Fairlie Castle is believed to have been built by the Fairlie family around 1520. The castle is a simple rectangular medieval tower measuring about 13 metres in height and with walls that were about a metre and a half thick. It would have had four storeys with the main hall and kitchen on the first floor. Roundels (overhanging turrets) can be seen in each corner and there were gun ports for defence. It is believed that it was also once surrounded by gardens and orchards.
The Fairlie family sold the castle to the Boyle family, the Earls of Glasgow in the mid 1600s.
Although now roofless, the tower, which is privately owned is in a good state of preservation and there has been restoration worked carried out in the past. There is no access to the actual building which is now a scheduled monument in recognition of its importance as an historic building.