Mearns Castle

Mearns Castle stands on a rocky knoll in Newton Mearns, East Renfrewshire, south of Glasgow. Built in the 15th century as a tower house, it was commissioned by Herbert, Lord Maxwell under a royal warrant issued in 1449. The castle remained in the Maxwell family until the 16th century, when James VI took possession of it. Later it passed to the Shaw-Stewart family before becoming part of the Maxwell Mearns Castle Church in 1971. The building is now a Category A listed structure and gives its name to a nearby high school. The castle’s thick stone walls, up to three metres deep, show signs of earlier construction beneath. The main entrance was once reached by ladder and is now sealed, while the vaulted basement and first-floor hall remain accessible. Traces of a surrounding barmkin wall can still be seen along the edge of the knoll. A high bank on the southeast side was cut to form a causeway leading to the gatehouse. The first-floor hall features stone window seats and once had a minstrels’ gallery. Visitors find a restored tower with original corbelling and ashlar masonry. The vaulted basement and hall are open to view, along with the mural stair that leads between floors. The rocky knoll offers views over Newton Mearns, and the nearby church complex incorporates the castle as a modern link. The site is quiet and uncluttered, with only faint traces of the outer defences remaining.