The Duke Who Destroyed a Palace
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- Опубликовано: 27 окт 2024
- Weaving together various elements that in the end saw the demise of Hamilton Palace, from coal-mining to lost villages and the financial ruin of a man of supposed wealth, Ed sets the scene for what was without question the biggest architectural scandal ever to have hit Scotland: demolition of the grandest stately home in the country.
Hamilton Palace, stately home of the Dukes of Hamilton, was demolished in the 1920s. The story goes that coal-workings beneath the palace led to the structure being considered unstable, and it was pulled down. But the picture is not just as simple as that.
Starting at Chatelherault, the hunting-lodge and summer house of the Dukes of Hamilton, we make our way along the Great Avenue leading to the site of the palace. Along the way we look at the large number of collieries around Hamilton, and how some mining villages like Eddlewood and Cadzow have been completely erased. It's almost as if the villages and the coal mines beside them never existed. We also look at the location of the Bent Colliery just south of Hamilton. The Bent Colliery also owned Hamilton Palace Colliery by the now vanished mining village of Bothwellhaugh, and played a significant role in the downfall of the palace.
As did the 12th Duke of Hamilton. The poor man got himself into financial difficulties, racked up debts of over a million pound, and in the end sold off the entire contents of Hamilton Palace, including any number of archaeological treasures and art. He then moved out, and gave instructions to the trustees looking after the palace. These instructions eventually led to the demolition of the palace.
Meanwhile, the good people of Bothwellhaugh continued working at the Hamilton Palace Colliery until 1959 when the mine closed. By 1965 the village had become desolate and demolished. In the 1970s Strathclyde Country Park was created, and any remnants of the mining village of Bothwellhaugh were then submerged below the waters of Strathclyde Loch.
Just six years after the last of Hamilton Palace was pulled down, the National Trust for Scotland was formed. Their role is to care for and preserve Scotland's heritage, whether in buildings or the countryside. Their formation was just too late to save Hamilton Palace.
These videos are important. They connect us with our past, and I hope we learn a little.
The music enhances them.
Thanks Colin. I sometimes look at these mining villages that have been completely erased and wonder if in wiping away all traces we're in danger of forgetting that the Scottish Coal Industry ever happened.
Lovely Ed. Been to Chatelherault a couple of times but never knew anything about the great avenue. How fascinating.
There's an information panel about the avenue up by the Chatelherault building, which probably gives better info than I can.
@@EdExploresScotland Will check that out next time Ed. I normally just park and go for a long walk.
As a wee boy I remember regularly accompanying my father driving a bus taking the Catholics of Bothwellhaugh up to Bothwell for Sunday Mass. I can't remember when that was (I was born in 1953) but I was probably about 8 years old. The upper section of the road to Bothwell can still be seen from the motorway. Around that time the ornate wall in front of what had been the policies of Hamilton Palace was still in place. Behind this wall were public tennis courts and football pitches, I think. With a new road layout, these ornate sections of wall were removed and placed along Bothwell Road in Hamilton where they can still be seen to this day. The tennis courts and football pitches are now the sports centre and shopping retail park. Chatelherault was pronounced 'Shattelyrow' locally. It was named after the title bestowed upon a previous Duke by the French King for his help in arranging the marriage of Mary, Queen of Scots and the Dauphin Francis, later King Francis II of France and King Consort of Scotland. The Duchy of Châtellerault is in the Vienne Department of Nouvelle Aquitaine. The difference in spelling may simply be an error in writing. The title was taken from the Duke of Hamilton not many years after it was bestowed, though the Duke seems to have paid little notice to this fact.
Many thanks for that. A lot of interesting stuff in there.
my grannie who grew up in Hamilton was able to visit the Palace with her primary school, Doors Open day type malarkey I assume. I saw a book years ago that had photographs of the palace from the Country Life magazine articles done before the contents sale, it was stunning inside... when the little glass dome on the top of the Duke's of Hamilton mausoleum was being replaced by a plexiglass one in the 70's and it was covered in scaffolding, me and my mates climbed to the top for a laugh - why wouldn’t you. My fav story about the Hamilton’s is that the massive Egyptian sarcophagus in Kelvingrove was one of a pare bought by one of the Dukes of Hamilton, he wanted one to be buried in and he donated the other one to Glasgow Museums, the only trouble is when he died he was too tall to fit in his one, so they had to break his legs and tuck him in - it’s a good story!
Many thanks for that. I think I remember that one at Kelvingrove.
Very impressive work , well done Ed, much appreciated
Thanks Stephen.
A very interesting history of the area, which I never knew about. I'll research more about it. A search reveals how massive Hamilton Palace was, with huge rooms. Excellent fade shot at 16.55. 👍
Many thanks. That whole area is of considerable interest for any number of reasons. I think many return visits will be on the cards.
