The Oval Staircase

There are four quite distinct stages to the building of Culzean, all accompanied by plans, dated 1777, 1779, 1785 and 1787. The first, undertaken in 1777, was the conversion of the old Scots house of the 16th century into an elegant 18th- century mansion overlooking the terraced gardens to the south. Behind this and between it and the sea, there still remained the old courtyard with the service buildings. The second stage was the construction of the brewhouse block. In 1785 work started again to replace these with a magnificent suite of rooms, perched on the very rim of the cliff. Finally, ten years after he first began work here, Robert Adam used the small and sunless courtyard which still separated the two parts of the house to reproduce a design of which space and light are the very essence. The dramatic effect is heightened by the contrast of the dark spaces through which it is entered with the light streaming down from above as well as by the curve of the stairs and the vertical shafts of the columns against a dark background. The result is surely one of Adam's finest achievements.

The traditional order of the columns on the first and second floors has been reversed. Adam used Corinthian, as being the most decorative order, for the principal floor, and shorter, slimmer Ionic for, the second floor to emphasise the perspective and thus the height.

The original colour scheme was restored by the National Trust for Scotland in 1981, being the final phase of the restoration of the interior of the castle. The entire balustrade, for many years smothered in gold paint which obliterated the fine detail, was removed in sections and completely stripped. There was evidence of dark blue pail on the ironwork and this has been reproduced leaving the cast-brass enrichments to speak for themselves.

Sympathetic lighting is provided by inverted glass bells. Twelve lamps for the staircase are mentioned in the accounts and copies were made from three that had survived in the attic; the design was confirmed by a drawing in the Soane Museum.

At the bottom of the stairs are small bronze cannon on naval-type carriers. The two large carved torcheres are Regency, and the set of eight mahogany George III hall chairs painted on the backs with the Kennedy crest - a dolphin - were designed for the house.