Alloa Tower in Alloa, Clackmannanshire in central Scotland is the surviving part of the medieval residence of the Erskine family, later Earls of Mar.

An architect who was involved in Alloa Tower was John Melvin.

Dating from the 14th century, and retaining its original timber roof and battlements, the Tower is one of the earliest, and largest, of Scottish tower houses, with immensely thick walls. Several 19th century works, including Groome's Gazetteer, date the tower to the year 1223.

The building has been extensively re-fenestrated during its history, but retains some internal medieval features. Incorporated into a much larger classical house of various phases from the 17th century on, the Tower now stands alone once more, later accretions having been demolished.

It is now owned by National Trust for Scotland.

Alloa Tower

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The monument is a medieval tower-house, built in the later 14th century and further developed in phases during the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries.  The footings of a forecourt wall and the slight traces of a defensive ditch survive to the east of the tower, together with the remains of associated garden features on the south side of the tower and a substantial level platform to the north.  The tower is prominently sited 55m above sea level on top of King's Seat Hill, 300m west of the burgh of Clackmannan, with extensive views south over the Forth and north towards the Ochil Hills.

The tower is a roofed and substantially complete medieval tower-house although it contains some re-instated fabric deriving from repairs that followed the collapse of a large section of the east wall in 1950.  The tower-house is L-plan on form; the original 14th century building was rectangular and was heightened with a wing added in the 15th century.  To the south are garden terraces and a square enclosure which was probably a bowling green.  To the north and west is a substantial platform which may represent the remnants of a building platform, an outer courtyard or additional garden features.

The scheduled area is irregular, as shown on the map, covering the upstanding features of the tower, associated earthwork features around the summit and an area around them within which evidence relating to the monument's construction, use and abandonment is expected to survive as shown in red on the accompanying map.  The scheduling specifically excludes, but extends up to, the post and wire fences to the east of the monument, and to the west and south, it excludes the modern fences, to allow for their maintenance and upkeep. The monument was first scheduled in 1921 and amended in 1935, but inadequate area was included to recognise all of the nationally important remains: the present amendment rectifies this.

Clackmannan Tower

Menstrie Castle is a three-storey manor house in the town of Menstrie, Clackmannanshire, near Stirling, central Scotland. From the early 17th century, it was home to Sir William Alexander, 1st Earl of Stirling, who was instrumental in founding the colony of Nova Scotia. It was later owned by the Holburn or Holborne family, who were created Baronets of Menstrie in 1706. The castle was restored in the 20th century, won a Civic Trust award, and now incorporates holiday accommodation, private flats, and a museum and cafe run by the National Trust for Scotland.
The castle was built around 1560 by the Alexander family, a branch of the Clan MacAlister, who had anglicised their surname. Sir William Alexander was born here around 1577, and later became known as a poet. He gained a place in the Royal Household of James VI, eventually becoming a member of the Privy Council of Scotland in 1615, Principal Secretary of State in 1626, and Earl of Stirling in 1633.
In 1621, he was appointed governor of Nova Scotia, an area of North America including the modern Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, and the Gaspé Peninsula.In order to populate his territory, the Baronetage of Nova Scotia was devised in 1624, whereby Baronetcies were sold to support colonists. The scheme was a financial failure, and in 1632 Nova Scotia was returned to the French, who had claimed the area originally. Alexander died bankrupt in London in 1644.
Menstrie Castle was burned by the Royalist James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose in 1645, during the English Civil War. It was sold to James Holborne of Menstrie in 1648. A major general in the Scottish army, Holborne had a chequered career during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. An additional property, named Windsor House, and now demolished, was once situated opposite Menstrie Castle, to serve as a second laird's house. In 1719, most of the Menstrie estate was sold on, but the Holborne family kept the smaller house, probably as a dower house. A stone heraldic panel, from over the door of the demolished house, was preserved, and later built into the gable-end of the residential home now standing on the site. The motto DECUS MEUM VIRTUS is still legible, but differs from the motto on the Holborne family crest (Decus Summum Virtus, roughly translated as "Virtue, the Chief Ornament"). The last surviving heir of the Holborne family of Menstrie was a Miss Mary Anne Holborne of Bath, daughter of the 5th Baronet, who left an endowment of £8000 in 1882, for the church of Menstrie.
The castle was purchased by George Abercromby of Tullibody in 1719, and his family held the estate until 1924, although the buildings had begun to deteriorate from around 1750. George's son, Ralph Abercromby, who became a major British military hero, was born here in 1734. The family moved from the castle around 1740 to Tullibody House, and the castle was left empty.
By the end of the Second World War, the castle was in such disrepair that the Scottish actor and conservationist, Moultrie Kelsall, led a campaign to secure funding and protection to aid its restoration.
In 1960 the Castle was listed Category A, as a building of national importance (but only receiving statutory protection in December 1970).

