" A Saunter roon Stinstin"

[morag]

You'll likely break my heart, Geodgc

[GEODGC]

Some photos of Kerelaw Castle as promised. I took these today, i hope they don`t break your heart too much Morag

[morag]

Lovely, but Is it out of bounds now? I suppose that works 2 ways, protects the public and the castle, but how I loved roaming around there, romantic imaginings in my young girlish mind crossing the wee arched bridge between the ruins and the manor house...ah me..lol! Do love those arched windows.

[GEODGC]

It`s been like that for as long as i can remember Morag(i`m 40). When was the last time you remember being able to walk through that area?

[morag]

I think the last time I was up that way was the late 80's, don't remember a fence but don't remember a lot of things now! In the 60's I was all over it, in fact a group of us girl guides had a 'day camp / cook out', I think in what had been stables or the like. It was still quite intact and had a fireplace nook. Funny how food tastes better cooked outside, even just beans and sausages! At one time the groundskeeper, who lived in the manor house I think, caught a few of us with picked rhododendrons from the grounds which is how I got inside the manor as he called the police to report us. I was terrified. Once he let us go, with a warning, my sister told me he had his finger on the phone and was bluffing. He kept the flowers!

[little plum]

Great photo's GEODGC, I haven't been in that area for a number of years. Used to visit my cousin in the pre fabs, this would have been late 50's early 60's, and playing in a walled garden. There was a monkey puzzle tree that the local boys called " the punching tree" must have been that macho thing. It did have a rather soft bark though.

[John Donnelly]

When we lived in Castle Avenue, we could see the ruins from the front bedroom window. Glad to see they're still there. If they ever start talking about demolishing them, let me know, and me and the lads will be over to sort them out;

JD.

[down south]

Here's the case for the defence; an article from the Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald in July 1972, describing the concerns of local residents about the potential dangers of the ruins being fully accessible so near to their homes. Reading that, and looking at GEOGDC's pictures of the state of the more fragmentary walls , fencing them off securely seems to me really like it was the least bad solution all round.

Note that there seems to have been a story of a tunnel associated with this castle too !

These local youngsters who posed for their picture as accompaniment to the article nust be in their mid-forties now; wonder if any of them might recognise themselves here ?

Susan


KERELAW RUINS ARE DANGEROUS, CLAIM RESIDENTS

Although residents in Kerelaw housing scheme, Stevenston, claim that the ruins of Kerelaw Castle are a danger to children, the town council has told them that the ruins will remain in the state they are in. However, Sir Fitzroy Maclean, MP for Bute and North Ayrshire, is to ask the council to reconsider their decision.

Recently Kerelaw Tenants' Association met the town council and put forward a number of complaints, and suggestions for the improvement of the housing scheme, and because several tenants were "quite alarmed" about the state of the castle ruins which loom over part of the scheme, the association asked the council to take urgent action on the matter.

The council did, in fact, take some action by sending workmen to Kerelaw to brick up some of the holes in the old castle walls but the tenants consider that this was not sufficient and want further work carried out.

The association chairman, Mr Willie Burns of 22 Campbell Avenue ,told a "Herald" reporter that the council had sent him a letter informing the tenants that as far as the council was concerned they intended keeping the ruins in the state they were in.

Mr Burns said that the association photographed the dangerous aspects of the castle and had sent an illustrated report to Sir Fitzroy Maclean who promised to help the tenants.

"The photographs show," he added, "that the ruins are definitely dangerous and should be demolished. You read about kids getting killed by falling walls, and this castle is hanging over the kids' playing area."

Mr Alex Mungall, 104 Campbell Avenue, who is treasurer of the association told our reporter that he considered the old castle to be very dangerous and this had been aggravated by trouble with vandals "knocking lumps off the walls."

Mr Mungall pointed out the dangerous features of Kerelaw Castle by showing our reporter the crumbling stonework, and how easy it was for large stones to become dislodged. He also pointed out how one wall had inclined throughout the years and was now at an angle while numerous cracks had formed in the walls making the structure unsafe. Mr Mungall said that Sir Fitzroy was hoping to inspect the castle.

" There is a large grass area adjacent to the ruins, " he added, " and considering that children are attracted to the area the great fear is that someone will be hurt. The council has patched some holes up but it doesn't reduce the danger . "

The castle is only several yards away from some tenants' back gardens and one tenant, Mr. Charles Tedford of 55 Campbell Avenue expressed the anxiety that he and some neighbours had, that it was possible for falling stones to land in their gardens.

"The place is crumbling, " Mr Tedford said, "and the wire fence which surrounds it cannot keep children out. Boys have knocked hollows in the walls with hammers and if kids happen to be toddling about when bricks fall they would be dead. The ruins are a big attraction for the children and we cannot always keep them away."

Mr Tedford's neighbour was adamant that the castle should be demolished, describing it as "only bricks" and that she did not see much point in anyone coming to see it.

"When I first moved here," she added, "I thought they would pull it down and I was disappointed that they didn't. It is unsafe I'm quite sure because I've never seen a worse ruin and if they want to keep it for historical reasons they must be off their heads."

Mr Pat Higgins of 55 Campbell Avenue told our reporter that he thought it should be pulled down or that signs should be erected warning people to keep out because it was dangerous.

"It should be levelled off in my opinion. Someone told me that there is a tunnel underneath it and that is why one side is coming away and cracks are appearing in the walls."

Other residents were of the opinion that the castle was dangerous and attracted vandals and one woman said that the accident which everyone wanted to prevent would happen before something was done about it.

The only dissenting voice came from a housewife who claimed that if the castle had a roof she would like to live in it.

[GEODGC]

Interseting read. Looks like fencing the castle off was the right thing to do as the remains are still standing almost 40 years later, it would have been criminal had they pulled it down. That`s the first i`ve heard of there being a tunnel under the castle, there were/are caves nearby but i`ve never heard of the tunnel. 2 things that made me chuckle, the woman saying that she would like to stay in the castle if it had a roof ... random, the neighbours saying that bits of the castle could fall into their garden , the nearest garden must be at least 10-15 yards away from the castle, nothing like a wee bit of exaggeration for dramatic effect.

[morag]

Don't mean to be mean, but it's was probably the complainer's kids, unchaperoned and running about with hammers(?!), who were the culprits! I'm with the woman who'd move in had it a roof! The only thing resembling a tunnel I saw was what we always thought was the dungeon, it was arched and very dark,I'd have had a look in but it had what we considered a portcullis..probably just an iron gate, it was where if you walked 'up the country' just beyond the castle and manor house. And one of my pet gripes is people who move into an area, say near an airport then complain about the noise of the planes!

[frank quinn]

further to kerelaw castle: when i was a boy, we lived in Alexander Ave. & went across to Kerelaw.There are still
tunnels under the castle but more than likely fenced in!!
The people who "moan" about the "ruins" are probably those who have ruined the area by dumping their rubbish
all over the area, turning it into an Eyesore!!.When I took my son, many years ago to see the castle ruins,he looked at me gone out. What used to be a lovely area had turned into a rubbish tip.!!
Probably the "moaners"in the area were those who turned it into the mess that it is.
Instead of moaning why do you not improve the area or get the council to do it.
You ought to be ashamed how you have allowed a part of our heritage to get into such a state--

[Meg]

Instead of moaning why do you not improve the area or get the council to do it.
You ought to be ashamed how you have allowed a part of our heritage to get into such a state--

I think you are preaching to the choir on this site Frank .... I dont know where you live now but our councils are hard pressed to empty dustbins let alone anything else (as a local authority employee my salary has just been cut by 46%). If you are still in the area, why dont you organise a group of volunteers to go and litter pick - if you have moved elsewhere, maybe you could try writing to North Ayrshire council and see if you can maybe stir up some civic pride - to use one of your phrases, "instead of moaning why dont you improve the area"

Meg