Duchal House is an 18th-century mansion and estate near
Kilmacolm
Kilmacolm () is a village and civil parish in the Inverclyde council area, and the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies on the northern slope of the Gryffe Valley, southeast of Greenock and aroun ...
,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
. It is located in
Inverclyde
Inverclyde ( sco, Inerclyde, gd, Inbhir Chluaidh, , "mouth of the Clyde") is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Together with the East Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire council areas, Inverclyde forms part of the histo ...
, in the former county of
Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire () ( sco, Renfrewshire; gd, Siorrachd Rinn Friù) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland.
Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Renfr ...
. Duchal was acquired by the Porterfield family in the 16th century. The present house was built in 1710 and extended in 1768. It was owned by
Lord Maclay until 2018. The house is protected as a
category A listed building
Category, plural categories, may refer to:
Philosophy and general uses
*Categorization, categories in cognitive science, information science and generally
*Category of being
*Categories (Aristotle), ''Categories'' (Aristotle)
*Category (Kant)
...
,
and the grounds are included in the
Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland
The ''Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland'' is a listing of gardens and designed landscapes of national artistic and/or historical significance, in Scotland. The Inventory was originally compiled in 1987, although it is a conti ...
, the national listing of significant gardens.
History
The lands of Duchal were held by the Lyle family from the 13th century, based at
Duchal Castle
The ruins of the large Quadrangular castle, courtyard style Duchal Castle lie circa 1.5 miles south-west of Kilmacolm in the Inverclyde council area and the Counties of Scotland, historic county of Renfrewshire (historic), Renfrewshire in the wes ...
, now a ruin. In 1544 Duchal was acquired by John Porterfield, and in 1710 his descendant Alexander Porterfield constructed a new house. This building now forms the south range of the present house. Formal gardens had been laid out by around 1750. The house was extended eastward by Boyd Porterfield in 1768.
[
In 1854 the estate was acquired by the Shaw-Stewarts of Ardgowan for use as a shooting lodge. Duchal was sold in 1910, and in 1915 was purchased by the shipowner ]Joseph Paton Maclay, 1st Baron Maclay
Joseph Paton Maclay, 1st Baron Maclay PC (6 September 1857 – 24 April 1951), known as Sir Joseph Maclay, 1st Baronet, from 1914 to 1922, was a Scottish businessman and public servant.
Biography
Maclay was the son of Ebenezer Maclay of Gl ...
, whose family occupied the house until 2018.[
]
See also
* List of Category A listed buildings in Inverclyde
This is a list of Category A listed buildings in the Inverclyde council area in west-central Scotland.
In Scotland, the term listed building refers to a building or other structure officially designated as being of "special architectural or hi ...
* List of listed buildings in Kilmacolm, Inverclyde
References
External links
* {{Canmore, num=42247 , desc=Duchal House
Video of Duchal Castle
Listed houses in Scotland
Houses completed in 1768
Category A listed buildings in Inverclyde
Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes
1768 establishments in Scotland