Portencross Castle News
Portencross Castle Steward
Part time work is available for the season April-September 2012 for a castle steward to join our team of four stewards.
Times of opening will be daily in the first two weeks of April and during the months of July and August. Outwith these times the castle will be open at weekends and public holidays.
A fixed term contract for the above period for between 5 and 15 hours per week including weekends is available at £7.00 per hour.
Applications to, and further information from, Mrs Ann McLachlan, Company Secretary FOPC, Auldhill Cottage, Portencross, West Kilbride, KA23 9QA or e-mail FOPC@btconnect.com
Closing date for applications is 29th February 2012
First Visitors of 2012
Although the castle is not open to the general public until the spring, we were delighted to be able to show a little local history to visitors from Picardy in France.
The group were in Scotland to enjoy the delights of Celtic Connections and werel staying with local hosts. They visited the castle on a very cold, but thankfully dry, January day. Everyone seemed to enjoy the visit, after which they were heading off to a Burns' Supper. A Full day of Ayrshire history and culture!
Final Fundraiser of 2011
The final Portencross Castle fundraser coffee morning for 2011 was held at South Banks House, Portencross on Saturday, December 3rd. Despite truly vile weather that morning, we had a suprisingly good turnout of supporters and raised in excess of £700 for the castle operating and maintenance fund. To all who selflessly donated days of their time and effort in preparing home baking, marmalade, chutney, tablet and numerous other "goodies" as well as assisting in serving tea and coffee to our guests...THANK YOU! We also introduced the 2012 Portencross Castle Calendar which, this year, was the class project of Primary 6a of West Kilbride Primary School. Everyone has been highly complementary of the wonderful job the children have done...and all they have learned in the process! A limited number of copies of this calendar are still available and may be ordered by calling Audrey at 01294 823949.
To all our friends...we wish you a Happy Christmas and a safe and healthy Hogmanay...we look forward to seeing you in 2012!
Student Visit
Thirty honours students and three lecturers from Glasgow Caledonia University visited the castle on Friday 7th October. The visit was part of the Conservation module for the final year students, who are all studying for a BSc in Building Surveying/Quantity Surveying and Project Management.
As can be seen from the photograph, the students were lucky enough to enjoy a beautiful sunny day.
End of Season 2011
After a fantastic 2011 season, with over 7,000 visitors since April, the castle is now closed until next spring. Everyone has been delighted with the enthusiastic response of the public, with many people saying they have waited many years to get the chance to see inside the castle.
The photograph shows the 'End of Season' get together of many of the stewards, volunteer guides and FOPC directors, which took place on Monday 26th September.
Temporary Change to Opening Hours
Due to the hire of the castle for a private event on Saturday, 24th September 2011, Portencross Castle will be open to the public between the hours of 11am until 2pm ONLY ON THAT DATE
Ayrshire Open Doors 2011
The castle was one of the venues participating in Ayrshire Open Doors weekend, which took place at the beginning of September. A total of 116 visitors were welcomed to the castle on Saturday, with a further 250 on Sunday.
Amongst the visitors on Sunday afternoon was the NAC Provost, who was welcomed to the castle by Walter Kolon (Vice Chairman FOPC) and given a guided tour by Alastair Glen (Chairman FOPC).
"Art in the Garden" a success
The first "Art in the Garden" event, which took place on Saturday and Sunday August 20th and 21st, 2011, was eminently successful! Some of the artists were able to demonstrate the various stages of their creations, as shown in the photograph of Sandy Campbell finishing off a wood sculpture. The weather was with us, and 310 visitors (not including the "wee people" and pet dogs) to the South Banks House garden showed that this event has great future potential and will be fine-tuned and repeated next year.
Many thanks to the friends who not only brought delicious scones and pancakes, but who also helped serve the afternoon teas. As usual, refreshments were quickly sold out!
We thank all who participated and supported this fundraiser...which, incidently, netted £1,170 for the Portencross Castle operating and maintenance fund!
Chernobyl Children visit castle
On Tuesday, August 9th 2011, 18 children (ages 9-14), their two escorts and a handful of their local hosts, were given a guided tour of the castle. All of these were 'Chernobyl Children', born of parents who were subject to the contamination of the border area between Belarus and the Ukraine (at the time, both were republics of the USSR) by the world's worst ever nuclear disaster when the nuclear plant at Chernobyl exploded in April 1986. These children have grown up in a heavily contaminated environment and are in need of a break in a clean and healthy environment to promote their immune systems. Some are recovering from cancer or leukemia, some have weakened immune systems. More information can be found under 'Chernobyl Children' on Google.
