Portencross Castle

Portencross Castle - Photo © Dave Hitchborne, 11 July 2007

Portencross Castle - Photo © Colin Park, 29 May 2006

Portencross Castle - Photo © Dave Hitchborne, 11 July 2007

Portencross Castle, also known historically as Portincross Castle, is situated in Portencross, on the west coast of Scotland, about 3km from West Kilbride. The site has been fortified since the 13th Century. The present building is thought to date from the 14th Century and later, when the castle was moved from the nearby Auld Hill to its present site overlooking the harbour.

The castle was one of the buildings featured in the BBC television series Restoration and is the subject of efforts by a local community group to secure its future.

History

In the castle's earliest days, it was known as "Arneil" (alternatively spelled "Arnele" or "Ardneil"), and it stood atop Auld Hill. Portencross is believed by some to have been a royal residence, as it is known that several charters of the first two Stuart kings were signed at the castle.

The castle is also believed to be the last mainland resting place for many former Scottish kings. Between the times of Cináed mac Ailpín (810-858) through to the reign of Máel Coluim mac Donnchada (1030/38-1093), the bodies of former kings were taken by road from the east of Scotland, and from Portencross they were ferried to Iona where they would be buried.

Portencross Castle, Clyde 1840

The castle was rebuilt in the 14th century, not on Auld Hill, but instead on a rock promontory at the bottom of the hill, overlooking the Firth of Clyde. From this location, Robert II signed several more Royal Charters, and the castle remained occupied until the roof was blown off during a violent storm in 1739. The castle walls still remain in place today, but the building is badly in need of repair and in hazardous condition.

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