So, who was William Thomson? Better known as Lord Kelvin of Largs, he was an eminent scientist and inventor. He died in 1907 and is buried in Westminster Abbey.

The building on the corner of Greenock Road and Routenburn Road, which today bears the blue tourist plaque, was the gatehouse to his private estate. Lord Kelvin built Netherhall, his Scots Baronial mansion, in the 1870s.

After his death Netherhall was used as a hotel, a Christian Guest House and conference centre. Most recently it has been converted into flats, and other more modern homes have been built in the grounds of the former mansion.