Excavations at Trench D located part of the late 18th or early 19th century lectern doocot at Castle Hill that was demolished in the mid 20th century. The doocot would have been built on the instructions of the Earl of Eglinton when the surroundings were still agricultural land; later it was incorporated (with the castle) into the gardens of The Pavilion, the Eglinton’s summer house that stood where St Peter in Chains now stands, subsequently it stood on the hill after all this ground had passed to the town council. It was probably constructed from materials quarried from Ardrossan Castle.
Exploring Castle Hill is part of a Cultural Heritage and Archaeology Project being led by Northlight Heritage for Garnock Connections. The Project is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Historic Environment Scotland. The excavations were carried out by Rathmell Archaeology & Ardrossan Castle Heritage Society.
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