The Robert Adam Staircase

“The story behind the creation of the staircase is very interesting,” says Gordon. “When Robert Adam arrived here there were a number of existing buildings on site. He wasn’t able to knock it all down and buildings had to be adapted. He had a 1590s tower house to start from and part of that is still here, within the castle building. Work started in 1777, that was phase one. Wings were then built in stage two. Stage three knocked down more of the older buildings and built the drum tower and round rooms. This left a disjointed staircase in the middle and, in stage four around 1787, they opened up the middle of the castle and added this magnificent oval staircase, designed for the space that was available. Normally everything radiates from a staircase, but here at Culzean it was the last thing built. This was the final piece that tied the castle together, a stunning piece of architecture.”