Regarded as one of Scotland’s grandest homes, visiting Pollok House is like stepping onto the set of Downton Abbey, Pride and Prejudice and Bridgerton all at once, with its Georgian and Edwardian elements preserved despite its modern extensions.

But while this elegant stately home has the feel of being in the heart of the country, it is only a stone’s throw from the city centre and the M77 motorway.

Set in the scenic Pollok Country Park, the house was the family seat of the Maxwell family for six centuries.

Glasgow Times:

It is thought that the Maxwells had built three castles in the area, but nothing remains of them - the stone used was likely to have been recycled during the building of the current house.

Completed in 1752, Pollok House comprised a single main block, seven bays wide and three bays deep, and the identity of the architect remains unknown. 

Most of what we see today is the original building, and while the outside is rather plain, the interior is where Pollok House shines. The decorative plasterwork in most of the rooms is thought to be the work of the Clayton family, who were also responsible for decorating the stunning Blair Castle in Perthshire.

Glasgow Times:

Apart from a large library which can hold 7000 books, an ornate music room and a grand dining room, Pollok House's ground floor rooms are surprisingly homely, with smaller rooms and more of them rather than fewer large rooms.

In its heyday, 48 members of staff were employed for the services of just three family members. The service areas and male servants’ quarters were housed in the basement, while the female servants' accommodation, schoolroom and nursery were on the floor above.

Many say the crown jewel of Pollok House is its art collection. After failing to secure a seat in Parliament, Sir William Stirling Maxwell travelled Europe and became fascinated with Spain and its art.

He began to collect paintings, many of which are hung in the house today. You can see portraits of the Habsburg rulers of Spain and some powerful religious scenes.

Sir William was the nephew of Sir John Maxwell, the 8th Baronet, who died without an heir. He was part of the Stirling Keir family, and from then on took the name Stirling Maxwell.

Glasgow Times: Portrait of Sir John Stirling Maxwell, painted in 1922Portrait of Sir John Stirling Maxwell, painted in 1922 (Image: William Bruce Ellis Ranken)

When he died, his oldest son inherited the Stirling estate in Dunblane while his youngest, also named Sir John, took on Pollok House.

Sir John was a very wealthy man and a big player in Glasgow society, and his ascension to the Pollok estate brought about the modern expansion to accommodate both his father’s art collection and the library. He enlisted Architect Robert Rowand Anderson to design it.

It would continue to change over the course of the 20th century. Like many stately homes during the First World War, Pollok House was used as a hospital, and after the war, the west pavilion became first a sitting room and then a dining room.

Glasgow Times:

In 1931 Sir John convened a meeting at Pollok House that led to the creation of the National Trust for Scotland.

Sir John died in 1956, and ten years later his daughter, the 11th Baronet Mrs Anne Maxwell Macdonald, gave Pollok House, its art collection, library, and 361 acres of land to the City of Glasgow.

In 1998 management was passed to the National Trust by the council. But the Maxwell family still and will always have a home there, as they use the house as accommodation when in Glasgow.

Today, visitors can enjoy visiting most of the ground floor and some first-floor and basement rooms, take tea and scones at the café, walk around the gardens and the wider Country Park, and visit the Burrell Collection. 

With its grand, sweeping staircases, ornate interiors and beautiful gardens, Pollok House is also hired for weddings and events.