Mains Castle

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Mains Castle

Mains Castle is a four-story tower house on the northern edge of the Scottish town of East Kilbride in the council area of South Lanarkshire . In 1963 the building was included in the Scottish monument lists in the highest monument category A.

history

In the Middle Ages, the lands fell to the Norman family de Valonis . By marriage in the 13th century, they came into the possession of the Comyns , who had an ancestral home there. After Roberth the Bruce Red had murdered Comyn , he annexed the lands. After marrying Marjorie Bruce , they passed to Walter Stewart as a dowry . Her son, Robert II , donated the lands to John Lindsay for his services. The Lindsay clan moved its headquarters to the local Kilbride Castle .

During the 15th century, the clan Lindsay Mains Castle was built. According to a local tradition, Queen Mary of Scots spent several nights in the defense tower on her way to the Battle of Langside . Mains Castle remained in family ownership until 1619 when Alexander Lindsay sold the property to the Stuarts of Castlemilk . For use at their mansion Torrance House the Stuarts were the roof cover 1723. Twenty years later, a royal coat of arms was also removed from the drawbridge and moved to Torrance House.

After the unused Tower House deteriorated over time, it was extensively restored in the 1880s. The roof collapsed during a storm, after which Mains Castle gradually fell into a ruinous state. A private person bought the property in 1976 and restored Mains Castle to use it as a residential building ever since. The work was honored with two Saltire Awards for the best restoration project and for the excellent reconstruction. In the 1990s, the surrounding lands were developed into the James Hamilton Heritage Park . In the course of this work, a lake to the south of Mains Castle, which had fallen dry due to agricultural catering, was re-established.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  2. ↑ a b Entry on Mains Castle  in Canmore, the database of Historic Environment Scotland (English)

Web links

Commons : Mains Castle  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 55 ° 46 ′ 41.4 ″  N , 4 ° 11 ′ 21 ″  W.