Menstrie Castle

Airth Castle is a castle overlooking the village of Airth and the River Forth, in the Falkirk area of Scotland. The castle is currently operating as a hotel and spa.

According to an account attributed to Blind Harry, in 1298 William Wallace attacked a previous wooden fortification on this site to rescue his imprisoned uncle, a priest from Dunipace. A later castle was destroyed after the defeat of King James III at Sauchieburn in 1488. The southwest tower is the earliest part, dating to the period immediately thereafter. An extension was added on the east side in the mid 16th century. Airth Castle was owned by the Bruces, Jacobite sympathizers who were forced to sell after the failure of the 1715 rebellion.

The castle is a major historic building that retains much medieval fabric. As such, Historic Scotland has designated it a Category A listed building by.

The castle is said to be haunted and reported phenomena include: Sightings of a nanny with two young children who are said to have died in a fire at the castle. The sound of children playing being heard in rooms 3, 4, 9 and 23. Heavy footsteps can be heard outside room 14 before suddenly stopping and disappearing. People have also reported hearing cries and screams believed to be from a maid who was attacked by her master and left to die. Additionally, a ghost dog, with a predilection for biting ankles, is believed to roam the hallways.

A groundsman reportedly haunts the lower floor of the castle.

Within the castle grounds stand the ruins of the former parish church of Airth.

Airth Castle

Broomhall Castle was originally built in 1874 by John Foukes and Frances Mackison for James Johnstone. It is situated in Menstrie, Clackmannanshire, Scotland on the Ochil Hills and consists of three storeys and a tower. In 1906 the wealth of the builder declined, and the Castle was sold to an Italian Riding School. In 1910 it became the Clifford Park Boys Prep School. In 1941 the building caught fire whilst the boarders were camping in the grounds. Despite the efforts of the Alloa Fire Brigade the building was gutted. There was a spectacular scene when the roof fell in, sending a shower of sparks heavenwards. It was left in ruins until 1985 when it was rebuilt and turned into a nursing home. In 2003 it was purchased by the current owners, who turned it into a small hotel. It is currently in use as a 16 bedroom hotel, with restaurant and lounge.

Broomhall Castle

Airthrey Castle is a historic building and estate which now forms part of the buildings and grounds of the University of Stirling in central Scotland.

There are two suggested origins of the name "Airthrey" - a corruption of Ard-rhedadie (a high or ascending road, referring to the old road which leads through it to Sheriffmuir), or from the Gaelic "Aithrin" - "a sharp point" or "conflict". This could refer to a battle fought near the site of the Castle in 839, when the Picts were defeated by the Scots under Kenneth McAlpine.

The name appears in a charter of King David I, thought to be from before 1146. In 1370, the estate was granted to Sir John Herice, Keeper of the nearby Stirling Castle. Then the land passed to William Graham, 3rd Lord Graham, for gallantry he displayed in the Battle of Sauchieburn in 1488 (in which King James III was killed attempting to subdue a group of rebel barons.). He was made Earl of Montrose in 1504 but died at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. The estate remained in the ownership of the Clan Graham down to James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose, who fought a campaign in support of King Charles I from 1644 to 1650. By this time, the Airthrey Estate was in the ownership of a minor branch of the Grahams.

