Cessnock Castle

Cessnock Castle stands in a wooded ravine near Galston in East Ayrshire. The keep dates from the 15th century, with later additions forming a U-shaped mansion. A small river, the Burnanne, runs close by. The site began as a building recorded in 1296. Over the centuries it passed through the hands of the Campbells, Dicks, Wallaces, Scotts and De Fresnes. Since the mid-1990s the Cogley family have owned it and restored the property. The castle’s massive tower has three storeys and an attic, topped by a corbie-stepped gabled roof. Inside, a vaulted basement remains, while the first floor once held the great hall. A painted ceiling from the late 16th century survives in the newer part of the house. Private chambers were on the upper floors. A bell tower once stood on the north-west gable but has gone. Visitors find the keep and adjoining mansion set among tall trees beside the ravine. The great hall still shows traces of its painted ceiling. Local tradition speaks of a lady who died during Mary, Queen of Scots’ stay and is said to haunt the castle. John Knox is also said to linger here. The Hunter Valley town of Cessnock in New South Wales took its name from the castle in the 1820s.