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| Photo of Craigend Castle |
So, remember when I told you in my Mugdock Country Park post that we accidentally ended up at Craigend Castle? Well, this is the story of that little discovery. When we were walking around Mugdock, we spoke to an older couple who told us it would take about 20 minutes to get to the castle. Because we were in Mugdock Country Park, we naturally assumed they meant Mugdock Castle. We followed the route, kept walking and eventually arrived at what looked like the remains of a castle, except it didn't look quite like the castle I had seen in pictures of Mugdock Castle. That was when we realised we had actually found Craigend Castle. At first I was a little confused because I thought we had somehow taken a completely wrong route, but then I realised this was one of the interesting things about Mugdock: there are two very different historic castle sites within the wider country park area. Mugdock Castle is the much older one, a medieval stronghold associated with the Graham family and dating back to the 14th century, while Craigend Castle is a much later country house built in the early 19th century in a dramatic Gothic style. Mugdock Castle is a scheduled ancient monument, whereas Craigend Castle is a Category C listed building. So although both are called castles and sit within the same wider landscape, they tell completely different stories. And honestly, once I knew what I was looking at, I found Craigend Castle much more interesting. What remains today is roofless and partly covered in vegetation, with sections of the old walls, towers, window openings and decorative stonework still standing. Historic Environment Scotland describes it as the fragmentary remains of an extremely well-detailed Gothic country house, and when you stand in front of it, you can still see hints of how impressive it must have been. The castle was built in 1812 by Alexander Ramsay, using designs associated with James Smith of Jordanhill, for the Smith family, who had owned the Craigend estate since the 17th century. The Smiths had originally been tenants on the land before Robert Smith acquired part of the former Barony of Mugdock in 1660. What began as a much simpler country house was gradually transformed, and by the early 19th century it had become this elaborate Regency Gothic mansion, complete with towers, decorative parapets, arched windows, landscaped grounds and an impressive entrance. The family wealth behind the estate was connected to the West Indian sugar trade, including business interests involving the produce of enslaved people, which is an uncomfortable but important part of the history of Craigend and the wider wealth of some Scottish families of the period. Craigend was eventually sold in 1851 to Sir Andrew Buchanan, a diplomat who had served as ambassador at the Habsburg court in Vienna. The castle later had a number of notable residents and tenants, including James Outram, and in the early 20th century Sir Harold Yarrow, the shipbuilding businessman, lived there with his family. By then, however, the estate was moving towards the end of its life as a grand private country house.