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A small and unimportant castle held by
the Douglases til 1455 when The Stewarts of Castlemilk took ownership
Above the village of Gourock (now a sizeable town), stood a castle of
the same name, the principal messuage of the barony of Finnart Stewart,
which, in the reign of James II., by the forfeiture of the Earl of
Douglas, came to Stewart of Castlemilk.
Gourock Castle, the seat
of the barony of Finnart-Stewart, stood above the town of Gourock; it
was pulled down about 1747. In 1856, the site was pointed out by Major
Darroch (proprietor) , who stated that a few stones, visible near the
edge of the Gourock Burn, formed part of the original foundations. In
the reign of James II (1437-60) it was forfeited by the Earl of Douglas
and passed to the Stewarts of Castlemilk.
No trace of the castle
building remains. The site is marked by a small, flat-topped mound.
Gourock House
Gourock House had once been one of several fine properties in the district that disappeared during the previous century. Although no definitive construction date had survived, references suggested that the mansion had been raised in the first half of the 1700s, standing within expansive grounds later absorbed into Gourock Park. Its site eventually became a large open space.
Tradition held that part of the building incorporated a fragment of an older castle, long associated with the Douglas family, and local lore claimed that the Black Douglas had once resided there. That remnant of the castle was said to have been taken down around 1847.
The estate passed through several hands: first the Letham family, and then, in 1784, it was purchased by the Darroch family, lairds of Gourock. In May 1923, Gourock Town Council acquired the mansion from the Darrochs for £10,000. Nearby stood the Darroch vault, containing the remains of members of the family.
Over time, Gourock House served many roles. It hosted social gatherings,
dances, parties, and operated as a tea‑room. During the war it
functioned as an A.R.P. post and control room. By the mid‑20th century,
however, the building had become dilapidated and dangerous. It was
demolished, and the Town Council had not yet determined the future use
of the site.
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