Mearns Castle

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Mearns Castle

Mearns Castle is a ruined castle in the Scottish town of Newton Mearns in the East Renfrewshire council area . It is located on the eastern edge of the city. In 1971 Mearns Castle was listed in the Scottish Monuments List in the highest category A.

history

Mearns Castle was probably built in 1449 by members of the Maxwell clan . With Caerlaverock Castle , located south on the Solway Firth , the Knights of Maxwell owned one of the most important border castles in Scotland, so Mearns Castle was not their main castle. In the times of the Covenanters , the castle was home to a garrison of dragoons who controlled the area. The last resident of Mearns Castle was George of Nether Pollok , who abandoned the structure in the 17th century. In 1971 the ruin was integrated into the modern new building of Maxwell Mearns Parish Church , but not used.

description

The three-story castle has a floor area of ​​about 9 m × 13 m and a height of about 12 m. It was once surrounded by a moat and only accessible via a drawbridge. Inside, the individual floors are accessible via a spiral staircase. The building ends with a crenellated parapet. Today it has a modern concrete roof. In 2008 Mearns Castle was added to the Scottish Register of Listed Buildings at Risk. Most recently in 2010 the building structure was classified as poor and Mearns Castle as endangered. Large parts of the masonry are damp and covered with large areas of moss. Parts of the mortar were destroyed by vegetation.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  2. ↑ Information from Mears Castle Parish Church
  3. ↑ a b Entry on Mearns Castle  in Canmore, the database of Historic Environment Scotland (English)
  4. ↑ Entry on buildingsatrisk.org.uk

Web links

Commons : Mearns Castle  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 55 ° 46 ′ 11.1 "  N , 4 ° 18 ′ 33.8"  W.