Auchans Castle

Auchans Castle was a large and impressive tower house and mansion which remained in use into the 20th century. Roughly L-plan in shape, with a square stair turret in the angle and three round towers, it was built in a number of phases, the sequence of which is disputed – the following is my own interpretation. The earliest phase, which is probably mid 16th century, is a modest L-plan tower house, with the accommodation block running roughly east-west, and the square stair wing extending from the western side of the north wall. This building was extended to form a T-plan building by the addition of a further room on the west gable, probably in the early 17th century, and then extended again by the addition of a wing running northwards from the first extension. The building thus created was again L-shaped, but with the original stair wing now occupying the re-entrant. Subsequent to this, a further extension at the northern end of the second extension was added. This building contained a central block with two diagonally opposed round towers, along the design of a Z-plan tower house, but the smaller tower (at the southern end facing east) did not extend beyond the line of the old gable end. A further round tower, with much thinner walls, was added opposite the original stair wing, and a single storey extension then added to the east gable of the old tower house. Apart from this last, the whole building contained three floors plus attics.

The original 16th century tower house was probably built by the Wallaces of Dundonald, who had acquired the estate in 1527. John (I) died in 1570, John (II) in 1586, and John (III) in 1640. When this last John died, Auchans was purchased by Sir William Cochrane, later earl of Dundonald. The castle possesses a datestone of 1644, and this probably represents the completion of considerable works by Cochrane, probably including a redesign of the stair tower, but certainly the erection of the large north wing, which is the location of the stone. Another dated 1667 is also recorded. Auchans was later sold to the Earl of Eglinton, and it was here that the dowager Countess died in 1780. It was never reused as a stately home, but was converted into a number of cottages for estate workers. By 1846, a number of parts of the building were unuseable and locked up, with expensive items like marble fireplaces relocated to the (now demolished) Auchens House. It was used to house German prisoners of war during the First world War, but it was largely uninhabitable by 1922.

HES Canmore database entry