In the fifteenth century
Law Castle was constructed as a wedding gift for Princess Mary,
the eldest daughter of James II of Scotland upon her marriage
to Thomas Boyd the Earl of Arran. Six hundred years later, it
is available for rent as Scotland's most luxurious and exclusive
holiday home.
What is now the formal great hall of this comfortable but unusual
home once served as a courtroom - and comes complete with a pit
prison behind a flagstone trap door. There's also a 'murder hole'
through which hot oil could have been poured over unwelcome visitors
outside.
Having fallen into a state of disrepair, the
Grade A listed building has been restored to an immaculate standard.
The kitchen has modern appliances side by side with medieval ovens
and a chimney rising to the parapet.
A spiral stone staircase connects the five floors.
On the ground floor there are two vaulted rooms, one a bedroom
with an en-suite bathroom, and the other a utility room. On the
first floor there is The Great Hall and kitchen, and on the levels
above five bedrooms and a sitting room . Many of the shuttered
windows dotted around the castle have seats in small chambers
set into the thickness of the wall. The staircase continues to
the roof level, where there is an unusual 'Caphouse', formerly
the guards' lookout. There are views over the quiet village of
West Kilbride towards the Firth of Clyde and the Isle of Arran.
This landmark property lies in its own grounds
at the foot of Law Hill, just inland from the Ayrshire coast.