In 1678, the estate was purchased by John Hope of Hopetoun who was succeeded by Charles Hope, 1st Earl of Hopetoun who was elevated to the House of Lords in 1703 with the titles of Viscount Airthire, Baron Hope and Earl of Hopetoun. In 1759, the estate was sold to Captain Robert Haldane of Plean. The 363-acre (1.47 km2) grounds and man-made loch were designed by Thomas White for the Haldane family in the late 18th century. In 1791, Captain Haldane's great-nephew, Robert Haldane, commissioned the design by the eminent architect Robert Adam, which is the basis of Airthrey Castle today. Despite the development, he sold it to Sir Robert Abercrombie in 1798.

The castle and estate remained in the ownership of the Abercrombie family until 1889, when Donald Graham bought it and made a large addition to the castle in 1889–91.

During the Second World War it became a maternity hospital and was used as such until 1969, supplementing the needs of Stirling Royal Infirmary.

Then in the 1960s, as a result of the Robbins Report, the estate was selected as the site of the first completely new Scottish university since the University of Edinburgh was established in 1582. The University of Stirling opened in 1967. Its campus is located in 60 acres (240,000 m2) of woodland, 300 acres (1.2 km2) of mature landscaped parkland, a loch with an abundance of wildlife - and incorporates Airthrey Castle, where the School of Law is based, as well as the University's student radio station, Air3. Airthrey Castle retains many original features, as well as housing the University's Moot Courtroom. From September 2014 the castle will also become home to the University's new international study centre operated in partnership with INTO University Partnerships.

Airthrey Castle

Torwood Castle is a castle ruin near the village of Torwood, in the Falkirk Council area of central Scotland.

It has been estimated as being built around 1566 for Sir Alexander Forrester. It was once the seat of Clan Forrester. The castle was built by the Lords Forrester, who supplied the Crown with timber and were in charge of a royal hunting area. The castle is a Scottish Baronial style castle.

The castle is undergoing a slow restoration, now under the auspices of the Torwood Castle Trust. Although the castle is not open to the public, it can be enjoyed by the public for photography and walks around the main buildings, and inside the ruined walls.

Torwood Castle

Castle Campbell is a medieval castle situated above the town of Dollar, Clackmannanshire, in central Scotland. It was the lowland seat of the earls and dukes of Argyll, chiefs of Clan Campbell, from the 15th to the 19th century, and was visited by Mary, Queen of Scots, in the 16th century.

The castle was originally known as Castle Gloom, possibly deriving from the Scottish Gaelic: glom, meaning a chasm, and referring to the narrow gorges to either side of the site. The naturally defended position may have been the site of a motte in the 12th century. The present tower was built in around 1430 for John Stewart, Lord Lorne (d.1463), or one of his kinsmen. About 1460, the property was acquired by Colin Campbell, 1st Earl of Argyll (d.1493), on his marriage to Isabel Stewart, Lord Lorne's daughter.  The first historical record of the castle dates from the following year, when Pope Paul II issued a bull against Walter Stewart, son of Lord Lorne, for attacking and damaging the "Place of Glowm". Campbell, who was at the papal court at the time, may have been instrumental in arranging the Pope's intervention. The tower shows signs of early rebuilding following this episode.

The acquisition of Castle Gloom expanded the power of the Campbell family, from Argyll in the west into central Scotland, and suited Colin Campbell's position as Master of the Household to King James III of Scotland, which required his frequent presence at court. In February 1490, Campbell petitioned the newly crowned King, James IV of Scotland, to formally change the name of Gloom to "Castle Campbell", and this was done by an act of parliament. The change in name may imply that the term "castle" was seen as particularly prestigious, requiring royal approval for its use. At this time, the castle would have comprised the tower house, with other buildings arranged around the courtyard and gardens outside. The east range was probably added first, and some time after the accession of the 2nd Earl in 1493, the large south range was begun. This building shows the influence of the contemporary works at Stirling Castle, now known as the King's Old Building. It included a state apartment of hall, outer chamber and bedchamber, with large south-facing windows overlooking the gardens, and a view across the Devon Valley. The range also provided additional private lodgings, and was accessed via two symmetrically placed stairways facing the courtyard.

