workmen. The keys had been taken offsite by carpenters and access to control the fire was impossible. Large numbers of people turned out to help, but their assistance was to no avail. Until the death of the earl in 1781 the cause had been carefully concealed and supernatural forces held to blame. Some of the buildings were retained for a time as a hunting lodge. Pleasure gardens The approach to the building from the south was a long straight avenue twenty yards wide, bordered by high walls and once enclosing large gardens. The section down to Causewayfoot was bordered by walls and the section down to the termination at Fudstone (now demolished) was tree-lined only. The remnants of the 'Grand Avenue' are still discernable. A substantial walled garden in two portions ran down from the castle to the ravine or glen, long abandoned, and shown on the OS maps with a set of steps between the tow portions and a small building attached to the wall on the northern side. Paterson records that the extensive pleasure-grounds were "torn up by the plough". The gardens once contained flowers and shrubs, potatoes, turnips, and orchards. As late as 1856 the walled garden is shown as containing what may have been apple trees of which one survives (2015). Estate The mains farm is recorded as Place Farm and sometimes, confusingly, as Kilbirnie Place. The old castle site is recorded as Kilbirnie House. A lane ran up to the Largs Road from Causewayfoot, via a dwelling at Parkfoot, now demolished, crossing the Paduff Burn rivulet by a ford. Birinie's well was a spring that supplied excellent water. It was about a quarter of a mile north of the Kilbirnie Castle ruins and water was carried to the castle by pipes. The well was named after St Brendan (Sanctus Birinius), a 6th century saint associated with Kilbirnie Church. The well has been 'capped' and its site sits at the end of an old path. Ordnance Survey (OS) maps show that a sandstone quarry was located at Causewayfoot, overlooked by the old but now demolished dwelling at Selsy, with cottages and the farm of Causewayfoot standing nearby. A small ironstone pit was also present. The OS 6 in. of 1897, 1911, 1938 show a trapezoidal curling pond south-west of Kilbirnie Castle and records show that a match was played between Kilbirnie v. Dalry 3 rinks each,