Baltersan Castle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Baltersan |
|
|---|---|
Baltersan (interior) looking south-east
|
|
| General information | |
| Status | Ruins |
| Type | tower-house |
| Town or city | Maybole |
| Country | Scotland |
| Coordinates | 55°20′34″N 4°42′35″W / 55.342731°N 4.709822°W |
| Completed | 1584 |
| Owner | Lichtsome Hoose Ltd |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 5 originally, none remain |
| Floor area | 250 m2 (2,700 sq ft) |
| Grounds | 0.75 acres (0.30 ha) |
Baltersan Castle is a ruined castle located near Maybole, South Ayrshire, Scotland. It's a special type of castle called an L-plan tower house. This means it has a main rectangular building with a smaller wing attached, making it look like the letter 'L'.
In 1971, Baltersan Castle was recognized as an important historic building. Later, in 1995, its importance was upgraded. Now, it's considered a Category A listed building, which means it's a building of national importance. The castle is currently for sale and needs a lot of repair. It's listed on the Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland, which means it's a historic building that needs urgent care.
History of Baltersan Castle
The land where Baltersan Castle stands today had an older house on it. This house belonged to a lady named Egidia Blair, who passed away in 1530. After her death, the old house was taken down. You can still see parts of her tomb at the nearby Crossraguel Abbey.
The current tower house was built in 1584. An inscription above the door tells us it was built by John Kennedy of Pennyglen and his wife, Margaret Cathcart.
A writer from the 16th century, Timothy Pont, described Baltersan Castle as a "stately fine house." He also mentioned it had beautiful gardens, orchards, parks, and woods around it. Imagine how grand it must have looked back then!
In 1721, the castle changed owners. It went to Captain Hugh Arbuthnot, who was a cousin of the Kennedy family. However, by the mid-1700s, the castle was left empty. It has been a ruin ever since.
In 2005, Baltersan Castle was even featured on a TV show called Dragons' Den. On the show, people present their business ideas to wealthy investors, hoping to get money. The owner of Baltersan Castle showed his plans to restore it. As of 2020, the castle is still for sale and needs someone to bring it back to life.
What Baltersan Castle Looks Like
Baltersan Castle is a three-story building. It also has an attic and a garret, which is a small room at the very top. The walls of the castle are very thick, about 4 feet (1.2 meters) wide!
The ground floor of the castle has a special arched ceiling called a vaulted ceiling. There are also small, round towers at two corners of the castle. These towers are made of finely cut stone, known as ashlar. These small towers have narrow openings called gun loops. These were used to fire guns from inside the castle to protect it.
Images for kids
-
Interior of Baltersan Castle