16th century
In the 16th century, the 4th Earl of Argyll (d.1558) embraced the cause of religious Reformation, and became one of the leading Protestant lords of his day. His family supported the Calvinist preacher John Knox while he was in Scotland in the 1550s. Knox visited Castle Campbell and preached there, some time in 1556. In January 1563 Mary, Queen of Scots, stayed at Castle Campbell on the occasion of the marriage of Margaret, sister to the 5th Earl of Argyll, and James Stewart, Lord Doune. However, on the marriage of Queen Mary and Lord Darnley two years later, Argyll joined other Protestant lords in rebellion. During the Chaseabout Raid which followed, Mary and Darnley received the surrender of Castle Campbell. In the more peaceful 1590s Archibald Campbell, 7th Earl of Argyll, rebuilt the east range of the castle to link the south range with refurbished guest chambers in the tower. The new work consisted of a fine two-arched loggia facing the courtyard, with a façade of polished ashlar masonry above. Behind this were galleries, fashionable additions to the accommodation within the castle, and new stairs to north and south. The east range has been compared to the north courtyard façade at Crichton Castle which was erected around the same time. An inventory of 1595 records the furniture, tapestries, carpets and other items in each room of the castle, including a total of 47 beds.

Destruction and later history
The Earls of Argyll continued to support the Protestant cause, and in the religious conflicts of the mid-17th century Archibald Campbell, 8th Earl of Argyll, became the leader of the Presbyterian Covenanters, in opposition to the leading Royalist James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose. In 1645 Montrose's troops, on their way to the Battle of Kilsyth, laid waste to the lands around Castle Campbell, including Dollar and Muckhart. Many of Montrose's men were MacLeans, long-standing adversaries of the Campbells. The castle itself was undamaged, and no siege was attempted. In response, Argyll ordered the destruction of Menstrie Castle and Airthrie Castle, both seats of Royalists. After the execution of Charles I the Campbells initially supported Charles II, with Argyll placing the crown of Scotland on Charles' head at Scone in 1651. However, Argyll opposed Charles' invasion of England, and in 1652 he submitted to Oliver Cromwell's Commonwealth. Cromwell's forces were garrisoned in Castle Campbell in 1653. In July 1654, Royalist rebels attacked and burned Castle Campbell over two nights.

Argyll was executed following the Restoration of 1660 and his son, the 9th Earl, built Argyll's Lodging in Stirling rather than renovate Castle Campbell. Apart from being briefly garrisoned during the Jacobite rising of 1715 the castle was abandoned, and in 1805 the 6th Duke of Argyll sold it to Crawford Tait of Harviestoun, an adjacent estate. In 1859 Harviestoun, and Castle Campbell, was bought by businessman and former Lord Provost of Glasgow Sir Andrew Orr. His son James Orr had excavations carried out at the castle in the 1870s, turning up fragments of stained glass from the windows of the south range.

In 1948 the then-owners of the Harviestoun estate gave Dollar Glen to the National Trust for Scotland, who arranged for the castle to be cared for by the Ministry of Works. Restoration works have included a new roof on the tower, and excavations in the 1980s which revealed charred timbers from the 1654 burning. The castle is now managed by Historic Scotland as a scheduled ancient monument. 



Castle Campbell

Stirling Castle

Kinneil House is a historic house to the west of Bo'ness in east-central Scotland. It was once the principal seat of the Hamilton family in the east of Scotland. The house was saved from demolition in 1936 when 16th-century mural paintings were discovered, and it is now in the care of Historic Scotland. It sits within a public park, which also incorporates a section of the Roman Antonine Wall and the only visible example of an Antonine fortlet available today. A digital reconstruction of the fortlet has been created.

