Scottish Castles Photo Library
- Castle of Park, Galloway
The estate of Park lies to the east of Glenluce Abbey in Galloway and originally formed part of the abbey's lands. The acquisitive Earl of Cassillis took over the estate, but towards the end of the Reformation of the church in Scotland, Thomas Hay, the last Abbot of Glenluce bought the estate for his son, also named Thomas. In 1590 he built the stark tower house on a hill overlooking Glenluce Abbey. Above the doorway is an inscription which reads "Blessed be the name of the Lord. This work was begun the first day of March 1590 by Thomas Hay of Park and Janet Macdowell, his spouse."
Thomas Hay's castle has accommodation on four floors and an attic. The ground floor housed a roomy kitchen and there were two cellars, one of which was for storing wine. There was a stairway from the kitchen and cellars leading to the main hall above. However, the main access to the hall was via sweeping staircase in the projecting wing of the building. In the 18th century, an addition was made to the original tower house. The castle remained in the ownership of the Hay family until the 1830s when it was sold. In the 20th century Castle of Park was derelict for a time but Historic Scotland has now restored it.
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