The Basement

As you descend the stairs from The Gallery to the Basement, notice the painting on the right by David Alison, RS.A., of the 8th Duke of Roxburghe, KT. and other Knights of the Thistle.

The large open chest is the charter chest of the 4th Duke of Roxburghe. Amongst the family documents and letters on view is a facsimile of the Kelso Charter (the original being on loan to the National Library in Edinburgh) granting land at Kelso to Benedictine monks. The illuminated initial letter, illustrated here, shows (left) King David I with sword and orb and his grandson Malcolm IV (The Maiden) with sword and sceptre. There is also the original deed of Charles II vesting the estate of Floors in the 1st Earl of Roxburghe. Other items of interest include a basket woven by Queen Victoria and given to the 6th Duke of Roxburghe in 1866; collections of Victorian wash-basin sets made by Minton, Coalport and Daniell and a collection of copper kitchen utensils.

The letter, written by Mary Queen of Scots, dated 25th September 1566, is a summons to the Laird of Cessford to discuss her forthcoming visit to Jedburgh.

Amongst the collection of parasols, which belonged to Duchess May, there are two with handles designed and made by Carl Faberge, renowned for the jewellery and other objects he created for the last Czar of Russia.

In the Basement is also displayed a collection of Victorian decorative bedroom china - wash- hand basins and jugs, slop-pails and chamber pots. Most country houses once had their own letter boxes and Floors was no exception. The handsome wooden example here is shaped like its contemporary Royal Mail letter boxes with a carved top but with the Roxburghe coat-of-arms instead of the Royal cypher.

On the way out notice the collection of sporting guns including the huge 4-bore fowling piece with its 4' 6" long barrel. The 57I/21b salmon is the heaviest recorded salmon caught on the River Tweed. It was caught by Arthur Pryor on the Floors water in 1886 and the following account was reported in the Morning Post: "I had a very fine day's sport having up to four o'clock landed fourteen fish, weighing from 81b to 301b. I then hooked what I felt to be a heavy fish which took all my strength to hold him. After trying all he knew to get rid of the hook he went down through the rocks in safety. I then had hold of him for half an hour and my arms ached painfully. Downstream went the fish again but after an hour's hard struggle floated tail first into the landing net."

The last part of the Castle contains a collection of 19th century vehicles including a carriage and Bath chair, a Victorian perambulator and the Floors fire engine.

The door from the harness room leads out to the courtyard containing the Castle shop and restaurant In the centre is a statue of Mercury, a copy of the original by Donatello in Florence.