Gilbertfield Castle

Gilbertfield Castle is a ruined 17th-century castle in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is located at NS652587, on the north slope of Dechmont Hill, just outside Cambuslang, to the south-east of Glasgow.

Gilbertfield Castle, seen from the north-east.

History

The castle is within the former barony of Drumsagard, which was a possession of the Hamiltons.[1] 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 poem The Actes and Deidis of the Illustre and Vallyeant Campioun Schir William Wallace.[1]

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.which fell down in the late 1960s. It is now deemed extremely dangerous as a lot of the brick work has fallen each year. The turret fell in the 1970s. Gilbertfield Castle is a Scheduled Ancient Monument.[2]

Nearby development

In March 2017, an application by Persimmon Homes to build over 400 houses in land immediately to the north of Gilbertfield Castle was approved by South Lanarkshire Council's planning committee; this was somewhat controversial as the land had previously been designated Green belt. Various concerns were raised by local residents, community councillors (representing Halfway/Cambuslang East district), the Lowland Reserve Forces and Cadets Association who have a rifle range adjacent to the site,[3] and Clare Haughey and James Kelly, MSPs for the area, which were presented to the committee along with a 1300-signature petition opposing the development, without success.[4][5][6][7] Revisions had already been made to the plans after the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency objected to the builder's initial submission in 2016.[8][9]

A proposal for a further development directly incorporating the castle was publicised in May 2020.[10]

References
  1. Local and family history: Cambuslang and King Arthur, South Lanarkshire Council
  2. Historic Environment Scotland. "Gilbertfield Castle (SM5270)". Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  3. Cambuslang, Dechmont Rifle Ranges, Canmore
  4. "Cambuslang residents up-in-arms over new plans to build 437 houses in fields across from their homes". Daily Record/Rutherglen Reformer. 14 January 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  5. "CR/15/0239 - Application for site to south of Gilbertfield Road Cambuslang - Related Documents". South Lanarkshire Council Planning Department. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  6. "Campaign against controversial Cambuslang housing development ramps up". Daily Record/Rutherglen Reformer. 16 March 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  7. "1,300 Cambuslang voices of protest silenced by council as 386 houses get go-ahead". Daily Record/Rutherglen Reformer. 29 March 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  8. "Cambuslang housing development plans to be redrawn after flood warning". Daily Record/Rutherglen Reformer. 22 July 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  9. "Cambuslang development: Gilbertfield homes back on the table". Daily Record/Rutherglen Reformer. 10 March 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  10. A ruined castle with a bloody history could be at the centre of a housing development, The Scotsman, 18 May 2020
  • 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

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