- Gilbertfield Castle
Gilbertfield Castle is a ruined 17th century castle in
South Lanarkshire ,Scotland . It is located at gbmappingsmall|NS652587, on the north slope of Dechmont Hill, just outsideCambuslang , to the south-east ofGlasgow .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, byWilliam Hamilton of Gilbertfield (1665-1751), a retired soldier and writer. A friend of Allan Ramsay, he was responsible for translatingBlind Harry 's epic "Life of SirWilliam Wallace ".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 Blisted building .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 [http://lmid1.rcahms.gov.uk/pls/portal/newcanmore.details_gis?inumlink=44861]External links
* [http://www.georgetaylor.com/Castle/index.htm Information and photos]
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