Eglinton Castle
Eglinton Castle Details
Eglinton Castle, remains of C18 mansion of the Montgomeries built on the site of a ?C16 tower. Abandoned and demolished C20.
- Closest To: Irvine, Kilwinning
- Access: Free Public Access
- Grid Reference: NS323422
The ruins of Eglinton Castle that can be seen today are those of the much extended 19th century mansion house of the Montgomeries which incorporated much earlier work. What remains is within a public park and easy to access for the public.
The old tower house was supposedly destroyed in 1528 in a feud and rebuilt but I suspect the degree of destruction was exaggerated. By 1565 it was predominantly serving as a residential building and described as of “no strength” suggesting that the courtyard was no longer defensive, and was repeatedly extended into the 18th century. However in 1802 a complete rebuild was undertaken that damaged the family finances, finally stretched too far by the creation of Ardrossan Harbour. in 1925 the palace was deroofed, and in 1973 most was demolished. The park is maintained by the local authority.
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