Eglinton Castle

Eglinton Castle stood near Kilwinning in North Ayrshire as a grand Gothic mansion. Built between 1797 and 1802, it featured a central 100-foot round keep and four 70-foot outer towers, second only to Culzean Castle in grandeur. The 12th Earl of Eglinton laid its foundation stone in 1797, and the estate once covered 34,716 Scots acres. The castle contained unusual treasures, including a chair made from oak timbers of Alloway kirk, inlaid with a brass plaque bearing Burns’ poem Tam o’ Shanter. Earlier versions of the castle dated back to at least the 16th century, with rumours of escape tunnels linking it to nearby features. The castle’s history includes dramatic events, such as the 1640s plundering by Alasdair Mac Colla during Covenanting times. Legends speak of ley tunnels running beneath the estate, though only the Montgomeries’ underground burial vault under Kilwinning Abbey is confirmed. The grounds were once celebrated for their beauty, with hot-houses, parterres, cast-iron bridges, and statues described as a ‘region of enchantment’. Visitors in the 1840s wandered through dense woods, catching glimpses of the castle over the treetops. Today, the remains of the castle sit within a landscape shaped by centuries of care. The pleasure gardens once featured a glassy river, silvery cascade, and notable trees, including a 16-foot girth sweet chestnut and an 18-foot girth beech. The stables, built from stones of Kilwinning Abbey, stand apart as a large quadrangular building. Though much has changed since the castle’s heyday, the estate still holds traces of its former grandeur in the old waterfall, rockery, and scattered ruins.