Newark Castle Port Glasgow

Newark Castle in Port Glasgow is a well preserved and extensive tower house of the 15th and 16th century built for the Maxwell family and now managed by historic Environment Scotland. It retains its roof and internal levels so as such is an excellent site to visit. The lands came to the Maxwells in 1402 without any record of a manorial centre, and the early tower dating to the last quarter of the 15th century appears to have been the first building onsite.

What “old werk” it replaced is unknown, but the tower was associated with a courtyard and then extended at the end of the 16th century. The Maxwells retained ownership of Newark into the early 18th century, when it was sold to Cochrane of Kilmaronock, and then sold again repeatedly. At times in disrepair, it passed to state care in 1909 and was restored.

Official Historic Scotland page

HES Canmore database entry