Lainshaw Castle facts for kids
Lainshaw Castle was an old castle from the 1400s. It was located about 1 mile (1.6 km) southwest of Stewarton, in East Ayrshire, Scotland. The castle stood near the Annick Water river. Over time, during the 1600s and 1700s, the castle was changed and became part of a larger building called Lainshaw House.
Contents
A Look Back at Lainshaw Castle
Who Owned the Castle?
Lainshaw Castle was first owned by the Stewart family. It was the main castle for the area of Stewarton. But in 1570, the castle changed hands and became the property of the Montgomery family.
New Owners and Changes
Later, in 1779, a man named William Cunninghame bought the castle. He was one of the "Tobacco Lords" – wealthy merchants who made money from the tobacco trade. He bought it from Sir Walter Montgomerie-Cunninghame. Sir Walter had lost a lot of money because of the American War of Independence.
William Cunninghame might have added a new three-story part to the back of the castle. When William Cunninghame passed away in 1799, his son, also named William, took over the estate. The younger William started a big project to update the castle. He wanted to make it look more modern in the classical style. In 1824, he added another part, this time in a Tudor-Gothic style.
What Lainshaw Castle Looked Like
Describing the Old Castle
In 1608, a writer named Pont described Lainshaw Castle as a "stronge old Dunijon." This means it was seen as a strong, old tower or fort.
Parts of the Original Castle Today
Even though the castle was changed into Lainshaw House, some parts of the original castle still remain. Most of the walls on the ground floor are from the old castle. Also, a large part of the southeast wall, standing over 11 meters (36 feet) tall, is from the original structure.
You can still see two small windows on the ground floor. There is also a larger window on the third floor with special decorative moulding. Many new doorways were cut into the old walls to connect to the newer parts of the house. Some of these doorways were later closed up. If you look at the southeast wall, you can see signs of three different rooflines from various building periods. Experts believe the original castle was built between the late 1400s and early 1500s.
