Ferniehurst Castle, Jedburgh
Ferniehurst Castle is the original seat of the Kerrs of Ferniehurst, who subsequently became Earls and Marquesses of Lothian, and whose principal seat is now Monteviot House. Ferniehurst is a 'Z' plan house of the late 16th century which had been long unoccupied when it was recorded by Dr Thomas Ross in the 1880s and which was repaired and partly restored in the 1920s. For many years it was used in its partly finished state as a Youth Hostel and was much loved by its patrons.
In the early 1980s, Lord and Lady Lothian passed Monteviot to their eldest son, the Earl of Ancram - better known as Mr Michael Ancram MP - who resolved to fulfil a long-held ambition to live at Ferniehurst Castle. In 1984-6 the main part of the castle was repaired and restored as a single house, originally for holiday letting and opening to the public, and the ruinous kitchen wing was substantially rebuilt and extended, with a thatched roof in the manner, almost, of a 'cottage orne', as a small house for Lord and Lady Lothian. The chapel was repaired and converted to a simple visitor centre and an office for Lady Lothian at the same time.
