What is recorded here

Greenan Castle stands as a ruined tower house on a sea cliff above Ayr, layered over an older promontory fort and a medieval motte-and-bailey. The Kennedy family held the lands after James IV granted them in 1493, and the entrance lintel still bears the marks of John Kennedy and Florence NickDowall from 1603. On a May morning in 1602, Sir Thomas Kennedy rode from this courtyard toward Edinburgh and was murdered miles away in a feud that later inspired Walter Scott. The castle stopped being a home around 1766, leaving only stone, memory and the sound of the coast behind it.

Scotland's National Record of the Historic Environment records Greenan Castle as Fort (prehistoric) - (medieval). The official map says its point is accurate as follows: NGR given to the nearest 1m. The record does not by itself mean that the public may enter the place.

Greenan Castle is a medieval tower house located in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, originally built in the 15th century by the Maxwell family, a powerful Border clan. It is remembered for its strategic position and as a symbol of the turbulent history of the Scottish Borders during the period of frequent conflict with England.

The historic-place record does not grant public access. Check current conditions and ownership before entering land or a building.