Gilbertfield Castle
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Gilbertfield Castle is a ruined 17th century castle in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is located at NS653558, on the north slope of Dechmont Hill, just outside Cambuslang, to the south-east of Glasgow.
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[edit] History
The castle is within the former barony of Drumsagard, which was a possession of the Hamiltons. The castle was built in the early 17th century, and the date 1607 is displayed on a heraldic panel above the door. The castle was later lived in, around the turn of the 18th century, by William Hamilton of Gilbertfield (1665-1751), a retired soldier and writer. A friend of Allan Ramsay, he was responsible for translating Blind Harry's epic Life of Sir William Wallace.
[edit] The castle
Gilbertfield is a well-planned L-plan tower house. The stair tower, which projects to the north, was large enough to accommodate a series of rooms as well as a square turnpike stair.
The basement level was vaulted, and contained cellars and a kitchen, which had a large fireplace and oven. A service stair connected the basement with the hall above. The hall itself had a smaller fireplace, as well as large windows with gunloops in between. Above the hall were two further floors, each with three rooms; two in the main block, and one in the wing. At the highest level, the garret, two round turrets projected at the south-east and north-west corners. There was no parapet.
The castle is now a neglected ruin, the east wall having collapsed in the 1950s. Only the corbelling of the north-west turret remains. Gilbertfield Castle is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and a category B listed building.
[edit] References
- Mason, Gordon The Castles of Glasgow and the Clyde, Goblinshead, 2000
- Salter, Mike The Castles of South West Scotland, Folly Publications, 1993
- National Monuments Record of Scotland Site Reference NS65NE 12 [1]
[edit] External links
