Castle Wemyss facts for kids
Imagine a grand old house called Castle Wemyss! It was a huge mansion located in Wemyss Bay, Scotland. This amazing building sat right on the southern coast of the Firth of Clyde, a large sea inlet, at a spot called Wemyss Point.
History of Castle Wemyss
Castle Wemyss was built around 1850. A man named Charles Wilsone Brown, who developed land, had it constructed. He wanted to build many homes in Wemyss Bay. By 1855, he had built 36 villas, up from just four! These homes were rented by rich business people from Glasgow. People even called the area 'Little Glasgow'!
In 1860, Wilsone Brown sold the mansion to Sir John Burns. Sir John later became known as Baron Inverclyde. He hired a famous architect named Robert William Billings. Billings redesigned the house in the Scottish baronial style. This style makes buildings look like old Scottish castles! He added a new floor, new sections, and a clock tower.
Famous Visitors to the Castle
Castle Wemyss became a very popular place to visit. Many important and famous people stayed there. These included Lord Shaftesbury, a well-known social reformer. The famous writer Anthony Trollope also visited. Even General Sherman from America came to stay. Other guests included the explorer Henry Morton Stanley. Royalty also visited, like Peter II of Yugoslavia and Emperor Haile Selassie. Members of the British royal family also enjoyed stays at the castle.
It is said that Anthony Trollope wrote part of his book Barchester Towers while at Wemyss Bay. Some people also believe that 'Portray Castle' in his book The Eustace Diamonds was based on Castle Wemyss. Whether true or not, Trollope did describe a castle very similar to Castle Wemyss in his stories. He even mentioned the real Castle Wemyss in his travel book, How the 'Mastiffs' Went to Iceland. This book was about a trip he took from the Clyde to Iceland in 1878.
The Burns family owned the house for a long time. It stayed in their family until 1957. That's when Alan, the 4th Baron Inverclyde, passed away. His family could not afford to keep up such a huge property. So, they sold it to a company that develops land. Later, the Inverkip Power Station was built on the northern part of the castle's large estate.
What Happened to Castle Wemyss?
New laws about building on green spaces meant that the house itself was left alone for a while. Even though much of the land around Wemyss Bay was developed in the 1960s and 1970s, the castle remained untouched. It slowly started to fall apart. To avoid paying taxes on the house, its roof was even removed! Finally, in 1984, the castle was torn down.
In the 1990s, the land where the castle stood was finally redeveloped. Today, all that is left of the grand house are some broken stone steps and a flagpole. A large monkey puzzle tree that marked the entrance to the drive had to be removed for safety. However, a local group called the Woodlands Trust is working to restore the old Victorian fernery. They are clearing away the rhododendrons that had overgrown it. Now, there are even formal paths in the woods next to where the castle used to be.
