At £ 150k, this historic castle won’t ruin buyer Ancient tower- house with chequered past on the market
A true piece of Ayrshire history is on the market for a knock- down price.
Baltersan Castle – on the road between Maybole and Kirkmichael, near Crossraguel Abbey – is listed for sale for offers over £ 150,000.
And while not much remains of the original castle, its current owners are aiming for a quick sale with hopes the empty shell will attract developers.
And the man who holds the keys has launched a website hoping to attract buyers from around the world to snap up the historic site.
Owner James Brown said: “Baltersan is a beautiful tower- house built for a Kennedy laird in 1585.
“It is packed with rare and fascinating architectural detail. It had been lived in by Kennedys for about 150 years and was finally abandoned about 1745, when it was stripped of reusable materials.
“Today it is an empty shell ripe for restoration. As such it is a better candidate for reconstruction than an old building with floors, roofs, windows, dry rot, etc. as inserting vital services can be extremely difficult to do without harming the historic fabric.”
Concerns have been raised over the precarious state of the ruin over the last 30 years, with fears “a major collapse was imminent” in 1991.
The chequered history of Baltersan Castle has included a grand restoration plan to develop the site into a luxury guest house agreed in 1996.
But that plan faltered after problems securing funding from Historic Scotland before the then- owner went bankrupt.
It was bought by current owner Mr Brown in 1999, and it was reported that a Japanese pen manufacturer was bankrolling a new project – but again, it failed to get off the ground.
He even appeared on BBC show Dragons Den in 2005 to appeal for business brains to invest in his scheme, which he estimated would cost £ 2 million – but knocked back their offer when they asked for more than 10 per cent of his company.
Mr Brown told the Post at the time: “Some candidates on the show were talked into parting with a large proportion of their business for a quite modest investment.
“Making a huge decision like that while the cameras roll is an alarming way to determine the future of your business.
“On reflection, I’m glad I stuck to my guns.”
The castle is listed as At Risk by Historic Environment Scotland’s Buildings at Risk Register, and they report it has been included in the Scottish Castle Initative designed to encourage interest and investment in the country’s heritage.
Mr Brown’s website to help boost the sale bid can be found at www. yourscottishcastle. com. Any interested parties should contact him on baltersan. castle@ btinternet. com.