordoned off with police tape.

The crash happened shortly after the wedding breakfast had finished, at around 5.40pm, and Mr Keddie was in the car with two other guests.

Fingask Castle was built in 1592 and expanded in the 19th Century. It is famed for its topiary gardens, which make it a popular venue for weddings.

Steven Keddie died shortly after the wedding breakfast at Fingask Castle had finished on Saturday.