There are 2 castles of different ages situated within 1 mile from each other.
Some history about the sites;
Old Dalquharran Castle lies on the north bank of the Water of Girvan and is passed on the Barony Walk. The ruined 15th century castle dates back as far as 1200. The 'new' Dalquharran Castle (not open to the public) dominates the village from high ground above the River Girvan. It was commissioned in 1781 and completed in 1790. This Robert Adam design was built for Kennedy of Dunure and his wife (who was Robert Adam's niece). The round bastion design is reminiscent of nearby Culzean built 10 years or so earlier. The tower contained the drawing room and library with a magnificent spiral staircase. The wings of the house were added in the 1880's. The large building became unmanageable and passed out of the family in 1935. The building is now in vacant and in need of complete restoration. Despite this it still retains its majesty when viewed from across the river or the hills south of the village.
We had a good scout in and about the "older" castle, then headed up the hill to the "newer" castle. Unfortunatly someone was resecuring the fences surrounding the property so could only take outside shots, I really wanted a shot of the circular staircase but sods law.
On with the photos!
The "older" castle
The "newer" castle
Some history about the sites;
Old Dalquharran Castle lies on the north bank of the Water of Girvan and is passed on the Barony Walk. The ruined 15th century castle dates back as far as 1200. The 'new' Dalquharran Castle (not open to the public) dominates the village from high ground above the River Girvan. It was commissioned in 1781 and completed in 1790. This Robert Adam design was built for Kennedy of Dunure and his wife (who was Robert Adam's niece). The round bastion design is reminiscent of nearby Culzean built 10 years or so earlier. The tower contained the drawing room and library with a magnificent spiral staircase. The wings of the house were added in the 1880's. The large building became unmanageable and passed out of the family in 1935. The building is now in vacant and in need of complete restoration. Despite this it still retains its majesty when viewed from across the river or the hills south of the village.
We had a good scout in and about the "older" castle, then headed up the hill to the "newer" castle. Unfortunatly someone was resecuring the fences surrounding the property so could only take outside shots, I really wanted a shot of the circular staircase but sods law.
On with the photos!
The "older" castle
The "newer" castle