Avon Bridge from the Old Avon Bridge (geograph 3040423)

Barncluith is an area of

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

South Lanarkshire gd, Siorrachd Lannraig a Deas , image_skyline = , image_flag = , image_shield = Arms_slanarkshire.jpg , image_blank_emblem = Slanarks.jpg , blank_emblem_type = Council logo , image_map ...

, Scotland. Barncluith forms the south-eastern part of the town, between the urban centre and the

Avon Water Avon Water, also known locally as the River Avon, is a river in Scotland, and a tributary of the River Clyde. Course The Avon Water rises in the hills on the boundary between East Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire, close to the head of the ...

. It lies either side of Carlisle Road ( A72), which leads out of Hamilton to Chatelherault Country Park,

Larkhall Larkhall ( sco, Larkhauch, gd, Taigh na h-Uiseig) is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, around southeast of Glasgow. It is twinned with Seclin in northern France. Larkhall sits on high ground between the River Clyde to the East and the ...

and the

Clyde Valley The River Clyde ( gd, Abhainn Chluaidh, , sco, Clyde Watter, or ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. It is the ninth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third-longest in Scotland. It runs through the major cit ...

. The name derives from "Baron's Cleugh", a cleugh being a ravine. Barncluith Primary School closed in the 1990s. The school building stands at the corner of Miller Street and Townhead Street, and is now the ''Barncluith Business Centre''. The parish church is St. John's Centre on Duke Street.

Barncluith House and gardens

To the south of the area, alongside the Avon Water, are Barncluith tower house and Barncluith House. The tower house dates to the 16th century, while the house is of 18th-century origin. The terraced gardens which run down to the river, which date from the 17th century, are a

category A listed building Category, plural categories, may refer to: Philosophy and general uses *Categorization, categories in cognitive science, information science and generally *Category of being *Categories (Aristotle), ''Categories'' (Aristotle) *Category (Kant) ...

, and are included on the

Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland The ''Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland'' is a listing of gardens and designed landscapes of national artistic and/or historical significance, in Scotland. The Inventory was originally compiled in 1987, although it is a cont ...

, the national listing of significant gardens. The house and tower are both category B listed, having been extensively restored in the 20th century.

History

The lands of Barncluith were held by the Machan family, of Norman origin. In 1507 Anne Machan married William Hamilton of Rossmoor, kinsman of the

Duke of Hamilton Duke of Hamilton is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created in April 1643. It is the senior dukedom in that peerage (except for the Dukedom of Rothesay held by the Sovereign's eldest son), and as such its holder is the premier peer of Sco ...

. Their son fought and died at the

Battle of Langside The Battle of Langside was fought on 13 May 1568 between forces loyal to Mary, Queen of Scots, and forces acting in the name of her infant son James VI. Mary’s short period of personal rule ended in 1567 in recrimination, intrigue, and disast ...

(1568), and Barncluith was subsequently inherited by their grandson John Hamilton. The tower house of Barncluith dates to around this time, and was probably built by John Hamilton along with the gardens. The building of the terraces along the river is thought to date to the 17th century. The garden was laid out as seven "hanging terraces" leading down to the River Avon. Another John Hamilton of Barncluith was Sheriff of the Lower Ward of Lanarkshire from shortly after 1707. He is said to have held his court within the pavilion in the terrace garden, and to have carried out executions at a nearby oak tree. In the 1730s, the involvement of the architect William Adam in works at Barncluith is suggested by surviving correspondence with his

clerk of works A clerk of works or clerk of the works (CoW) is employed by an architect or a client on a construction site. The role is primarily to represent the interests of the client in regard to ensuring that the quality of both materials and workmanship are ...

. Ownership of Barncluith passed from the Hamiltons to the Ruthven family in the 19th century. At this time the gardens at Barncluith were renowned as an example of an old Scots garden, and were popular with visitors to the area. In the 19th century the mound on which the castle had originally stood was levelled and enclosed by a stone balustrade by

David Bryce David Bryce FRSE FRIBA RSA (3 April 1803 – 7 May 1876) was a Scottish architect. Life Bryce was born at 5 South College Street in Edinburgh, the son of David Bryce (1763–1816) a grocer with a successful side interest in buildi ...

. By 1900 the main garden had been reduced from seven to five terraces but including summerhouses and gardenhouses, a fountain and "the Duke of Hamilton's bath" and was described by

Sir Robert Lorimer Sir Robert Stodart Lorimer, KBE (4 November 1864 – 13 September 1929) was a prolific Scottish architect and furniture designer noted for his sensitive restorations of historic houses and castles, for new work in Scots Baronial and Gothi ...

as "the most romantic little garden in Scotland". The estate was bought in 1908 by lawyer James C. Bishop, who restored the gardens. In 1927

Hamilton Palace Hamilton Palace was a country house in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The former seat of the Dukes of Hamilton, it dated from the 14th century and was subsequently much enlarged in the 17th and 19th centuries.St John's Church Hamilton
{{coord, 55, 46, 01, N, 4, 01, 41, W, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Hamilton, South Lanarkshire Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes Populated places in South Lanarkshire