A-Z Challenge 2012 - J
Johnstone Castle
All that remains today of Johnstone
Castle in Renfrewshire, Scotland
is the protected Category B square central tower and a crow-stepped section of
an older date. The original building dates back to the 16th century.
Its L-shape consisted of three storeys and a wing remodelled as a Gothic tower.
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| Johnstone Castle - North west elevation 2009 |
The lands in Renfrewshire had passed to Sir
Ludovic Houston in 1645; it was the fourth laird of Johnstone Castle,
George Houston who in 1771 and 1812 had it extended in the castellated Gothic
style.
Frederick Chopin, the Polish composer visited
the castle in 1848. It’s said that a relationship existed between Chopin and
Jane Stirling, the sister-in-law of the 5th laird. He became sick
after a concert in Glasgow
and was nursed by Jane and her sister for some weeks. A few months later Chopin
died in Paris.
During World War II the MOD took over the
castle and a POW camp was set up in the grounds. A Polish soldier who died at
the castle is buried in the nearby woods. Supposedly Chopin’s music is sometime
to be heard on moonlight nights between the castle and the woods.
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| Johnstone Castle - viewed from south 2009 |
Most of the house was demolished in 1950 and the
land taken over by the local council. The remains of the castle are now
surrounded by a housing estate.
Hilary Melton-Butcher's Scottish Castle yesterday was Inveraray Castle
Attributions:
- Johnstone Castle, North West Elevation; by wfmillar; Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.
- Johnstone Castle; by wfmillar; Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.