Ed, a great video from my own home town. If you had went another 5 miles south, you would have found many miners rows in the village/town of Larkhall. The mausoleum is well worth a tour. I went many years ago with the school and had the privilege of getting inside the crypt below, before they shut it to the public due to flooding and subsidence. I did hear that the Palace could have been saved, plans were made to fill the coal shafts with concrete but alas it never transpired. The village of Bothwellhaugh was flooded to make the Loch and the river was diverted to make way for the M74, what a waste. Anyway keep up the good work. Cheers
Many thanks. It's funny how there are some places you've never visited before; I don't think I've ever been to Larkhall. It's now on my to-visit list.
Good to watch one fae the place I'm from Ed. I'm like yourself, I like to know how we got to where we are today. You can see it was a wee bit rushed like you say, but I think that may only be noticeable to someone who knows the area in-depth. Overall a good attempt and a joy to watch. Keep it up, I've learned a bunch from your videos & are a bit perplexed as to why your sub count isn't larger!
Thanks James.
Again another fascinating piece of research presented in an interesting way. Such a shame it was destoyed. I believe there is a fireplace from the palace in the Scottish Museum in Edinburgh.
Thanks Alan. I've have a look at that next time I'm in Edinburgh.
Hi Ed, very informative, it's amazing how you can wander about some places and take things for granted. I made a couple of deliveries into Strathclyde loch when it was getting built. There were still some of the original buildings being used by the building squad and awee bit of original road next to the motorway. If you spoke to the locals they're just as angry as you are pulling down perfectly good houses .
It's almost as if we're trying to erase everything to do with our coal industry.
Fantastic Ed! I'm born and bred New England. A hunter all my 70 years ( well there was that "crawling" non-sense ) and have found many a foundation, Colonial Era foundation in the wood. For me it is always the Who.....who were they? First time I saw Old Town in the 70's it was the same! Who lay these stones.....WHO was the person(s) to lay the base stones for Edinburgh Castle out at the edge of certain death?
Forgotten villages, forgotten history, forgotten People. Always.....People.
Wonderful.
Many thanks.
Great video Ed, I really enjoyed watching you walking around my local area but I feel you missed the most important piece of the puzzle as to the reason the palace had to be demolished. The 12th Duke was indeed a hopeless gambler and spendthrift but recovered most of his fortune when his horse won the Grand National at Aintree. He owned several estates in Surrey and Arran as well as the Hamilton/Kinneil and spent most of his life in Surrey. The estates in Surrey and Arran were extremely profitable (as was Hamilton) however when he died he left a daughter Mary as his sole heir who by the terms of the letters patent that created the Dukedom could not inherit the title or its associated lands. She married the Duke of Montrose and when her father died she inherited the lands in Arran and Surrey which meant the income from those estates was lost to the 13th Duke (the 12th Duke's distant cousin) who only inherited the lands in Hamilton/Kinneil. This did not generate enough income to provide for the upkeep of such a large house and there being no means of gaining state support to fund repairs at the time demolition was the only option left open to the 13th Duke.
I believe the subsidence reason to be largely a myth as the palace was apparently completely structurally intact when it was demolished, The newer parts were built using the same technique as the mausoleum using interlocking dovetailed joints rather than mortar and it took many years to complete the destruction it was so well constructed.
On another note, Strathclyde Country Park exists because of the M74 project. When they were building the motorway they had to realign the course of the River Clyde and this completely changed the landscape of the low park area on that side of the Clyde which I'm told was largely covered with mine waste at that time. The High and Low Park areas were gifted to the state on the death of the 14th Duke in 1973 in lieu of substantial death duties owed and there being no immediate use for the largely contaminated land Strathclyde Regional Council used regeneration funding to create the park.
Many thanks for that Brian.
Fantastic video Ed Thanks pal
Cheers William.
Can u do one on Cathcart Castle in Glasgow? Also Granny Robertsons' where Rabbie Burns stayed overnight on his way back to Ayrshire.
Many thanks. I'll check it out.
I agree with your impression. It is a disgrace!
"The Dukes of Haa......milton"
ahh, I was wondering how Bo and Luke were going to be involved in all this 😂
Hi Eddy. I have been following your exploits with interest and was particularly interested in the mining village you mention, Bothwellhaugh. I found a youtube post called "The lost village of Bothwellhaugh". This is a home movie of the later years until its demise in 1965. Well worth a look!
Many thanks William. I'll check it out.
The old whisky bottle labels are as colourful and spectacular as the Mitchell library carpets.
Absolutely.
We have the Hamilton Palace dining room at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, MA.
Thanks for that. At least a little bit still survives.
@@EdExploresScotland I should say that we have the walls (paneling, fireplace, doors and windows). The floor and ceiling are new. It's used to show a part of the MFA's silver collection.
Shat-le-row is how it’s said haha good video close to home ❤️
Many thanks. I seem to be struggling with some words these days. I don't know why they didn't just call it Bob.
