Gilbertfield Castle, Cambuslang, United Kingdom

Gilbertfield 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.

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.

References:

Wikipedia

Castles and fortifications in United Kingdom

User Reviews

brian cummiskey (21 months ago)
Now in a pretty dangerous looking state. I visit every now and then, and the last time I was there I could still venture inside, but now there has been a half hearted attempt to fence it off. It looks as if there has been another fall in, so it's best to stay outside of the fence. It'll be a real shame if it does eventually collapse, it dates back to the 17th century and was very picturesque in its day, and it still can be, it looks great during the Winter surrounded by snow. A few of my photos show it a few years ago, the one with the bike in front of the ruin was from then. Still a lovely old ruin and a nice place to visit, but new houses have encroached and changed the whole landscape. How much longer it will stay standing is anyone's guess. It's been a great feature of the local countryside since way back, maybe someone with a Grand Design will step in and save it.

Andrew Garman (21 months ago)
No access to ruin directly as fenced off in farmers field. Can be viewed from the east & south on a small public track, however west is the farm & north is owned by the MOD so no access to these areas

Bscotland (2 years ago)
History blows through you like a warm breeze so many questions like how did I not know about this wonderful place until after 20 years living 7 miles away. Wonderful drive great people and child friendly Ghosts.

Caroline Hamilton (2 years ago)
Was nice to see the castle although its in a military base and you cant get close. But there was loads of happy friendly horses happy to meet us. As the grounds are privately owned the gate can get locked and your car may get locked. I would suggest parking out with the land at the new houses being built. Also theres a nice park aprox half a mile down the road which is a nice visit

Meg (3 years ago)
Once a beautiful building but sadly crumbling away.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Steve Clasper

Historic Site of the week

Kraków Cloth Hall

The Cloth Hall in Kraków dates to the Renaissance and is one of the city's most recognizable icons. It is the central feature of the main market square in the Kraków Old Town (listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1978).

The hall was once a major centre of international trade. Traveling merchants met there to discuss business and to barter. During its golden age in the 15th century, the hall was the source of a variety of exotic imports from the east – spices, silk, leather and wax – while Kraków itself exported textiles, lead, and salt from the Wieliczka Salt Mine.

Kraków was Poland's capital city and was among the largest cities in Europe already from before the time of the Renaissance. However, its decline started with the move of the capital to Warsaw in the very end of the 16th century. The city's decline was hastened by wars and politics leading to the Partitions of Poland at the end of the 18th century. By the time of the architectural restoration proposed for the cloth hall in 1870 under Austrian rule, much of the historic city center was decrepit. A change in political and economic fortunes for the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria ushered in a revival due to newly established Legislative Assembly or Sejm of the Land. The successful renovation of the Cloth Hall, based on design by Tomasz Pryliński and supervised by Mayor Mikołaj Zyblikiewicz, Sejm Marshal, was one of the most notable achievements of this period.

The hall has hosted many distinguished guests over the centuries and is still used to entertain monarchs and dignitaries, such as Charles, Prince of Wales and Emperor Akihito of Japan, who was welcomed here in 2002. In the past, balls were held here, most notably after Prince Józef Poniatowski had briefly liberated the city from the Austrians in 1809. Aside from its history and cultural value, the hall still is still used as a center of commerce.

On the upper floor of the hall is the Sukiennice Museum division of the National Museum, Kraków. It holds the largest permanent exhibit of the 19th-century Polish painting and sculpture, in four grand exhibition halls arranged by historical period and the theme extending into an entire artistic epoch. The museum was upgraded in 2010 with new technical equipment, storerooms, service spaces as well as improved thematic layout for the display.

The Gallery of 19th-Century Polish Art was a major cultural venue from the moment it opened on October 7, 1879. It features late Baroque, Rococo, and Classicist 18th-century portraits and battle scenes by Polish and foreign pre-Romantics.

Do you know an ancient castle or magnificent church near you?

Why not share it with other people interested in history? You can add your own historic sites and attractions to SpottingHistory.com.

It's absolutely free, easy, and doesn't even need registration!

Upload data

Gilbertfield Castle

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Rhodes, The Island of Knights

Great Spa Towns of Europe

History of Guernsey & Jersey

Historic Site of the week

Kraków Cloth Hall

Looks like you are a history fan!