Fairytale castle for sale
Offers over £495,000 invited for historic pile
Who could live in a castle like this? East Kilbride – it’s over to you.
Loyd Grossman would have a field day with this historic 15th century lochside pile, believed to sit on land gifted by Robert the Bruce.
And for a modest price tag of £495,000, Mains Castle could be yours.
The stunning property, on Stewartfield’s Rowan Avenue, has had a dramatic history and is thought to be the oldest inhabited residence in East Kilbride, dating from around 1450.
Fit for a king, features include a banqueting hall and 3.8 acres of grounds.
Mary Queen of Scots is said to have spent a night there and late king of pop Michael Jackson once expressed an interest in buying it.
Agents Savills said: “Mains Castle is the real thing: a‘ proper’ fairytale castle that has been brilliantly restored.”
Legend has it that Stewartfield’s medieval Mains Castle sits on land gifted by Robert the Bruce – and it could all be yours for £495,000.
Fit for a king, this historic 15th century lochside castle is now on the market and features a banqueting hall overlooked by a minstrels’ gallery, a flagstonefloored great hall and three bedrooms across four floors set in grounds of 3.8 acres.
The late king of pop Michael Jackson is believed to have expressed an interest in buying the castle when he was castle-hunting in Scotland 20 years ago.
And Mary Queen of Scots is said to have spent a night there before the Battle of Langside in Glasgow.
The Category A Listed tower house was winner of a Saltire award for reconstruction and renovation.
The stunning property, on Rowan Avenue, has had a dramatic history and is thought to be the oldest inhabited residence in East Kilbride, dating from around 1450.
Peter Gillespie, from estate agent Savills, said: “Mains Castle is the real thing: a ‘proper’ fairytale castle that has been brilliantly and sympathetically restored without losing any of its imposing and powerful ambiance.
“For anyone dubious about modern living in a castle, this property proves how it can be done.
“In its parkland setting and with an easy commute into central Glasgow, Mains Castle is well worth consideration by a buyer seeking their very own slice of Scottish history.”
Overlooking the loch at James Hamilton Heritage Park, the castle was first occupied in 1478 by Princess Euphemia Stewart and her new husband, David Lindsay, who was Provost of Glasgow.
It fell into dilapidation a couple of centuries later in 1678 after being fired on by the Claverhouse Dragoons – the cannonball marks are still visible on the lower castle walls.
Restored by the Victorians in 1883, it then lost its roof in a great storm in 1922 and was derelict for the next 50 years until a programme of painstaking restoration took place between 1977 and 1985.
Its walls are an incredible 6ft thick, increasing to 10ft on the west side, with spectacular views the higher you go.
The flagstone-floored great hall serves as the main kitchen and living room and the rough hewn stone walls and solid oak beams create a truly atmospheric space.
The third floor houses the original ladies’ quarters and displays an exquisite handpainted ceiling.
A refurbished bathroom on the fourth floor features a unique handmade copper bath and a parapet allows access around all four sides of the castle – each with far-reaching views.
The castle was last sold to a Glasgow couple for £300,000 in 2002 but has now been put back on the market.
Savills invites offers of more than £495,000.