The original site of Broadstone Castle (or Braidstone Castle) is just next to the small village of Gateside, about a half a mile east of Beith, in North Ayrshire. The castle is no longer there, but it’s rich history and local significance remain.

The ruins of Broadstone Castle or Braidstone remained until approximately 1850, but when the Broadstonehall Farm was being rebuilt, the entire castle was demolished and its stones were taken for its building works. However, the Broadstone Crags, the castle’s original site, still remains today. The vestiges of a garden and an avenue of trees also remained until the farm was constructed.

Broadstone Lime Kiln Wall

Due to the underlying geological condition of this place, many limestone quarries are found nearby. Lime kilns are used to produce lime for soil improvement, a common feature of this area before the Great Britain became fully industrialised. The last large traditional lime kiln could be found in Nettlehirst near Barrmill, and survived until the 1970s. Broadstone also has significant remains of one of the biggest of the early stone-built lime kilns. Lime kilns created substantial pollution in the whole area, which was only offset by the large employment opportunities it had created.