Kelburn Castle

Kelburn Castle is a 16th century tower house which has been repeatedly extended, and occupies a position above a steep ravine in Ayrshire. It is part of a country estate which is open to the public for a fee, and is perhaps best known as the Scottish castle that was painted with brightly coloured graffiti in 2007.

The old part of the castle is a Z-plan tower house, probably dating to the 1570s, with the opposed towers being round in shape. This was extended in the 18th century with a mansion house, and the whole extended again in the 19th century. The castle is the home of the Boyle family, and it was the Boyles who founded the castle, having held Kelburn since the 13th century. Any castle that they had in the area was probably destroyed at the instruction of Robert Bruce – the Boyles had family connections with his enemies the Comyns. The family supported Queen Mary, and King Charles II during the wars of those reigns, but then became supporters of the government against the Jacobites, and were created earls of Glasgow in 1703.

Official Kelburn Castle website

HES Canmore database entry