Civic Trust Annual Outing

On Tuesday 30th April Arran Civic Trust took a party of 19 by ferry and coach to three venues in Hamilton. All three had an association with the Duke of Hamilton. The first of these, Hamilton Mausoleum, was built by the tenth Duke, known as El Magnifico, in the 1840s as a family burial crypt. It is a massively imposing domed structure built of interlocking sandstone blocks with huge sculpted lions guarding the entrance. There are no coffins in the multiple crypt recesses now, because of a possibility of flooding. Above the crypt is a magnificent chapel with an exotic inlaid marble floor and a towering ceiling capped by a circular window, the only light source in the building. Two bronze doors cast with biblical scenes lie on display inside, having originally been the Mausoleum’s entrance doors. Coal mining caused it to sink by a staggering 18 feet over its lifetime, but the building held together, a tribute to the masons who built it. In one sense it is a monument to outrageous vanity and can be seen as grotesque in its arrogance, opulence and the muscular assertiveness of the stonework but it is certainly fascinating. Everyone was pleased to have seen it and listened to a well constructed talk from the Hamilton Museum guide.

The second venue, Hamilton Old Parish Church is a masterpiece built by William Adam, (father of the more famous Robert) in the 1730s. Inevitably, it has had later alterations, particularly to the interior, but the original fabric still stands. It is in the form of a circular hub within an outlying cruciform structure, classical Italianate in feeling and well preserved and looked after by its congregation. The interior has an imposing circular balcony and a massive organ. A member of the congregation, David Gibbs, led a conducted tour. In the churchyard is a Covenanting memorial and the famous Netherton Cross of early Celtic period. During the visit the local press arrived to photograph the Arran party.

The third venue was Chatelherault, a hunting lodge and stables again built for theDuke by William Adam, notlong after the Old Parish Church. It consists of four joined blocks with a central Italianate gateway and faces a magnificent panorama stretching as far as the Cobbler at Arrochar with the Mausoleum and the now demolished Hamilton Palace in its foreground. The interior has been faithfully and skilfully rebuilt after a fire in the forties, and the decorative classical plasterwork has been a worthwhile job-creation scheme. Nearby in the same High Parks is the deep gorge of the Avon and the old Cadzow (original name for Hamilton) castle, now undergoing restoration. There are ancient oaks over 500 years old and white cattle of a mediaeval breed.

The delight of the whole day was capped by unexpectedly beautiful weather, which enhanced everything. We all returned happy and satisfied with the day out.