Cambusnethan Priory or House
Cambusnethan Priory or House (2007)
Originally uploaded by Alex
Located near Wishaw, Lanarkshire, Scotland, was designed by James Gillespie Graham and completed in 1820. It is generally regarded as the being the best remaining example of a Graham-built country house in the quasi-ecclesiastical style of the Gothic revival. It was used as a hotel and restaurant and “mediaeval banqueting hall”, the last use being tenuously linked with William Finnemund, the 12th century, Laird of Cambusnethan.
There was originally a Norman tower house near the site of the present building, and this was replaced by a manor house during the 17th century. The manor house burned down in 1810, and the present house was commissioned and built in 1820.
The Priory was built for the Lockhart family of Castlehill and their family crest was carved above the main entrance and etched in every balustrade of the main staircase inside. The crest represents a casket, heart and lock and derives from the tradition that the ancestors of this family carried Robert the Bruce‘s heart back from the holy land.
There are few remaining examples of early 19th-century Gothic mansions remaining in Scotland as many were demolished in the late 1950s and 1960s. Cambusnethan House is a notable building in its own right as a good example of the Gothic style, and also because so few buildings of this type still remain.
The house is two and three storeys high with turrets at each corner, a three-storey bow in the west elevation and a massive square porch. Characteristically, the house was very ornately decorated with a variety of architectural details; castellated roof lines, scrolled pinnacles, narrow pointed windows and drip moulds, and various cornices, besides carved motifs and decorated chimneys. Some of the ornate pinnacles have been removed in the interest of safety, and there had been at a recent extension to the lower ground floor across a sunken passage across the house with a roof flush with ground level. (Source Wikipedia)
Unfortunately, now vandalised and in danger of collapse.
Other photographs of Cambusnethan Priory/House can be found on Flickr
What a great shame this builging is now a ruin. I used to spend weekends there in the late 1960s as a friend of Charlie Wilson son of the owner Mr R Wilson. IT SHOULD BE SAVED!
i too think this beautifull house should be saved and restored, i used to work there in the late 70s with ronald wilson the owner and held the fort when he was away at his home in spain i was 15 at the time and had many happy times there
This house should be saved. It most likely (Manor or Manse) was the birthplace of John Gibson Lockhart in 1794, whose father-in-law was Sir Walter Scott. Lockhart married Scott’s eldest daughter Sophia in 1820. He also wrote the best biography of Sir Walter Scott. William Lockhart, John’s brother, built Milton-Lockhart House in 1829. THAT gorgeous mansion was sold and dismantled piece by piece in the 1980′s to a Japanese enterprenuer who renamed it LockHEART. What a cultural and historical waste not to save these wonderful houses and what a shame for Scotland to ignore them.
I just returned to Texas from my visit to BOTH of these homes! Sheer coincidence that the two are related. The nephew of the current owner of the Milton-Lockhart house shared a bit of history (including the part about the Japanese) and was very pleasant as we realized that we were trespassing on a private bridge while taking a stroll from our hotel. I took numerous photos, and truth be told, the priory was my favorite part of my trip! Thank-you for the insight!