Sorn Castle

Sorn Castle stands beside the River Ayr, just outside the village of Sorn in East Ayrshire. Its oldest part is a medieval tower house, built in the 15th century or earlier, with later additions in the 16th and late 18th centuries. In the 1860s David Bryce remodelled the castle in the Scots Baronial style for the Somervell family. A new entrance was added in 1909 by architect Henry Edward Clifford for Thomas W. McIntyre. The castle is protected as a category A listed building. The castle’s history is marked by royal visits and notable residents. In 1598 James VI attended the wedding banquet of Ludovic Stewart, 2nd Duke of Lennox, and Jean Campbell, staying two nights at Sorn. The nearby King’s Stable and King’s Well recall earlier visits by James VI or his grandfather James V. Among its residents were James Somervell and James Gordon McIntyre, Lord Sorn. Visitors find a striking tower house at the south-west corner, extended over centuries into a grand Scots Baronial residence. The 1860s remodelling by David Bryce gave it its present character, while the 1909 entrance by Clifford frames the approach. The castle’s setting beside the river and its long history of royal and noble connections make it a notable landmark in East Ayrshire.