Wedding Photo Shoot
A Sunny but windy Saturday afternoon on June 4th, 2011, saw the castle as the venue for a post-wedding-ceremony photo shoot. The newlyweds, Louise Buckley (formerly of Seamill) and Alex Knight (of London) and their party enjoyed catered champagne and canapes around the castle and Mr and Mrs Knight and their wedding party were photographed in and around this ancient monument. The wedding ceremony itself took place at the West Kilbride Parish Church. Following their fantastic reception, the newly weds departed for their honeymoon on the lovely Caribbean island of St Lucia before returning to their home in London. We wish them a future abounding with health and happiness...and kind memories of Portencross.
Photo courtesy of Ian McDonald
Birthday Celebrations
On Sunday, June 5th, 2011, Nan Mackay, her family and friends celebrated Nan's 'significant' birthday in the Great Hall. Cake, champagne and canapeswere served and all of the guests were provided with a guided tour of the castle. Happy Biirtday Nan...Queen for the day!
Music Evening Success
The annual "Music Evening" fundraiser, held on Saturday evening (July 23rd 2011) at the South Banks House garden, was blessed with outstanding weather! After last year's 'do', participants learned to bring something warm to put on after the sun went down...pleasantly chilly, but look...no rain!
Guests danced (courtesy of "The Banned"), ate, collected their spoils from the raffle and tombola...and enjoyed themselves (very important!). On top of that we managed to net just over £2,300 for the Portencross Castle Maintenance and Operating Fund! Thankyou all for your continued and generous support! Without you, the castle would have been in desperate straits.
A most sincere "thankyou" to all who made this evening possible. The preparations, the food and drink, the dance floor, setting up of the marquee and the gazebos, handling the bar, raffle and tombola sales, procurement of the required licensing, advertising etc! Enjoying the evening for three and a half hours...then back to post-event cleanup! Special thanks to the members of "the Banned" who have contributed their time and talent to these music evenings. Ladies and gentlemen...we salute you all!
5000th Visitor!
On 23rd July we welcomed our 5000th visitor to the castle.
Mrs Elizabeth Burns came from Ardrossan and is pictured here receiving a celebratory bottle of champagne from senior steward, Tricia Elder.
Tall Ships
As many of you will be aware, the tall ships recently visited Greenock. Many of the ships could be seen from Portencross as they left Greenock for the next stage of the race.
The picture on the right was taken from the roof of the castle and depicts 'Spirit of Fairbridge'. On board was the son of Alastair Glen, Chairman of FOPC, and in honour of the castle the ship was brought inside the Cumbraes and as close as possible to the castle. The saltire on the castle was dipped in a salute to acknowledge this fine display and show our appreciation of the visit. The ship sounded it's horn and cheers rang out from the spectators on the castle roof!
A fine tribute to the many such ships that must have sailed past the castle over the years.
Art Show Raffle Winner
We are delighted to let everyone know the result of the Art Show Raffle.
The winner was Maureen Boyd - a very appropriate result given that Portencross Castle was originally a Boyd family home. Maureen came down from Barrhead with her sons Alistair and Jonathan to be presented with the prize 'Homefoot, West Kilbride'. Michael Durning, the artist who created the painting, presented it to Maureen at the castle.
We sold nearly 700 tickets in all, so another great effort. Thank you to everyone who bought tickets.
Art show hailed as a great success
Despite some miserable weather, the first Annual Art Show to be held within the castle itself was a great success.
Approximately 600 visitors viewed the exhibits with a total of 37 works of art sold. The total money raised for the castle funds is estimated at £2,500.
Many thanks to all who contributed to the success of this event, including the artists, helpers and visitors. Particular thanks go to Bobby McKee for designing and building the new hanging system and Anne Brooks who has supervised the hanging of the exhibition for many years.
Portencross Art Show 2011
We are delighted to announce the dates for this year's Portencross Art Show. 
The art show this year will take place on Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th June, 11.00 – 4.00 both days. The plan this year is to use the Great Hall of the Castle as the main exhibition space. (Picture: The Great Hall by Sharon McBride.)
This is a new challenge which the organisers are considering with some trepidation, but we are sure it will be a roaring success.
This year's raffle prize is an outstanding painting by successful local artist Michael Durning, with the title "Homefoot, West Kilbride". Click here to see the flyer for the raffle. If you wish to buy tickets, please contact Margaret on 077 99 125 215, or by email at ma_mckee@yahoo.co.uk.
A guide for artists who wish to display their work is also available with timings, instructions and background information.
Beach Clean
Many thanks to all who participated in the beach clean on the afternoon of Saturday 30th April . Beautiful weather and over 100 participants with a "can do" attitude cleaned up 87 black bin bags full of litter from our local beach, extending from just south of the Seamill Hydro to Portencross! Refreshments were enjoyed at the Portencross Car Park at the conclusion of the event. After last year's 505 bag haul of litter, 87 may seem like a small amount, but last year it was the accumulation of years of beach neglect. This year we were in 'maintenance' mode, which probably reflects the amount we may expect to see in future years.
