A royal property since 1402, Falkland Palace will be forever associated with the romantic, yet tragic, Stuart dynasty. King James I confiscated an earlier castle on the site. His successors, James IV and James V, turned the original towerhouse into a small palace of some considerable style. Both Charles I and Charles II stayed at Falkland but after the end of the Stuart monarchy, and its burning in 1654, Falkland gradually fell into disrepair. Fortunately, in 1887 the 3rd Marquees of Bute (who was the wealthy patron of Cardiff Castle and Castell Coch) became Custodian and began a program of restoration that was continued by his successors. Falkland Palace is also famous for its 'real' or 'Royal' tennis courts (the oldest in Britain), built in 1539 for James V.