Castle Semple Collegiate Church

Castle Semple Collegiate Church stands in Renfrewshire beside Castle Semple Loch, part of Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. The late Gothic church sits two miles west of Howwood on minor roads. Historic Environment Scotland protects it as a Scheduled monument. A stone in the outer wall shows the letters R. L. S. and the arms of Sempill and Montgomerie. The church once had a provost, six chaplains, two boys, and a sacristan under John Sempill, 1st Lord Sempill. The building is a simple oblong with a three-sided apse at the east end and a square tower at the west. Its double windows are late survivals of Gothic style. The east apse was added in the 16th century to hold Lord Sempill’s monument after his death at Flodden in 1513. Two coats of arms appear over the chancel door, one bearing the Sempill arms and the other those of Montgomerie. The interior was divided by two solid walls into three private burial compartments. Visitors find ivy covering the walls and penetrating inside after the roof was removed in the 1800s. A large monument to Lord Sempill stands in the eastern compartment. A monumental slab in the central compartment honours Gabriel Sempel, who died in 1587. Remains of original square-headed windows can still be seen in the side walls. The church’s setting near the loch and within the regional park adds to its quiet atmosphere.