A royal hunting lodge stood here in the late 12th century, and it became a castle of the Earls of Fife. James I took it for the crown after 1424. James IV and James V transformed it into a Renaissance palace between 1497 and 1541. The South and East courtyard facades were remodeled from 1537 to 1542, in a French Renaissance style the article compares to Villers-Cotterêts. Nicolas Roy, a French mason, was sent to Scotland in 1539.
The palace is local sandstone, with an L-shaped plan on three hectares. A fire during Cromwell's occupation led to ruin. John Kinross and Robert Weir Schultz restored it for the 3rd Marquis of Bute from 1887.
The National Trust for Scotland is Deputy Keeper, and it is a scheduled monument. The Chapel Royal hosts Catholic Mass on Sundays.
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