Castle Wemyss
Encyclopedia
Castle Wemyss was a large mansion in Wemyss Bay
, Scotland
.
It stood high on Wemyss Point, overlooking the Firth of Clyde
where it heads south towards the North Channel
of the Irish Sea
. It was built around 1850 for Charles Wilsone Brown, a property developer who had plans to develop the land around Wemyss Bay, and who by 1855 had increased the number of villas from four to thirty six. These villas earned the nickname 'Little Glasgow' because they were let to wealthy Glasgow
merchants.
Wilsone Brown sold the mansion to Sir John Burns
(later Baron Inverclyde
) in 1860. Burns commissioned the architect Robert William Billings
to remodel the house in the Scottish baronial style
, expanding the original structure by adding a new floor, new wings and a clock tower to the south-east corner.
Castle Wemyss became a fashionable destination for many well-known visitors, including Lord Shaftesbury, Anthony Trollope
, General Sherman, Henry Morton Stanley
, Peter II of Yugoslavia
, Emperor Haile Selassie and members of the British Royal Family
.
It is reputed that Trollope wrote part of Barchester Towers
whilst at Wemyss Bay and that 'Portray Castle' in The Eustace Diamonds
was based on Castle Wemyss. Whether this is true or not, Trollope places Portray in a similar geographical location, with a description of the castle and its vicinity which is very like that of Castle Wemyss.
The house remained in the Burns family until the death of Alan, 4th Baron Inverclyde in 1957. None of his family were able to afford the cost of maintaining such a large property and it was sold to a developer. Inverkip Power Station
was built on the northern part of the estate grounds.
Greenfield legislation meant that whilst much of the larger estate was developed as Wemyss Bay grew in the 1960s and 1970s, the house itself was left untouched. Gradually falling into decay (and subsequently de-roofed to avoid payment of housing rates) it was not until 1984 that it was finally demolished. In the 1990s the grounds themselves were finally redeveloped, and all that now remains of the house is a broken flight of stone steps and a flagpole marking the entrance to the drive. However, the locally formed Woodlands Trust have started to reclaim the Victorian fern
ery from the rhododendrons. Formal paths have now been established in the woods which are immediately adjacent to the site of the former castle.
Wemyss Bay
Wemyss Bay is a village on the coast of the Firth of Clyde falling within the Inverclyde council area and historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. The name may derive from the Gaelic uaimh, meaning 'cave'...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
It stood high on Wemyss Point, overlooking the Firth of Clyde
Firth of Clyde
The Firth of Clyde forms a large area of coastal water, sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by the Kintyre peninsula which encloses the outer firth in Argyll and Ayrshire, Scotland. The Kilbrannan Sound is a large arm of the Firth of Clyde, separating the Kintyre Peninsula from the Isle of Arran.At...
where it heads south towards the North Channel
North Channel (British Isles)
The North Channel is the strait which separates eastern Northern Ireland from southwestern Scotland...
of the Irish Sea
Irish Sea
The Irish Sea separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel, and to the Atlantic Ocean in the north by the North Channel. Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man...
. It was built around 1850 for Charles Wilsone Brown, a property developer who had plans to develop the land around Wemyss Bay, and who by 1855 had increased the number of villas from four to thirty six. These villas earned the nickname 'Little Glasgow' because they were let to wealthy Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
merchants.
Wilsone Brown sold the mansion to Sir John Burns
John Burns, 1st Baron Inverclyde
John Burns, 1st Baron Inverclyde, FRGS was a ship owner. Born in Glasgow he was the son of Sir George Burns, 1st Baronet, a founder of the shipping company G & J Burns and a partner in the Cunard Steamship Co. and his wife, Jane Cleland...
(later Baron Inverclyde
Baron Inverclyde
Baron Inverclyde, of Castle Wemyss in the County of Renfrew, was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1897 for the Scottish shipowner Sir John Burns, 1st Baronet. He had already been created a Baronet in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom in 1889...
) in 1860. Burns commissioned the architect Robert William Billings
Robert William Billings
Robert William Billings was a London-born Victorian era painter and architect. He wrote a book called The Power of Form, in which he showed examples of the use of geometry in architecture. He also illustrated The Baronial and Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Scotland. Many paintings based on his...
to remodel the house in the Scottish baronial style
Scottish baronial style
The Scottish Baronial style is part of the Gothic Revival architecture style, using stylistic elements and forms from castles, tower houses and mansions of the Gothic architecture period in Scotland, such as Craigievar Castle and Newark Castle, Port Glasgow. The revival style was popular from the...
, expanding the original structure by adding a new floor, new wings and a clock tower to the south-east corner.
Castle Wemyss became a fashionable destination for many well-known visitors, including Lord Shaftesbury, Anthony Trollope
Anthony Trollope
Anthony Trollope was one of the most successful, prolific and respected English novelists of the Victorian era. Some of his best-loved works, collectively known as the Chronicles of Barsetshire, revolve around the imaginary county of Barsetshire...
, General Sherman, Henry Morton Stanley
Henry Morton Stanley
Sir Henry Morton Stanley, GCB, born John Rowlands , was a Welsh journalist and explorer famous for his exploration of Africa and his search for David Livingstone. Upon finding Livingstone, Stanley allegedly uttered the now-famous greeting, "Dr...
, Peter II of Yugoslavia
Peter II of Yugoslavia
Peter II, also known as Peter II Karađorđević , was the third and last King of Yugoslavia...
, Emperor Haile Selassie and members of the British Royal Family
British Royal Family
The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
.
It is reputed that Trollope wrote part of Barchester Towers
Barchester Towers
Barchester Towers, published in 1857, is the second novel in Anthony Trollope's series known as the "Chronicles of Barsetshire". It is possibly Trollope's best known work...
whilst at Wemyss Bay and that 'Portray Castle' in The Eustace Diamonds
The Eustace Diamonds
The Eustace Diamonds is a novel by Anthony Trollope, first published in 1871 as a serial in the Fortnightly Review. It is the third of the "Palliser" series of novels.-Plot summary:...
was based on Castle Wemyss. Whether this is true or not, Trollope places Portray in a similar geographical location, with a description of the castle and its vicinity which is very like that of Castle Wemyss.
The house remained in the Burns family until the death of Alan, 4th Baron Inverclyde in 1957. None of his family were able to afford the cost of maintaining such a large property and it was sold to a developer. Inverkip Power Station
Inverkip power station
Inverkip power station is an oil-fired power station in Inverclyde, on the west coast of Scotland. It is actually located closer to Wemyss Bay than Inverkip, and dominates the local area with its chimney, the third tallest chimney in the UK and Scotland's tallest free-standing structure...
was built on the northern part of the estate grounds.
Greenfield legislation meant that whilst much of the larger estate was developed as Wemyss Bay grew in the 1960s and 1970s, the house itself was left untouched. Gradually falling into decay (and subsequently de-roofed to avoid payment of housing rates) it was not until 1984 that it was finally demolished. In the 1990s the grounds themselves were finally redeveloped, and all that now remains of the house is a broken flight of stone steps and a flagpole marking the entrance to the drive. However, the locally formed Woodlands Trust have started to reclaim the Victorian fern
Fern
A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...
ery from the rhododendrons. Formal paths have now been established in the woods which are immediately adjacent to the site of the former castle.