Again..."THANK YOU" to all who participated in this concerted community civic effort!
Castle Open to the Public for 2011
At the conclusion of the Easter holiday weekend, 1,932 visitors had been received at the castle since it quietly opened for the season on 4th April. There was certainly some wonderful weather (along with some quite nasty!) but we were really gratified by the interest and enthusiasm shown by so many people who had been looking forward to getting their first chance to see inside this well loved local landmark. The paid stewards and volunteer guides were kept very busy, but all seemed to thoroughly enjoy the experience.
If you would be interested in supporting the project as a volunteer guide, bearing in mind that Saturday and Sunday are the busiest days, please contact Kay on 01294 823537 or kayfegan@hotmail.com for further information.
Entry to the castle is free at the moment, but we hope that visitors will be aware that FOPC depends entirely on income from donations and fund raising events to maintain the building and keep it open, and that they will donate generously if possible.
Pictured above are Johnny, Tricia, Elizabeth and Andy, the castle stewards.
Re-affirmation of Wedding Vows
On March 26th,2011, the castle had its first hiring out for a private event, when Audrey and Walter Kolon (both of Portencross) celebrated their wedding anniversary with a reaffirmation of vows in the Great Hall. Reverend Norman Cruickshank administered the vows while a clarsach player from the Scottish Royal Academyof Music played what was probably the first music of its kind played in this castle in over 700 years. The flower-decorated Great Hall was filled to capacity (40) and champagne, canapes and cake were served after the ceremony. It proved to be an ideal venue for future small, intimate ceremonies.
Birthday Celebration
On the 19th March Jen McLachlan and friends celebrated her 40th birthday at Portencross Castle. Jen was gifted the use of the castle in return for her superb work as Project Organiser for the official opening of the Castle last year.
The castle is now available for private hire - contact details are on the website.
Spring Coffee Morning
The Spring Coffee Morning fundraiser on Saturday 5th March was successful beyond expectation! Despite the depressing weather and unexpected closure of Portencross car park, there were nearly 100 guests at South Banks House! We netted just over £700 for the Portencross Castle Fund, and we anticipate some additional funds yet to be received from parties who were unable to attend but who are long-term supporters of our goals.
Although it may sound repetitive, we again extend our thanks to those volunteers who work so hard to make these fundraisers possible...without them and the supporting public, these fundraisers would come to nought.
A special note of thanks is extended to Susanne and Gordon Proven who have made a substantial contribution to fund the purchase of tea/coffee and dessert crockery for FOPC. It couldn't have been more timely!
PROBUS presentation
On Tuesday March 1st, Alastair Glen (Chairman, FOPC) made a presentation regarding the Castle to the Professional Businessman's Club (PROBUS) in Kilmarnock. On the same afternoon, Walter Kolon (Vice Chairman FOPC) made a similar presentation to the West Kilbride Parish Church Ladies Guild in the Church Hall. The latter presentation resulted in two new Guardians.
Fashion Fund-Raiser
On Friday February 25th a small trial Fashion Swap fund-raiser was held at South Banks House, Portencross. The evening's activity proved to be both successful and entertaining and netted £230 for the Portencross Castle Fund. It is planned to repeat a larger version of this type of fund-raiser later in the year.
Far travelled Visitors
Recent visitors to the castle included Delia and James Brodick from Melbourne, Australia and Nigel and Gregor Forrest from Arizona. They were in the area to visit Delia and Nigel's mother, Marjorie, who lives in Seamill and had expressly asked to visit the castle.
Winter Weather
The recent snow and ice made a spectacular backdrop to the castle
Birthday Celebration
Sue Carmichael recently celebrated a special birthday with her family at Portencross Castle. Sue is a volunteer at the Castle and made a generous donation to the Castle fund to mark the event. Everyone at F.O.P.C would like to wish Sue 'Many Happy Returns' and to thank her for her kind donation.
Castle Talk
On Tuesday October 26th Walter Kolon (Vice Chairman, FOPC) gave a presentation concerning "Working Towards a New Life for Portencross Castle" to 60 members of the Largs Probus (Professional Businessmen) Club at Brisbane House, Largs. Arrangements will be made for the group to have a tour of the castle early in 2011.
Cheese and Wine Evening
It was a convivial cheese and wine evening fundraiser on Saturday, October 23rd at South Banks House, Portencross, which netted £250 for the Portencross Castle Fund as well as a Life Guardian application (£200).
Open Days a great success
The response to our Autumn open days was fantastic with over 200 people coming to look round the castle over the three afternoons. More than £300 was raised in donations, a valuable contribution to the on-going work and upkeep of the castle. Thankyou to everyone who attended and we look forward to welcoming many more visitors next year.
