Upcycling with the Lorimers

Kellie Castle was first leased in 1878 by Professor James Lorimer, who was looking for a holiday home and found a project. It took many years to restore what had become a dilapidated building.

It’s fairly well known that James’s sons, the artist John Henry Lorimer and the architect Robert S Lorimer, both lived and worked at Kellie, as did their nephew and son (respectively) Hew Lorimer, the 20th-century sculptor who made Our Lady of the Isles for South Uist. They were all creative artists inspired by Kellie’s history and architecture.

What’s less well known is how Kellie inspired Hew’s wife, Mary. Hew and Mary met at art school in Edinburgh in the 1930s; she was an excellent painter, he a budding sculptor. They moved into Kellie Castle in 1942 (first leasing it from the Earl of Mar and Kellie), and finally bought the property in 1948.

Mary launched herself into the task of creating a home. It was the able Mary who pumped water from a cistern by hand and lit lamps, paraffin heaters and candles when they first moved to Kellie (there was no heat, running water or electricity at first). It was Mary who painted rooms, fixed the wall panelling, dug and replanted the garden, repaired and re-designed furniture, all while raising their three young children.

Here are just a few of the things she did to improve the house and make it a home, which will maybe inspire you over these coming weeks: