Penkill Castle

Penkill Castle is a 16th century castle with 19th century additions. It is situated around half a mile south of the village of Old Dailly, to the north-east of Girvan in South Ayrshire, Scotland.

The 16th century tower was built by a branch of the Boyd family, relatives of the Earls of Kilmarnock, and extended several times. In the late 1850s, the Pre-Raphaelite artist William Bell Scott became friendly with the then owner of Penkill, Alice Boyd. Scott painted a series of murals illustrating James I's The Kingis Quair in the staircase. Scott died at Penkill on 22 November 1890. ["Dictionary of National Biography" (1897) edited by Sidney Lee, Vol LI, Smith, Elder, & Co, London [http://www.presscom.co.uk/nursery/scottbio.html] ] The original castle grounds were extended in the late 19th Century by Alice Boyd. The castle was frequented by members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, including visits by Christina Rossetti, who noted "Even Naples in imagination cannot efface the quiet fertile comeliness of Penkill in reality." ["Christina Rossetti: A Biographical and Critical Study" (1898) by Mackenzie Bell, page 51]

In the mid 20th century Penkill fell into disrepair. It was subsequently bought and restored in the 1980s by Elton 'Al' Eckstrand, an American lawyer and former drag racing driver, known as "The Lawman". Penkill was sold by Eckstrand in 1992, but remains in private hands.

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