An exciting, sunny and emotional Opening Day
The castle was finally opened on a gloriously sunny day on 26th September. The event was one huge thank-you to all those who had helped to turn the vision of A New Life for Portencross Castle into reality. Achieving that goal was only possible through the assistance of our funders, including local charitable and philanthropic organisations, our Guardians and every single person who helped to organise events over the years. Nicola Benedetti graciously accepted FOPC's invitation to cut the ribbon at the opening ceremony and to play in the Great Hall of the castle.
The programme went smoothly from start to finish thanks to the hard work of everyone 
concerned from the FOPC Board, volunteers and our events organiser, to Nicola, our guest of honour. Also represented as speakers were our major funders: Colin McLean from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Scotland and Ranald McInnes from Historic Scotland. We also had invited guests from our other sponsoring organisations.
We were blessed with an exceptionally fine sunny and still autumn day. Nicola chose to play the Scottish Fiddle tune, Mrs Jamieson's Favourite, adapted by Ally Bain for a single violin, and then Jules Massenet's Meditation from Thais from her new album, Fantasie. No-one was quite sure how the sound engineers managed it, but the beautiful sound of Nicola's 
gifted playing slowly wafted across the castle environs and village bringing everyone and everything to an awesome and emotional silence. "It was as if the castle itself was playing to us," said one enthralled and almost tearful listener.
Nicola was thanked in great style by one of our youngest residents - granddaughter of Derek McLean the local artist. Derek donated a painting of the castle to Nicola to complement her newly acquired status as a lifetime Guardian of Portencross Castle.
The day ended with a series of castle tours led by some of our experts in the form of our architect, project manager, Board members and trained volunteers.
What a fitting day for Portencross Castle!
Panorama by Fergus Sutherland. See also a first short film by Howard Moiser. Further films and pictures will be available soon.
Sunday, 5 September 2010
Dr. David Caldwell, Keeper of Scotland and Europe at the National Museum of Scotland gave the first ever expert presentation in the Great Hall of Portencross Castle to a delighted audience.
Saturday, 28 August 2010
A "Practical Completion Certificate" has been issued to FOPC and the key to the castle has been handed over to the Company Secretary.
After a run of 12 years, this will be the last entry on this website by this writer. The website has been placed under new management and promises to be successfully "more academic" in its presentation.
Monday, 02 August 2010
A MESSAGE FROM THE FOPC CHAIRMAN, ALASTAIR GLEN:
The substantial programme of work to repair the castle and make it safe for public access is now nearing completion. Later in the year, following the installation of interpretation materials, it is hoped that access will be available, in this instance by arrangement only. This limitation is because the castle can only accommodate 40 visitors at one time.
From April next year, the intention is that the castle will be open as follows: First two weeks of April, all of July and August, daily. May, June and September, Saturday and Sunday. All 11am - 4pm. At other times, by arrangement only.
Wednesday, 28 July 2010
Another successful Music Evening Fundraiser took place on Saturday, 24th of July 2010! Despite very unsettled weather conditions throughout the day, evening brought dry, although a bit chilly, conditions. Our local music makers, "The Banned", were in top form...and we must thank them again for their generousity in donating an evening of professional entertainment! The dance floor is going to have to be enlarged for next year's event, as it was filled to capacity to all of the dance numbers.
The evening concluded with high praise for the delicious buffet and "The Banned"...quite evidently, the guests were all in an upbeat mood. On top of all this, we netted just over £2,100.00 for the Portencross Castle Fund. Thank you all...supporters, participants, the ladies who provided the buffet, those gentlemen (and one lady) who erected the marquee and gazebos and dance floor (and also helped disassemble and clean up on the following day). We had a wonderful time...it all fell into place with great results! Thank you!
By the way, two raffle tickets neglected to respond to their numbers when they were called: 441 (white) and 471 (bright green). If you still possess either of these tickets, please call Walter.
Wednesday, 30 June 2010
The 10th Annual Portencross Art Exhibition, which took place at Farland House, Portencross on the weekend of June 26 - 27 June, successfully raised a net sum of £3,295 for the Portencross Castle fund. Of 198 exhibits displayed, 55 were sold. The weather was kind once again, attracting visitors throughout the two days. Our thanks to all who participated and made this event possible. Special thanks to Bobby and Margaret McKee, who made their property and garden available in support of this event.
Wednesday, 28 April 2010
Again, a successful fundraiser coffee morning! The weather was pretty decent, the daffodils were (and still are) in bloom and loads of familiar and friendly faces came through South Banks House in Portencross. Always good to see old friends and to make new ones. Nearly £750 was raised, with donations still being received from those who were unable to attend. Many thanks to all of you!