Law Castle is situated on the lower slopes of Law Hill on the edge of

West Kilbride West Kilbride ( gd, Cille Bhrìghde an Iar) is a village and historic parish in North Ayrshire, Scotland, on the west coast by the Firth of Clyde, looking across the Firth of Clyde to Goat Fell and the Isle of Arran. West Kilbride and adjoinin ...

, in North Ayrshire, Scotland. It is around from the

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...

. The castle is a simple rectangular structure with a sloped roof and several large chimneys protruding at each side. It is similar in character to other tower houses located nearby, including

Little Cumbrae Castle Little Cumbrae Castle sits on Allimturrail (the islet of the noble's tower)Litt ...

and

Skelmorlie Castle Skelmorlie Castle stands on the eastern shore of the Firth of Clyde, Scotland, at the north-western corner of the county of Ayrshire. The structure dates from 1502, and was formerly the seat and stronghold of the Montgomery Clan.Boyd, Page 9 T ...

, and is a category A

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

. It was built for Princess Mary, sister of King James III, as a wedding gift upon her marriage in 1467 to

Thomas Boyd, Earl of Arran Thomas Boyd, Earl of Arran (died c. 1473) was a Scottish nobleman. Thomas was the son of Robert, 1st Lord Boyd, who was a regent during the minority of King James III of Scotland. His father was able to have Thomas created Earl of Arran and Ba ...

. In 1469 Thomas travelled to Denmark to escort James III's bride Margaret of Denmark, but he was forced to remain abroad as he and his father Lord Boyd were attainted for treason in 1469. The marriage was thereby annulled and Thomas died a few years later, possibly in Antwerp. The castle was recorded as roofless but intact from the later 19th century. In the late 1980s it was purchased by a Mr Philips, who began restoration work on the castle. However, the castle was repossessed in 2002 prior to the restoration being completed, and

Historic Scotland Historic Scotland ( gd, Alba Aosmhor) was an executive agency of the Scottish Office and later the Scottish Government from 1991 to 2015, responsible for safeguarding Scotland's built heritage, and promoting its understanding and enjoyment ...

took legal action to recover £116,000 in grant funding from Mr Philips. The castle was subsequently bought by David Hutton, who completed the restoration in 2005.

References

External links

Law Castle
{{Castles in North Ayrshire Castles in North Ayrshire Category A listed buildings in North Ayrshire Listed castles in Scotland Tower houses in Scotland