The Temple

A ruined two-storey octagonal tower on one of the summits of Kenmure Hill, a half-mile (1 km) west of Howwood in Renfrewshire, The Temple forms a prominent local landmark notable from both road and railway as they extend southwest towards Beith. The Temple represents a Classical outlook tower which was built in ashlar c.1776 on the former Castle Semple Estate by its owner, William MacDowall, whose father had made his money as a sugar planter in the West Indies. The upper floor is the more significant with large arched windows on seven of the eight faces; the windows on the lower floor are blocked. The Temple is now roofless but was B-listed in 1971.


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