© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic Environment Scotland
Chapelhouse is a medieval chapel and farmstead situated in Ayrshire, Scotland. The site comprises the remains of a religious building and associated domestic structures, representing the combined ecclesiastical and agricultural life that characterised many rural medieval settlements in southwest Scotland. The monument is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland.
The chapel and farmstead were founded on ground composed of Silurian rocks—mudstone, siltstone and sandstone laid down over 400 million years ago when this region lay beneath ancient seas. These durable stone deposits provided the natural building material for the structures, whilst the underlying geology would have influenced water drainage and soil fertility across the small estate.
The settlement reflects the medieval pattern of religious communities maintaining both spiritual and economic functions in the countryside. Chapelhouse would have served the local farming population whilst generating income through agricultural production. Such establishments were common across medieval Scotland, though many have left only fragmentary earthwork evidence, making this protected site significant for understanding rural settlement patterns and the integration of chapel and farmstead in medieval Ayrshire.
Chapelhouse,chapel and farmstead is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM5405. View the official record →
Chapelhouse is a medieval chapel and farmstead situated in Ayrshire, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM5405.
Chapelhouse,chapel and farmstead dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a chapel and farmstead. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Chapelhouse,chapel and farmstead is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM5405.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Old Foundry Holm,ironworks (1.2 km), Glen Garr,cairn (5.3 km), Blacksidend,cairn (5.4 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Chapelhouse,chapel and farmstead's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Chapelhouse,chapel and farmstead stands on Silurian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Silurian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.