HOW come Glasgow doesn’t have a castle?
It’s a common query from tourists, more acquainted with Edinburgh’s famous stronghold.
The truth is Glasgow DOES have a castle – in fact, over the centuries it has had quite a few – and it has a fascinating history (even if it does not attract quite the same numbers of overseas visitors keen to learn more about Scotland’s past.)
Crookston Castle, on the south side of the city, is the only surviving medieval castle in Glasgow.
Built by the Stewarts of Darnley around 1400, this unusual building sits within earthworks constructed in the 1100s.
After a siege in 1544, it was extensively rebuilt, and its layout is rare in Scotland.
It has links to Lord Darnley, second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, and is the second oldest building in Glasgow.
The castle comprises a high central tower, with four square corner towers.
Only the north-east tower remains fully intact and it is open to the public - there are several rooms to explore, including a kitchen, a prison and servants’ quarters.
The views from the castle’s hilltop position are spectacular, stretching over south-east Glasgow.
Glasgow was once home to The Bishop’s Castle, also known as Glasgow Castle.
It served as the residence of the Archbishops of Glasgow until 1689 and fell into disrepair during the 18th century, having been used as a quarry from 1755.
The site was cleared in 1789 to make way for Glasgow Royal Infirmary.
Cathcart Castle was a 15th-century castle, located in what is now Linn Park on the south side of the city.
The castle was abandoned in the 18th century, and the remaining ruins were pulled down in 1980, leaving only foundations visible.
Haggs Castle is a 16th century tower house, located in the neighbourhood of Pollokshields.
It was built by Sir John Maxwell of Pollok and his wife Margaret Cunningham to replace their former residence, the Laigh Castle, a 14th-century building which stood to the west.
It was later abandoned as a residence when Pollok House was built.
The castle basement was later used as a smithy and it was extensively restored in the 19th century.
In 1943, the castle was requisitioned by the military, and it was later divided into flats. In 1972 the Glasgow Corporation bought the castle, converting it to serve as the Museum of Childhood.
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This is Glasgow’s ‘lost’ museum - it was opened by John Craven of BBC’s Newsround Programme in 1976 and its aim was to interest children in the city’s history and how Glaswegian children used to live, particularly the 16th century.
Over the years, the museum enjoyed great success, attracting more than three quarters of a million visitors both in organised parties and private visits. There is now a Museum of Childhood in Edinburgh.
Haggs Castle is a beautifully decorated building, with striking carvings and moulded corbels. It is now a private house.
Partick Castle, in the west end of the city, was built in 1611 for the Glasgow benefactor George Hutcheson and situated on the west bank of the River Kelvin.
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