Welcome to the site "Friends of Cambusnethan Priory." This is a page where we can share photos, history, stories and memories of the beautiful neo-gothic masterpiece that is Cambusnethan Priory, one of the last great houses of the Clyde valley to survive. Please take a look, we have many photos and information about the building and the wider estate as well as ideas about how it can be saved and restored. Our target is to have a restoration underway by 2016, 200 years after it was completed. You can post directly on the page, PM the page or e-mail directly at [email protected] . We look forward to hearing from you. Together we can make a difference and save this treasure for future generations! The members of the official Friends of Cambusnethan Priory Community Group are as follows:
Founder and General Secretary – Christine Wallace
Chairman – Graham Smith
Vice Chairman – Alistair Morrow
Treasurer – Dallas Carter
Publicity – Margaret Lockhart
Committee Members - Jill Williams, Les Hoggan, Mick Connal Hough
Specialist Consultant - Margaret Botham
Website - Rae Woodrow
Historic Consultant - Marie Michlová
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Cambusnethan Priory is an extremely dangerous building - do not enter. Photos only from outside please
My own interest in The Priory, as it is known locally, dates from my childhood. I grew up on the very edge of the Clyde Valley on the Larkhall side, down an ancient farm road which may even once have been a direct route to the Priory. I would see the lovely building from across the valley, shining in the sun but surrounded by dark forest, like a fairytale castle. To me it was the oldest, most mysterious building I knew of. Sadly it was gutted by fire in the 1980s and now only the golden sandstone shell remains, although the stunning gothic carvings remain visible. From across the valley it is not even obvious that it is now a ruin but ultimately every year brings further decline in its state. I later explored the ruins as a teenage and, I am ashamed to admit, I took a piece of stucco in the shape of a bunch of grapes which had fallen off the wall. At that time the internal staircase was still standing but not for long. So enamoured was I by the place that I took my husband there on our first date to explore the ruins! Through other FB pages I have learned that a lot of people care about the state of this once beautiful house so I have decided to set-up this page to record their thoughts and memories. We have lost so much of our heritage - Hamilton Palace, Mauldslie Castle, Stonebyres house to name but a few. Let's preserve as much as we can about Cambusnethan Priory before it too is lost.
