Calderwood Castle

Calderwood Castle once stood on a rocky ledge above the Rotten Calder Water in Calderglen, now part of Calderglen Country Park in South Lanarkshire. The first peel tower was built in the early 15th century by the Maxwell family and collapsed in 1773 after days of storms. A later country house replaced it, with a Gothic Revival extension added in the 1840s. The estate passed to the Scottish Co-operative Wholesale Society in 1904, which opened the glen to the public. During the First World War, around 200 Belgian refugees were housed in the castle. The castle’s architecture evolved over centuries, with a distinctive 50-foot octagonal tower added in 1841. The Gothic extension was designed by David Rhind, who also worked on Maxwellton Schoolhouse. The estate included a decorative folly, Craigneith Castle, on the opposite bank, serving as a viewing pavilion. The glen became one of the most Romantic spots in the West of Scotland, attracting visitors by train after Calderwood Glen Platform opened in 1907. Today, only ruins and rubble remain, though massive retaining walls and vaulted chambers still stand. The walled driveway and terrace walls survive, along with the cellars once explored by children. The glen’s waterfall, Calderwood Linn, was sketched by Paul Sandby in the 18th century. The landscape still bears traces of the estate’s past, including the folly’s cliff-top perch and the remnants of the once-grand house.