Barony and Castle of Kilbirnie

Kilbirnie Castle
Kilbirnie, North Ayrshire, Scotland
UK grid reference NS30655083
Kilbirnie Castle
Site information
TypeTower and mansion house
OwnerPrivate
Controlled byClans Barclay, Crawfurd, Lindsay, and Boyle
Open to
the public
No
ConditionRuined
Location
Kilbirnie Castle
Shown within Scotland
Coordinates55°45′02″N 4°42′16″W / 55.750581°N 4.704525°W / 55.750581; -4.704525
Site history
Built15th century and 17th century
In useUntil 17th century
MaterialsStone

The substantial remains of the old castle and sixteenth century manor house of Kilbirnie lie west of the town of Kilbirnie in North Ayrshire, Scotland, on the lower slopes of the Glengarnock Hills, in the old Barony of Kilbirnie. The building is also variously known as the Place of Kilbirnie, The Place, or Kilbirnie House.

The site lies close to a stream and small but deep ravine that once provided a defensive function for the castle site. The castle and manor house themselves are not in the grounds of the Kilbirnie Place Golf Club, which was itself laid out in 1925 on the old landscaped 'pleasure grounds' once attached to the castle site.

The OS maps show that a much later estate and house called Place was located nearby, built by the Knox family but now mostly demolished.