Hallowe’en capers may be curtailed this year but if you’re in need of a gentle fright fix then how about some tombstone topiary in North London and a Scottish castle with a grisly tale to tell?

The beautifully restored Earlshall Castle in Fife was built by Sir William Bruce in the turbulent 16th century. Mary Queen of Scots and James VI of Scotland, later James I of England, went there to hunt, but it was Sir Andrew Bruce who gave the castle its spooky credentials. 

Sir Andrew was the notorious 5th Baron of Earlshall, dubbed Bloody Bruce after his brutal defeat of the Covenanters at the Battle of Airds Moss in 1680. His footsteps are said to echo on the spiral stairs of Earlshall, above, to this day.

The castle’s best known feature is its topiary lawn which is now over 125 years old. And, speaking of topiary, the roof terrace of a modernist house named Valhalla in London's Highgate has planting clipped to resemble tombstones, above.

The two-bedroom house borders the famous Highgate Cemetery (top) and included in the sale is the owner’s collection of ephemera and memorial cards relating to the burial ground. 

You can see more of both properties in our gallery below. 

Further information

Contact Jamie Macnab

Contact Peter Brookes

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