Detail of the Battle of Kilsyth monument at Colzium House Estate (geograph 2177772)

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, 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 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 built by the Livingstons of Callendar in the mid-15th century to replace the ancient motte. A substantial hall block was added in 1575. Livingstonsofliv00newy orig 0125

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 Kilsyth Curling Club, in Kilsyth, Scotland, claims to be the oldest curling club in the world, being established in 1716. History Curling was being played in Kilsyth from at least the 16th century, and in 1716 the Kilsyth Curling Club was est ...

, the world's first recorded curling club, was founded in Kilsyth in 1716. The

Battle of Kilsyth The Battle of Kilsyth, fought on 15 August 1645 near Kilsyth, was an engagement of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. The largest battle of the conflict in Scotland, it resulted in victory for the Royalist general Montrose over the forces of ...

(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 Colzium

Kilsyth International Carnival

Video footage of the Colzium Miniature Railway

Video 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