The house now consists of a symmetrical mansion built in 1677 on the remains of an earlier 16th- or 15th-century tower house, with two rows of gunloops for early cannon still visible. A smaller east wing, of the mid 16th century, contains the two painted rooms. The house is protected as a Category A listed building.

Early history
The lands of Kinneil with Larbert and Auldcathy were given to Walter Fitz Gilbert, an ancestor of the Hamilton family by Robert the Bruce in 1323. A charter of 1474 mentions a castle at "Craig Lyown", and the saltpans which added to the estate income. The Castle of Lyon was nearer the sea at Snab Brae, and remembered by the name of Castleloan housing estate.

Parts of an older castle, which replaced the castle at the Snab may be incorporated in the present building. James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Arran died at Kinneil in 1529, but wished to be buried at Hamilton.

Regent Arran
The east wing of the surviving building, and perhaps the earlier tower with wide-mouthed gunloops, was built by James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran (c.1516–1575). He was the Governor or Regent of Scotland on the death of James V. Some payments were recorded in the royal treasurer's accounts. Coal was shipped from Kinneil to Leith for Edinburgh Castle, and timber for repairing Arran's chamber at 'Craig Lyon' came from Leith in May 1545. Timber for roofing, floors and panelling was sent by boat from Leith in 1549 and 1550 to complete one section.

The garden or "yaird" was improved for the Spring of 1553, by planting trees, hedges, marjoram and lettuce. In September 1553, Arran gave a gift of 44 shillings to masons laying the foundation stones of another part of the Palace. One of the masons was Thomas Bargany and at this time John Scrimgeour of Myres was Arran's master of work or architect.

Wall-paintings
The 16th century painted interior decoration and a stone armorial carry Arran's ducal coronet, and the collar of the Order of Saint Michael, French honours he received in 1548. The stone has the Hamilton motto, the woodsman's cry, "Through!", and the arms of his wife, Margaret Douglas, with her motto "Lock Sickar", meaning secure or steadfast. The armorial stone was formerly set on the north pavilion of the main block, and is now displayed with other carved stones in a cellar.

One of his painted rooms has decoration that evokes verdure tapestry and vignettes of Samson and Delilah, Abraham and Isaac, and David and Bathsheba and The Temptation of St. Anthony; this vaulted room is now called the Arbour Room. The other room has scenes from the Parable of the Good Samaritan, Lucretia, Saint Jerome and Mary Magdalene. The original use of this suite of rooms is unknown. The subjects of these paintings allude to the Power of Women, perhaps a political reference to Mary of Guise, Mary Queen of Scots and the two Tudor Queens of England.

The house was empty on 4 February 1560 when French troops led by d'Oysel attacked and burnt it. On Easter Day 1562, the 3rd Earl of Arran, who suffered from mental ill health, escaped from his father and bedchamber at Kinneil using sheets as a rope. The drop was 30 fathoms. After the battle of Corrichie in October 1562, Arran was the reluctant keeper of George Gordon at Kinneil, the forfeited heir of the Earl of Huntly.

James VI of Scotland
Regent Lennox damaged the house with gunpowder and spoiled the lands after the assassination of Regent Moray at Linlithgow by a Hamilton. James VI reduced the power of the Hamiltons by military force in 1579, and the Duke's wife, Margaret Douglas, and daughter Lady Jean Hamilton, Countess of Eglinton, were brought to Kinneil from Craignethan Castle. In 1581 the king gave their estates and titles to James Stewart. The new Earl often resided at Kinneil until after his own fall in the autumn of 1585, when he remained at Kinneil under house-arrest, and for a time Kinneil was called Arran House.

