![Detail of the Battle of Kilsyth monument at Colzium House Estate (geograph 2177772)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Detail_of_the_Battle_of_Kilsyth_monument_at_Colzium_House_Estate_%28geograph_2177772%29.jpg)
Colzium House and Estate (pronounced Coal-Zee-Um) is about 500 metres to the north-east of
Kilsyth
Kilsyth (; Scottish Gaelic ''Cill Saidhe'') is a town and civil parish in North Lanarkshire, roughly halfway between Glasgow and Stirling in Scotland. The estimated population is 9,860. The town is famous for the Battle of Kilsyth and the relig ...
,
North Lanarkshire
North Lanarkshire ( sco, North Lanrikshire; gd, Siorrachd Lannraig a Tuath) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the northeast of the City of Glasgow and contains many of Glasgow's suburbs and commuter towns and villages. It also ...
, Scotland. The present house dates from 1783 and was extended and modernised in 1861. The name may mean "defile leap".
W Mackay Lennox bought Colzium House and its policies in 1930 and in 1937, on his retiral as Town Clerk, he presented them to Kilsyth Burgh, in memory of his mother. The house and estate are principally used for public recreation, as the venue for the annual Kilsyth International Carnival in mid August, an "Italian Picnic" – a gathering of Italian/Scottish families, and functions such as weddings and parties. There is also a fine
walled garden
A walled garden is a garden enclosed by high walls, especially when this is done for horticultural rather than security purposes, although originally all gardens may have been enclosed for protection from animal or human intruders. In temperate ...
and a small theatre, the "clock theatre". A children's adventure playground has been opened.
The estate still contains the ruins of Colzium Castle just 100 metres north of Colzium House at the point where the driveway turns sharp left to Tak-Ma-Doon Road. The first building here was a large
L-plan castle
An L-plan castle is a castle or tower house in the shape of an L, typically built from the 13th to the 17th century. This design is found quite frequently in Scotland, but is also seen in England, Ireland, Romania, Sardinia, and other location ...
built by the Livingstons of Callendar in the mid-15th century to replace the ancient
motte
A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy to ...
. A substantial hall block was added in 1575.
![Livingstonsofliv00newy orig 0125](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/02/Livingstonsofliv00newy_orig_0125.png)
The castle was demolished by the
3rd Viscount of Kilsyth in 1703, immediately prior to his accession to the title. The family lost the estate due to their
Jacobite sympathies, and it then became the property of the Edmonstone family from
Duntreath.
There is an
ice house c. 1680 in the glen of the Colzium Burn which was excavated in 1977 and may still be viewed. The estate also contains the oldest
curling
Curling is a sport in which players slide stones on a sheet of ice toward a target area which is segmented into four concentric circles. It is related to bowls, boules, and shuffleboard. Two teams, each with four players, take turns sliding ...
ponds in the world.
Kilsyth Curling Club, the world's first recorded curling club, was founded in Kilsyth in 1716.
The
Battle of Kilsyth (1645) in the
Wars of the Three Kingdoms
The Wars of the Three Kingdoms were a series of related conflicts fought between 1639 and 1653 in the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland, then separate entities united in a pers ...
was fought just a kilometre to the east. A ring, supposed to be the one lost by Lady Kilsyth, was reported to be kept at the house.
References
External links
History of ColziumKilsyth International CarnivalVideo footage of the Colzium Miniature RailwayVideo footage of the ice house
{{coord, 55.98398, N, 4.03895, W, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title
Country houses in North Lanarkshire
Gardens in North Lanarkshire