Ardgowan House

Ardgowan House is a mansion house near the Scottish town of Inverkip in Inverclyde. In 1971 the building was added to the Scottish lists of monuments in the highest category A. Ardgowan House is isolated approximately 500 meters north of Inverkip set in a large plot with numerous outbuildings. It is built in the Renaissance style.

History

In 1403 informed the Scottish king Robert III. his illegitimate son John Stuart the lands of Ardgowan to. Since then, the estate is inherited within the family. In the late 15th century there was the tower house Ardgowan Castle erricht in which it is likely to be the successor to an older building fortress. Around the year 1635 founded Archibald Stewart, 1st Baronet the line of Baronets Shaw - Stewart. Today's Ardgowan House was far from Ardgowan Castle under John Shaw - Stewart, 4th Baronet. As an architect he entrusted in 1797 Hugh Cairncross with planning. The building was completed in 1801. At this time, the extensive gardens were created by the landscape designer John Ramsay. Michael Shaw - Stewart, 6th Baronet had the house expand in 1825 by William Burn. Again, was transformed Ardgowan House 1862 Michael Robert Shaw - Stewart, 7th Baronet, and finally in 1904 under Michael Hugh Shaw - Stewart, 8th Baronet. During the Second World War, the mansion served as a hospital. Also went to this time, various outbuildings lost.