THE MEDIEVAL CASTLE
The Napier seat for over 500 years.
Kilmahew Castle was the seat of the Napier Clan for over 500 years. The Kilmahew Education Trust intends to carry out a detailed archaeological survey. Our ultimate aim is to restore this scheduled ancient monument and breathe new life into it.
The significance of Kilmahew Castle.
The Napiers of Kilmahew were gifted the lands in around 1290 by the Earl of Lennox and held the land until the 1820's.
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Although the Castle or Towerhouse is recognisably Medieval in structure, being formed of rubble stone according to a survey done in the 19th century, it does have some later additions. One of these is the niches and columns that are found on the side aspect of the Castle and are attributed to John Douglas of Pinkerton in around the 1740's.
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In architectural terms, if the 'Gothic' remodelling had happened at Kilmahew before 1744, it would be a significantly early example of the style and a rarity in Scotland. If it could be determined when it was built and altered, then Kilmahew Castle would be of national and quite possibly international significance, because of these later additions.
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The next steps.
Since the ownership passed to The Kilmahew Education Trust in July 2020, we have been in talks with Historic Enviroment Scotland and Strathclyde University, to begin work to restore the four floored Towerhouse to its former glory.
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The first steps are going to be an archeological exploration of the site, as a fact finding mission. We are going to document using modern technology the Castle and the materials used in building the structure to better understand where and how this developed.
Eventually we would envisage that we have a structure that can be used in some form. We have also engaged with the Napier Clan to keep them updated with our various exploits of their family seat.