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THE PARK
South Lanarkshire
Ruin or site, OS72 NS863325
2.5 miles north east of Douglas, on minor roads and foot south of A70,
0.75 south of junction with M74, on east bank of Parkhall Burn.
Parkhall, a modern farm, stands to the north of the site of an earlier
castle of the Douglasses. A tower named ‘The Park’ appears here on
Pont’s manuscript map of c 1596 and the site is identified by that name
in the 19th century. It occupies the southern end of a high spur
defended by steep drops to the burn on the west and south. Only traces
remains of an L-plan structure, the longer part of which measured 54ft
by 40ft.
The Douglasses are said to have held a strong early
castle here. In 1329-30 Sir James Douglas
is said to have signed a
charter in favour of Newbattle Abbey at The Park, just prior to his
departure to the Holy Land with Bruce’s heart. The lands of Park came
into the possession of the Carmichael Earl of Hyndford before 1710.
Castlemains, which lies close to the site of what is thought
to be the original Douglas Castle, is a residence of the
Earl of Home. It is
a Listed Building, described as:
Mid 18th century. 2-storey
and attic 3-bay coursed rubble house, with ashlar dressings,
basement to rear, and various additions, boldly advanced
square-plan 2-storey, 2-bay flanking wings added before 1824;
wings added at north east and north west in early 20th century
both stugged ashlar with polished dressings. South east
elevation: ground floor infilled between wings, faced with
stugged ashlar, and flat roofed; central pilastered doorpiece
with scrolled pediment and side lights. Eaves course, cornice
and blocking course.
Original 1st floor windows with
margins and cill course, the latter continued along flanking
wings. 2 large box dormers and end stacks. 2-bay wings have
single windows at ground floor. 2-storey, 4-bay wing at north
east has continuous band course over ground floor. North west
elevation; house has band course over basement, cill course to
ground and 1st floors continued along flanking wings; these
wings have single windows centrally placed at each floor, those
in ground floor in recessed round-headed panels. Late 19th
century 2-storey over basement wing projects by 5-bays north
west from centre of original house, cill course to ground and
1st floors. Sash windows throughout, most with 9 or 12-pane
glazing. Eaves course and cornice to each elevation, and slate
roofs, piended at extensions.
Extract from George Vere Irving; The upper ward of Lanarkshire
described and delineated (Volume 2); 1864:
The house of Castlemains is finely placed on the hill-side, above
where of old stood the great posting-house — The Douglas Mill Inn — but
cleared away, when the opening of the Caledonian Railway took the
mail-coaches off the magnificent turnpike which led from Carlisle, by
Abington, Douglas-mill, and Hamilton, for the City of Glasgow.
Castlemains commands a view of the lower strath of the Douglas-water,
and of the large domain of the Lords of Douglas on the west ; while the
woods of Happendon lie below, and at no great distance the ancient
hamlet of Uddington, the old road from Ayr to Edinburgh running near to
the park gate, and the terminus of the railway, just opened, being but a
short way to the north. Nearer to the turnpike is the comfortable house
of Millbank, where the hospitable assistant of the occupant of
Castlemains abides, and these pages are largely indebted to him for much
of the most instrutive of the information gathered in this interesting
district.
Millbank is all that remains of the extensive range of
buildings referred to as the great inn of the district, and from its
roof have come not a few of the family, who now lie buried in their own
ground at Wiston, of which a woodcut has been given, [and to the energy
of their members, tribute has been paid in these pages]. A footpath
winds up the green hill-side from Millbank to Castlemains, and between
the house and the road there is a well-kept garden, and one of
considerable extent.
Douglas Mill Inn - A one
storey slated dwellinghouse at which is a Turnpike Gate at which whole
rates [are] payable
The route from Glasgow to Carlisle was
historically known as the Glasgow-Carlisle Turnpike. Along this route,
there were various inns and posting houses where travelers could rest,
change horses, and obtain refreshments.
One of these inns was the
Douglas Mill Inn, which was a posting-house located along the
Glasgow-Carlisle Turnpike, and also Ayr to Carlisle and Edinburgh to
Portpatrick. At the Douglas Mill Inn, travelers could hire fresh horses
for their journey and stay overnight if necessary.
The term
"posting-house" refers to a place where travelers could obtain fresh
horses for their journey. This was a common practice in the days of
horse-drawn carriages, where horses would need to be changed regularly
to cover long distances.
So, in summary, the Douglas Mill Inn was
a posting-house located along the Glasgow-Carlisle Turnpike, where
travelers could rest, change horses, and obtain refreshments.
See also:
• Douglas Castle
Tale of the Broken Bridge
Down
through the wild obscurity from the heights above Douglas Mill came the
mail from Glasgow for Carlisle, and no sooner did the horses place foot
upon the bridge than it collapsed, as suddenly and completely as any
stage property. It was near ten o’clock, the insides had composed
themselves to that semblance of sleep which coach travellers could
command, and the outsides had wrapped themselves up in their greatcoats,
and had so fixed their minds upon more pleasant circumstances than
riding in the rain on a cold October night, that they were practically
oblivious of their surroundings, when they were suddenly plunged, with
the coach, coachman, horses, and guard, into the foaming water
underneath the broken arch. There were two outside passengers: one a
City merchant named Lund, the other a Mr. Brand of Ecclefechan. Both
were instantly killed. The four insides, a lady and three gentlemen,
were more fortunate, and escaped with bruises and a fright. The horses
suffered severely, the leaders being killed in falling, and one of the
wheelers crushed to death, as it lay below, by falling stones from the
crumbling arch. The coach and harness were utterly destroyed, and
Alexander Cooper, the coachman, although found protected from being
washed away by two huge boulders, only survived by a few weeks the
injuries his spine287 had received. The guard, Thomas Kingham, was found
with his head cut open, but soon recovered. He always considered his
escape from being killed was due to his not having strapped himself into
his seat on that fatal night, so that, instead of being involved with
the coach, he was shot clear of it, into the water.
It was due to
the presence of mind shown by the lady passenger that the down mail, at
that moment due to pass this tragical spot, did not meet the fate that
had already overtaken this unfortunate coach. She had found a temporary
refuge on a friendly rock rising amidst the surging water, and crouching
there, saw the lamps of the oncoming coach glaring through the mist and
rain. Shrieking at the highest pitch of her voice, she fortunately
attracted the attention of the coachman, who drew up on the very verge
of destruction.
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