Built between 1597 and 1611 by George Bruce, an entrepreneurial merchant, the Palace is both a monument to the times (the reign of Jacques VI) and to a man. Despite the foreign origin of many of the materials used (tiles, Baltic pines, Dutch tiles, glass), the buildings are a superb example of domestic architecture of the 16C and 17C. The rooms are small, pine-panelled for insulation, and offer interesting examples of typical decorative painting of the time.