A HISTORIC Renton country house with a troubled recent past is being put on the market for £1.7m. 

Dalmoak House was built in the late 1860s on estate land once frequented by Robert the Bruce and the castle itself is believed to host the largest stained glass window in a private house in the UK.

More recently, it has been known locally as the site for the Dalmoak Castle care home, which was heavily criticised by inspectors and had funding cut by West Dunbartonshire Council in 2009 following concerns over standards of care at the facility.

The home was then known as Castle Glen Care Home, but its standard of care was labelled ‘weak’ by the Care Inspectorate in 2013, who criticised the slow process of refurbishment to bring the building up to the correct standard.

It shut its doors as a care home by the end of 2013. 

The 17-bedroom A-listed property has been lying empty ever since, with the mansion’s owners applying on two occasions in 2015 and 2016 to see the house converted into a hotel and events venue.

The building’s owner initially applied to create a 11-bedroom venue designed to host functions such as weddings and also to act as a small hotel aimed at golfers and adventure tourists from India and the Middle East. 

However, despite backing from the council’s head of regeneration and infrastructure, the plans were rejected by West Dunbartonshire Council’s planning committee following complaints over the impact of potential increased noise, especially on local homeowners.

Another attempt was launched a year later to turn the property into a hotel, but this was once again rejected.

The Gothic castle just off Renton Road has appeared on several online property sites, with prospective owners asked to stump up more than a million pounds for permission to be used as a commercial property, hotel or family home.

The listing on property site HouseSimple claims that the property contains “lavish interiors, including a central hall with an imperial stair, a drawing room with sumptuous ceiling plasterwork and scagliola columns, and an elegant dining room. The ceiling, hearths and mirrors of the main rooms are grand.”

Councillor Jim Bollan, who lives in Renton, said: “I hope the sale of Dalmoak Castle will allow a new page to be turned on what has been a fairly troubled past for this magnificent building. 

“I also hope any prospective owners will have early contact with residents who live around the castle to discuss the end use for the building.”