Castle Semple

Castle Semple is a former mansion house in Renfrewshire, Scotland. It stands near the eastern end of Castle Semple Loch, within Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. The site was once a large estate of nine hundred acres. John Sempill, the first Lord Sempill, rebuilt the house and gave it its present name. George Crawford’s 1710 history describes orchards and gardens beside the loch. The estate passed through several owners after the Sempills. Colonel William M’Dowall demolished the old house in 1735 and built a grand gothick mansion with famous gardens. In 1818 it was sold to John Harvey of Jamaica. The house burned in 1924 and the ruins were cleared in 1960, leaving four outbuildings that once served the mansion. Visitors now see the remaining outbuildings converted into private homes. These include the billiard room, stables, servants’ quarters and coach house, all grade B listed. Nearby are gate-arches, a walled garden and a small temple folly on a knoll. The loch holds a cannon with royal arms and the letters J.R.S. Eastward lie the remains of Elliston Castle tower.