James VI of Scotland stayed in May 1582, to receive an envoy, Signor Paul, sent by the Duke of Guise with a gift of horses and gunpowder. The visit was controversial because Paul was known to have been involved in the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre. (Some sources say Paul was received at Dalkeith Palace) After the Raid of Ruthven, the Earl of Arran was confined at Kinneil. When the Ruthven regime collapsed, James VI came to banquet at Kinneil with Arran on 13 November 1583. The next day, Ludovic Stewart son of the King's favourite Esmé Stewart arrived from France at Leith and was taken to Kinneil to meet the King.

James VI held court at Kinneil again at Christmas-time in 1588 as the guest of John Hamilton, Commendator of Arbroath. He played at the "maye" (probably the card-game "maw" now called "Forty-fives") with his English courtier, Roger Aston, and told him that the more he did to please Elizabeth the less regard she had of him. The Earl of Huntly, the Earl of Crawford and the Chancellor, John Maitland, were present.

Later history
The Arbour Room was redecorated c.1620 for James Hamilton, 2nd Marquess of Hamilton and his wife Ann Cunningham and the "shakefork" and rabbit supporters of Cunningham heraldry can still be seen. This painting was almost certainly the work of Valentine Jenkins, Englishman and burgess of Glasgow, and painter of the Chapel Royal at Stirling Castle. When Anne died in 1644, she left Kinneil with its new tapestries and the furnishings she had made to her son, James, 1st Duke of Hamilton. She had laboured to make the coal mines and salt pans profitable and urged him to employ faithful servants and never put it out of his own hand.

The main house was rebuilt by William Douglas, 3rd Duke of Hamilton in 1677 with a uniform facade and a pair of stone staircases at the ends. He sent his plans to help William Douglas, 1st Duke of Queensberry with his building works, which included Drumlanrig Castle in Dumfriesshire and Queensberry House in Edinburgh. An inventory of 1688 gives the names of rooms in the now gutted main house. The front door opened into a Laich Hall, and a grand stair to the south led to the dining room above. The same arrangement can still be seen at the contemporary Argyll's Lodging, Stirling.

But family use of the house declined, as income from the mines and port increased. In the late 18th century, Dr John Roebuck, founder of the Carron Iron Works lived at Kinneil House, during which time the engineer James Watt worked at perfecting his steam engine, in a cottage adjacent to the house. Between 1809 and 1828 the 9th Duke gave the philosopher Dugald Stewart use of the house.

Ancient Monument
By 1936 the Hamiltons had abandoned the house, and Bo'ness Town Council were demolishing it when Stanley Cursitor, director of the National Galleries of Scotland, heard that new wall paintings had been discovered. The Ministry of Works quickly secured the wing with the paintings, and recovered the oak ribbed ceiling of the Parable Room. The paintings were restored, and the whole building is now in the care of Historic Scotland.

Kinneil Church
The former parish church is to the west of the palace and is a roofless ruin. The west gable survives. One of its bells, now preserved in the nearby Kinneil Museum, has the inscription "-EN KATHARINA VOCOR UT PER ME VIRGINIS ALME -," (I AM CALLED KATHARINE, AND THROUGH ME, OF THE VIRGIN MARY, ARE -) It has been suggested the inscription was completed on a second bell. A large stone cross from the church is kept with the palace.

Ghost
The house is reportedly haunted by a White Lady, believed to be the ghost of Lady Alice who killed herself by leaping from the building in the 17th Century to escape her cruel husband. Lady Alice or Ailie was traditionally supposed to haunt the nearby glen of the Gil Burn.

Kinneil House

Dunure Castle is located on the west coast of Scotland, in South Ayrshire, about 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Ayr and close to the village of Dunure. Today the castle stands in ruins on a rocky promontory on the Carrick coast, overlooking the small harbour of Dunure.

The site dates from the late 13th century; the earliest charter for the lands dating from 1256, but the remains of the building are of 15th- and 16th-century origin. One tradition is that the castle was built by the Danes and another states that the Mackinnons held the castle from Alexander III, as a reward for their valour at the Battle of Largs.

