Dalquharran Castles

Old Dalquharran Castle has a first recorded lord of the property, Gilbert Kennedy, as stated in a 1474 Charter for the nearby Crossraguel Abbey; the estate was later owned by the Kennedy family for centuries. Old Dalquharran Castle became a listed monument in 1935 as "the remains of the old castle of Dalquharran, surviving as substantial standing structures and as buried archaeology, together with an area enclosing the outer defences and infrastructure". That report states that it was "originally a rectangular keep ... greatly enlarged and converted into a "stately castle" in about 1679 Dalquharran Castle (the 'newer' one) is a category A listed building in South Ayrshire, Scotland, designed by Robert Adam and completed around 1790. The estate, including the old castle, was purchased in the late 17th century by Sir Thomas Kennedy of Kirkhill, Lord Provost of Edinburgh and occupied by his son Thomas Kennedy of Dunure. Over the years, the old castle has also been known as Dalqhrin, Dahuharra Castle, Old Place of Dalwharn, Dolquharran. Kennedy of Kirkhill also bought Dunure Castle and its estate. Thomas Kennedy of Dunure was the husband of Robert Adam's sister and Adam designed a new castle for him during around 1785 to 1790. The property was sold by the Kennedy family in the 1930s to a timber merchant who leased the castle to the Scottish Youth Hostel Association from 1936 to 1939. It was occupied by the evacuated Glasgow Deaf and Dumb Institution during the Second World War. During the war, the estate was sold to John Stewart, a produce merchant, who occupied the new castle with his family and farmed the estate. The castle was eventually abandoned, as it was too large and expensive to maintain. The lead roof was removed in 1967 so the owners could declare it as uninhabitable and avoid paying rates. The 'new' castle is said to be haunted by the "White Lady of Dalquharran" - legend speaks of a tragic figure, shrouded in white, who is said to have plummeted to her doom, clutching her infant close. Her mournful spirit, eternally bound to the castle's corridors and rooms, is often glimpsed in the moonlit hours, peering solemnly from an upper window, her gaze reaching into the souls of those who dare to tread these haunted grounds - you have been warned!