These striking images reveal the decaying remnants of a former country house for the ‘super rich’ – once considered among Britain’s finest.
Drone photos depict the delicate state of Cambusnethan Priory near Wishaw in Scotland – a Grade-A listed property, that was once a grand display of an aristocratic family’s wealth.
It later became the residence of a super-rich Glasgow industrialist but has been without a permanent inhabitant for over 40 years.
Consequently, the opulent building and its grounds have fallen into a ‘critical’ state and plans by its current owner to develop it have failed to gain planning permission.
A campaign has been ongoing since 2014 to try and rescue it – but Graham Smith, chairman of Friends of Cumbusnethan Priory, warned that time is “running out.”
He stated: “The current status of the building is that, where it is good, it is good. Where it is bad, it is rotten.
(Image: Katielee Arrowsmith / SWNS)
“It’s holding its own in places. Round the top edges it is drying out but there are trees and weeds growing into the masonry and splitting the stone apart.
“Some of the outer stone is eroding just from rain water. Basically, the building is running out of time.”
The group aims to eventually take over ownership of Cambusnethan Priory and establish a community country park and visitor centre, with the restored mansion serving as a venue for various events, such as weddings.
Mr Smith explained the group was driven by civic pride, boasting a diverse range of expertise amongst its members, spanning from stonemasonry and landscaping through to accounting and legal matters.
A key objective for the group involves maintaining the grounds in pristine condition to ward off vandals, fly-tippers and those seeking secluded drinking spots.
(Image: Katielee Arrowsmith / SWNS)
He revealed that lockdown had actually reopened the property to the public as residents visited the grounds for exercise and outdoor recreation.
Mr Smith continued: “Certainly lockdown has worked in our favour quite a bit. Because a member of our team was down there cutting the grass and keeping it tidy, people were going down and taking their exercise there.
“It has brought it back as a community space and has attracted more and more people. People that live close-by, who didn’t think this was a place they could go, turn up and think it is lovely.”
Cambusnethan Priory was constructed in 1819 for the Lockhart of Castlehill family, an influential dynasty of baronets connected to Robert the Bruce.
The property was subsequently acquired by Sir John Craig, who introduced fresh wealth to the estate after amassing his fortune in Glasgow’s steel industry as chairman of Colvilles Ltd.
(Image: Katielee Arrowsmith / SWNS)
The building was crafted by James Gillespie Graham, arguably Scotland’s most sought-after country house architect of that era, who conceived a Neo-Gothic masterpiece in the heart of North Lanarkshire. Following Sir John’s death in the late 1950s, the property struggled to attract a purchaser and narrowly escaped demolition in the late 1960s when Bearsden resident Ron Wilson acquired it.
Mr Wilson hosted mock medieval feasts at Cumbusnethan during the 1970s, with the popular evenings featuring jousting, gallows and stocks alongside roast meats served by “wenches”, according to contemporary newspaper accounts.
A subsequent proposal to sell to a hotel chain later collapsed.
Mr Wilson remained the final resident of the property before William Welsh took ownership by 1986.
Various proposals, including plans to transform the house into flats and construct new dwellings within the grounds, have encountered significant obstacles during the planning process.
Mr Smith warned the genuine danger now lies in the potential collapse of the property’s four-storey Octagonal Tower, which could push the building beyond salvageable condition.
He continued: “The majority of the house is still standing. It still has a chance – for now.”
(Image: SWNS)