The castle is the point of origin of the Kennedys of Carrick, who once ruled over much of south western Scotland and were granted the lands in 1357. Sir James Balfour described Dunure as a grate and pleasand stronge housse, the most ancient habitation of the surname of Kennedy, Lairds of Dunure, now Earles of Cassiles. This family should not be confused with the renowned American Kennedy family which came from Co. Wexford in Ireland.

In August 1563, Mary, Queen of Scots, visited the castle for three days during her third progress round the west of the country.

The Celtic name Dunure or Dunoure is said to derive from the "hill" or "fort of the yew tree".

The castle consisted of two distinct parts; a keep of an irregular shape on the top of a precipitous rock and other buildings at a lower level. The keep walls are about five feet thick and the vaults on the basement are well preserved, however most of the superstructure is entirely demolished. The keep represents the original castle, much altered. The central portion of the castle may be 15th century and was intended to form a defence to the access into the keep. The additional buildings are of a later date and contain two kitchens on the ground level, one for the castle and the other for the retainers. To the north-east stands a detached wall which may have led to a gateway. A drawbridge may have stood nearby and the chapel may have been located against the thick wall of the central part of the castle. A moat or fosse protected the approach and a wall may have also existed.

In the 1990s excavations showed that a hall house was built across the 13th century court in the 14th century.

Beneath the castle is a cavern, called the Browney's Cave which may have been a sally-port; a secret tunnel leading to the castle.

In 1429 a meeting took place at Dunure between James Campbell, representing King James I of Scotland and John Mor MacDonald, representing the Lord of the Isles. Violence broke out and MacDonald was killed. James I's efforts to contain the outrage of the Lords of the Isles by executing Campbell did not prevent a subsequent uprising by them. For three days from 4 August 1563, Mary, Queen of Scots, stayed at Dunure Castle on her Royal tour down the west coast to Glenluce Abbey then on to Whithorn Priory. She was the guest of Gilbert Kennedy, the 4th Earl of Cassilis.

Doocot
The late medieval "beehive"-shaped dovecot of Dunure Castle dates probably from the 15th century. It would have held some 200 nesting boxes and would have supplied the castle with fresh eggs and meat.

Demise
This began in the mid-17th century and by 1694 the castle is described as "wholly ruined". It is not clear whether this can be linked to the Civil War period, although local tradition suggests that Dunure had been burnt and / or blown up. A major collapse of the SE part of the keep could perhaps be linked to such activity. Recovery of building materials for the construction of the Cromwellian citadel in Ayr may also account for its ruination, as at Ardrossan Castle. Much evidence exists for the systematic dismantling of the structure for recoverable building materials including the orderly removal of slates, stone and glass. The windows were dismantled and comprehensively stripped of their lead. Remains of a localised fire and associated deposits of coal suggested that smelting of the lead took place within the room. Those dismantling the castle seem to have occupied part of the structure during their work.

The ruin subsequently saw periodic robbing of its sandstone dressings. A range of castle buildings to the S of Area 4 remained in occupation until c. 1860. Census records and reuse of some rooms demonstrate that some of the occupants were fishermen. A large midden of mussel shell gave evidence for the baiting of cod lines. Domestic refuse of the later 18th and early to mid-19th century was also recovered. The only relatively late recorded military action at Dunure consists of a short siege in 1570. A Civil War action or slighting is a further possibility, although the castle may have been abandoned by that time. The route of a stone-lined water course was located at the S end of the trench as it ran into the entrance of the Area 4 kitchen range. Groundworks to the S of the ruins located a further, well preserved section of the same water course.

Present day
The castle has been excavated and consolidated, making safe the public access to the area. The castle dominates the Kennedy Park, which has a number of facilities for visitors. There are also said to be secret Ley tunnels which connect Dunure Castle to Greenan Castle further north.

Canadian billionaire Brendan Clouston of Dunure is the Baron of Dunure (2009) as registered with the Lord Lyon King of Arms.