Great video Eddie! 👍
Thanks 👍
Hi Eddie The Duke allowed the Place to be used as a Navel Hospital during the First World War ,While he lived at Dungavel House ,he had solid is mineral rights to the Cadzow coal company he was intending to renovate the Palace, It was discovered that there was a large coal seam Under the place ,and asked the Cadzow coal company not to remove the coal from under the palace, he was not given this Guarantee that they would not do so it was Demolished as there was the Possibility that it could be undermined causing more subsidence,
The Old Avon Bridge there was a old cottage that was a Weighbridge where the Old folks, home is now was used for the sand and coal the came out is land , I worked for Sam Rodger building the House that is now the old folks home around 1965/ 67
Thanks for your comment. My research is not always as thorough as it could be, but I understand that decisions re the palace were at that time taken by trustees, and that permission was in fact given to mine coal under the palace, a decision that ultimately led to its demise.
👍🏻. The original magnificent wrought iron fencing for the Palace still exists on the Bothwell Road adjacent to Caird St. I believe it’s listed.
Many thanks. I hadn't realised that. You can see it in Google's Street View, and it looks pretty stunning.
www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.7835068,-4.04759,3a,75y,69.96h,89.7t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1seFfNOpYOQ5x23Xuj4Tfygg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu
@@EdExploresScotland Aye they first caught my eye in 1964. When the Cameroonians barracks and the convent were across the road. 😉🙄😱😄
BTW when you mentioned the “Secret Village “ I hoped that you would mention the real one.😉. Not Bothwellhaugh.. But after all it’s really secret 🤫. I notice that you enjoy maps. ❤. So maybe in the upcoming dark winter evenings you have a wee half and a wee peek to the west of Blantyre Farm Rd for the real “Secret Village”. Of course it’s related to the Lanarkshire Coalfields 😍. Good hunting to you.
You can get a little tour of the inside of the mausoleum. Just need to book it in advance through the local museum.
The local pronunciation is "shat-le-Row" (as in powering a boat by oars) said quickly. Interestingly when the building was being renovated in the late 80s there was evidence of a recent witches coven. Which corresponded to a similar finding directly across the motorway at Dalziel Park cemetery.
That's interesting. Many thanks.
Such a sad story and Hamilton Palace couldn't be saved. If you can, it would be great if you could get over to Brodick Castle on the Isle of Arran, a former home of the Hamiltons that survived and thankfully looked after by the National Trust for Scotland 😃 I wonder if some of the collections of Hamilton Palace are now there?
I've had a visit to Brodick at the back of my mind for a while now. I suspect I'll head over there some time this year. Cheers. 👍
It’s always sad when they demolish a lovely old building. I used to drive using the M74 alway wondered what the Hamilton Mausoleum was, not details on maple book.
its a big shame, that
hamilton palace, no longer surives, it was possibly finest noble historic house in scottish history and many were demolished across entire UK during 1950's to 1970s, for a variety of reasons...
the lodge and chatauxerault, is great place to walk around and not far away across the bridge is cadzow castle...
is a great part of lanakshire...... north & south...
rich in history of the noble clan hamilton... that goes far and wide. even to principality of monaco..
nearby is hamilton town & motherwell and the strathclyde country park...,
its a great cycle path & long walk from either hamilton etc...
It is indeed a lovely area packed with history.
Hi...would get more vistors than Edinburgh castle, a great pity.I delved in a bit after your vid.Found -Places - Lost in Time: Hamilton Palace, I think you might like it (may have seen it already) I¨m not trying to undermine you haha.
ATB
Many thanks. I'll have a look at that.
Parts of the palis can still be found in the forest behind m&ds. Old colliery bridge and such
Am 19 years old am only learning about my country now a have started in old history then I've only started my own town of motherwell only to find 2m down road to find this out because run home from work and was interested in big tomb mad but still a wish that palace was still there
As I understand it, the correct pronunciation of Chatelherault is "Shat-le-row". Although RUclips subtitles render your pronunciation as "Chateau Harold", which is what I intend to call it from now on.
I'm not too sure why I struggled with it because I think I gave your pronunciation in a previous video. I suspect I maybe just rushed this video. Harold sounds okay to me, or even Bob.
Thankyou
he should of given it to the state or sold it as a hotel for rich Americans to live in shocking, seen photos of it inside pretty amazing place. I think the paneling and fireplaces and some plaster work was sold before it got trashed.
Hi Stuart. Yes, someone else commented that some room panelling and maybe fixtures are now in a museum in the USA. At least something survives.
My dad grew up in the ,,aul toon,, it sank because of the pits??
Good vid but that music is rather intrusive.
Thanks Matt. I sometimes think these videos are just a platform for me to dose Joe Public with my music.
You have a forlorn look upon your face, as do I.
It's incredible to me that such a magnificent structure and it's surrounds was lost...to coal 😢
I am blessed with a forlorn coupon.
Chaut le row 😂
Sha-tel-heh-row
ONE OF MY FAV WALKING AREAS
SOME LOVELY OLD OAKS AROUND THARE STUNNING OLD TREES
You can see parts of the original gates from Hamilton Palace at Bothwell Road , up from the racecourse. Unfortunately they installed them upside down🙃
Many thanks for that. I didn't know.
thanks ed