Newark is a
most attractive tower house built on the shores of the Clyde but now with a shipyard to
one side. Other yards were located to the east, but this land is now a park. There is a
doocot on the Clyde side of the tower.
The oldest parts are the tower
and gateway of the 15th century. Patrick Maxwell, whose monogram is over the door, added
the connecting range in 1597-99. The motto THE BLISSING IS OF GOD BE HERIN is older here,
but Patrick was a wife beater and murderer! Dressed sandstone mouldings surround the
windows, and the north front is symmetrical. The castle has a fine selection of rooms to
explore, the ground floor having six vaults which are open, including bakehouse, kitchen
and wine cellar. A wide scale and platt stair leads to the first floor, where the great
hall, with grand fireplace, is furnished with replica items. On the floor above is a long
gallery with a display of old prints of Port Glasgow and a bust of John Wood, shipbuilder
(1788-1860).
George Maxwell built
Newark’s old tower around 1484 and James IV visited in 1495. In 1668 George Maxwell
sold ground to allow the erection of Port Glasgow. The castle was sold in 1694 and
subsequently leased to tenants. |
