Duchal House is an 18th-century mansion and estate near Kilmacolm

Kilmacolm

Kilmacolm is a village and civil parish in the Inverclyde council area and the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies on the northern slope of the Gryffe Valley south-east of Greenock and around west of the city of Glasgow...

, Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

. It is located in Inverclyde

Inverclyde

Inverclyde is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Together with the Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire council areas, Inverclyde forms part of the historic county of Renfrewshire - which current exists as a registration county and lieutenancy area - located in the west...

, in the former county of Renfrewshire

Renfrewshire (historic)

Renfrewshire or the County of Renfrew is a registration county, the Lieutenancy area of the Lord Lieutenant of Renfrewshire, and one of the counties of Scotland used for local government until 1975. Renfrewshire is located in the West Central Lowlands of Scotland, south of the River Clyde,...

. Duchal was acquired by the Porterfield family in the 16th century. The present house was built in 1710 and extended in 1768. It is now owned by Lord Maclay

Baron Maclay

Baron Maclay, of Glasgow in the County of Lanark, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1922 for the Scottish businessman Sir James Maclay, 1st Baronet. He was Chairman of Maclay & Macintyre, shipowners, of Glasgow, and also served as Minister of Shipping in the...

. The house is protected as a category A listed building, and the grounds are included in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland

Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland

The Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland is a listing of gardens and designed landscapes of national artistic and/or historical significance, in Scotland. The Inventory was originally compiled in 1987, although it is a continually evolving list...

, the national listing of significant gardens.

History

The lands of Duchal were held by the Lyle family from the 13th century, based at Duchal Castle, now a ruin. In 1544 Duchal was acquired by John Porterfield, and in 1710 his descendant Alexander Porterfield constructed a new house. This building now forms the south range of the present house. Formal gardens had been laid out by around 1750. The house was extended eastward by Boyd Porterfield in 1768.

In 1854 the estate was acquired by the Shaw-Stewarts

Shaw-Stewart Baronets

The Stewart, later Shaw-Stewart Baronetcy, of Greenock and Blackhall in the County of Renfrew, is a title in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia. It was created on 27 March 1667 for Archibald Stewart. This family is descended in the direct male line from Sir John Stewart, illegitimate son of Robert III...

 of Ardgowan

Ardgowan House

Ardgowan House is a late 18th-century mansion and estate on the Firth of Clyde near Inverkip, Scotland. Ardgowan is located in Inverclyde, in the former county of Renfrewshire. The Ardgowan estate has been held by the Stewart family since the early 15th century. The present house was begun in 1797,...

 for use as a shooting lodge. Duchal was sold in 1910, and in 1915 was purchased by the shipowner Joseph Paton Maclay, 1st Baron Maclay, whose family still occupy the house.

External links

• Duchal House, Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland
  Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland
  The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government 'sponsored' [financed and with oversight] through Historic Scotland, an executive agency of the Scottish Government...