Bedlay Castle

Bedlay Castle stands on a volcanic crag above the Bothlyn Burn in North Lanarkshire, between Chryston and Moodiesburn. It is reached by a lane off the A80, about eight miles north-east of Glasgow. The castle dates from the late 16th and 17th centuries, when it was built by Robert Boyd, 4th Lord Boyd of Kilmarnock. The original tower house had two storeys and an attic, with vaulted cellars and a square stair tower. Later owners added a large western extension with round towers and a hidden room beneath one of them. The castle has passed through several families, beginning with the Boyds who held it until 1642. James Roberton, grandson of John Roberton of Earnock, bought it in 1642 and his descendants extended the building in the late 17th century. The Campbells of Petershill later added a family mausoleum in the grounds. The castle remains privately owned and occupied today. Visitors find a compact but complex building with medieval defences and later additions. The original tower still shows its vaulted cellars and spiral stair, while the western extension adds round towers and a concealed chamber. An 18th-century linking block joins the north side, and garden ornaments from Petershill stand around the grounds. Ghost stories speak of a phantom horse and carriage on the old coach road and hauntings near the moved mausoleum.