The Estate | Finding Finlaystone | Contacting the Rangers
The history of Finlaystone ("Finlay's Town") can be traced back to the thirteenth century, when it was owned by the noble family of de Denzilstone or Dennistoun, from whom it passed by marriage in 1396 to the chiefs of the Cunningham clan - from 1488 the Earls of Glencairn - in whose hands it remained for exactly 400 years.
Alexander Cunningham, the 5th Earl of Glencairn - known as "the good earl" - was a prominent supporter of the Protestant Reformation in the reign of the Catholic Queen Mary, and John Knox is said to have given his first communion in Scotland under the Yew tree which still stands on the lawn at Finlaystone.
In 1710 a traveller
wrote:
Upon the coast, on a rising ground,
is situate the castle of Finlaystone, the seat of the earl of Glencairn...
a noble and great building round a court.
Nothing but the wine cellar of that original castle now remains, and the oldest part of the present house - the central block - was built in 1746 to a design by the then fashionable architect John Douglas; as shown in the 1750 drawing below.
The wings of the modern house probably replaced Douglas' pavilions later in the eighteenth century, while the tower and kitchen extension - shown in the 1880 picture below - were added by Sir David Carrick-Buchanan who bought the estate in the 1860s from the Cunningham-Grahams, the successors at Finlaystone (in 1796) of the Earls of Glencairn.
1750 and 1880
In 1897 Finlaystone was acquired by the Clyde shipping magnate George Jardine Kidston who employed the architect of the British Museum in London, Sir John James Burnett, to add a top storey, a portico, a new bay to the dining and drawing rooms - which necessitated the moving of the John Knox Tree from the centre of the lawn to its present position - and the latest in plumbing. The house as it is now is largely as Burnett left it.
Finlaystone passed to Kidston's daughter Lilian, the wife of an Irish banker Richard Blakiston-Houston; and it was the marriage of their daughter Marian to the soldier Gordon MacMillan that was eventually to make Finlaystone once again the home of a clan chief; since in in 1952 Lieutenant-General Sir Gordon MacMillan was recognised as the MacMillan of MacMillan and Knap.
Today, outside of Clan MacMillan, Finlaystone is best known for its wonderful woods and gardens; every acre of which is personally tended - in all seasons - by George MacMillan and his family.
Finlaystone House and the John Knox Tree
The beautiful woods and gardens of the Finlaystone Estate are open to the
public daily from 10.30am to 5pm.
The Visitors’ Centre (“The Eye-Opener”) is open for the
same period every day in the summer, and at weekends - or by prior
arrangement - at other times of the year. It contains displays about the
estate, which are intended particularly to inform children about the wild
life to be found at Finlaystone, along with a collection of international
dolls (“The Dolly Mixture”). The Clan
Centre is located at the other end of the same building, but is
accessed separately - the duty Ranger can arrange for admission.
Estate Rangers are always available to help visitors with information, and regularly organise special activities according to the season and public requirements. The annual programme of such activities is published in the spring of each year, and individual events are usually advertised in The Greenock Telegraph and other local media.
“The Celtic Tree”
Restaurant is open daily during the summer.
Refreshments are usually available in the Eye-Opener when the Celtic Tree
is closed.
Entrance to the estate
costs £3.00 for adults and £2.00 for children and OAPs.
There is a Family Membership scheme which gives year-round access;
details from the Rangers Office.
The "Eye-Opener" with the Rangers' Office
at this end, and the Clan Centre at the far end
Members of Clan MacMillan International have free entrance to the estate.
MacMillans are asked to identify themselves as such to the staff when buying tickets, so that their estate entrance fees - payable if they are not Members of Clan MacMillan International - can go to the appeal fund which helps pay for the Centre, and the staff can locate the chief, the Clan Centre Curator or Archivist/Genealogist (if available) to meet them.
Clanspeople intending to visit and wishing to meet the Chief and the Archivist/Genealogist whilst at Finlaystone are strongly advised to phone well in advance to make sure that they will be available on the day in question (phone the house on 01475-540285).
By road: Take the
M8 out of Glasgow or the Airport - heading west towards Greenock -
past Bishopton (where it becomes the A8) and Langbank (do NOT turn
off into the village of Langbank). Look for the advance notices
immediately after the railway bridge outside Langbank, and the large green
sign at the entrance to the Finlaystone drive.
Trains: Twice an hour from Glasgow Central to Langbank station,
which is a thirty minute walk from Finlaystone; or four times an hour to
Port Glasgow, where taxis - office just outside the station - are
available for the drive up to Finlaystone.
For further
information see the website maintained by
The Finlaystone Country Estate
Questions about estate
entrance and activities should be directed to the
Finlaystone Rangers
who can be rung on 01475-540505.
