Dalzell House
Encyclopedia
Dalzell House is a historic house in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, Scotland
. It is located to the south of the town, on the north bank of the River Clyde
. At its core is a 15th-century tower house
, with extensive additions built during the 17th and 19th centuries. The house was restored in the 1980s, and is now privately owned, although the surrounding Dalzell Estate is owned by North Lanarkshire Council. The house is protected as a Category A listed building, and the grounds are listed on the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland
.
family, who acquired these lands in the 13th century. Thomas de Dalzell fought at the Battle of Bannockburn
in 1314. Sir Robert Dalzell forfeited the lands in around 1342, for residing in England without the King's consent, but they were restored through marriage in the 15th. Another Sir Robert Dalzell was created Lord Dalzell in 1628, and his son was further elevated as Earl of Carnwath
in 1639.
In 1645 the Earl granted the Dalzell estate to his nephew James Hamilton of Boggs who carried the first major extensions to the tower house, adding the south wing around 1649. By 1750, avenues of trees had been laid out in the grounds, probably the work of Archibald Hamilton, 4th of Dalzell. The 7th laird
, another Archibald Hamilton, entered into a venture with the reformer Robert Owen
. An attempt was made to build a model settlement at the Hamiltons' nearby property of Orbiston, but this proved an expensive failure.
In the 19th century the family fortunes were enhanced by the Lanarkshire coal mining boom. John Hamilton (1829–1900), a Liberal
politician later ennobled as Baron Hamilton of Dalzell
, commissioned a major remodelling of the house in the 1850s. Architect Robert William Billings
carried out extensive restorations to the earlier buildings, and added a new north wing. Billings had recently published The Baronial and Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Scotland (1852), four volumes of engravings of Scottish architecture, and he drew heavily on this source material in his work at Dalzell. He lived at Dalzell for three years while overseeing the works. Andrew Cassels, a local man, undertook work on the gardens and grounds, possibly supervised by Billings. The south wing was also restored in 1869, following a fire. Lord Hamilton served in the government of William Gladstone, who visited Dalzell on several occasions, and the Prince
and Princess of Wales
visited in 1888.
On the death of the 2nd Baron
in 1952 the estate was sold out of the Hamilton family. Part of it was used as a boys' school until 1967, when it was purchased by Motherwell and Wishaw Town Council. The house then stood empty until the 1980s when developer Classical House renovated the property as a series of 18 private apartments. The interiors retain Billings' Jacobean detailing.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It is located to the south of the town, on the north bank of the River Clyde
River Clyde
The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
. At its core is a 15th-century tower house
Tower house
A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation.-History:Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountain or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strategic points with reduced forces...
, with extensive additions built during the 17th and 19th centuries. The house was restored in the 1980s, and is now privately owned, although the surrounding Dalzell Estate is owned by North Lanarkshire Council. The house is protected as a Category A listed building, and the grounds are listed on the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland
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 continually evolving list...
.
History
The 15th- or early 16th-century tower house was built by the DalzellDalziel
Dalziel, Dalzell or Dalyell is a Scottish Lowland surname. It is pronounced , though pronunciation with a may be heard outside Scotland.-Pronunciation:...
family, who acquired these lands in the 13th century. Thomas de Dalzell fought at the Battle of Bannockburn
Battle of Bannockburn
The Battle of Bannockburn was a significant Scottish victory in the Wars of Scottish Independence...
in 1314. Sir Robert Dalzell forfeited the lands in around 1342, for residing in England without the King's consent, but they were restored through marriage in the 15th. Another Sir Robert Dalzell was created Lord Dalzell in 1628, and his son was further elevated as Earl of Carnwath
Earl of Carnwath
The title Earl of Carnwath was created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1639 for the 2nd Lord Dalzell. His father, Sir Robert Dalzell, had been created Lord Dalzell in 1628. The 5th Earl was attainted and the peerage forfeit in 1716, due to the Lord Carnwath's Jacobitism and support for the Fifteen,...
in 1639.
In 1645 the Earl granted the Dalzell estate to his nephew James Hamilton of Boggs who carried the first major extensions to the tower house, adding the south wing around 1649. By 1750, avenues of trees had been laid out in the grounds, probably the work of Archibald Hamilton, 4th of Dalzell. The 7th laird
Laird
A Laird is a member of the gentry and is a heritable title in Scotland. In the non-peerage table of precedence, a Laird ranks below a Baron and above an Esquire.-Etymology:...
, another Archibald Hamilton, entered into a venture with the reformer Robert Owen
Robert Owen
Robert Owen was a Welsh social reformer and one of the founders of utopian socialism and the cooperative movement.Owen's philosophy was based on three intellectual pillars:...
. An attempt was made to build a model settlement at the Hamiltons' nearby property of Orbiston, but this proved an expensive failure.
In the 19th century the family fortunes were enhanced by the Lanarkshire coal mining boom. John Hamilton (1829–1900), a Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
politician later ennobled as Baron Hamilton of Dalzell
Baron Hamilton of Dalzell
Baron Hamilton of Dalzell, in the County of Lanark, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1886 for the Liberal politician John Hamilton. He had previously represented Falkirk and Lanarkshire South in the House of Commons and after his elevation to the peerage served...
, commissioned a major remodelling of the house in the 1850s. Architect Robert William Billings
Robert William Billings
Robert William Billings was a London-born Victorian era painter and architect. He wrote a book called The Power of Form, in which he showed examples of the use of geometry in architecture. He also illustrated The Baronial and Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Scotland. Many paintings based on his...
carried out extensive restorations to the earlier buildings, and added a new north wing. Billings had recently published The Baronial and Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Scotland (1852), four volumes of engravings of Scottish architecture, and he drew heavily on this source material in his work at Dalzell. He lived at Dalzell for three years while overseeing the works. Andrew Cassels, a local man, undertook work on the gardens and grounds, possibly supervised by Billings. The south wing was also restored in 1869, following a fire. Lord Hamilton served in the government of William Gladstone, who visited Dalzell on several occasions, and the Prince
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
and Princess of Wales
Alexandra of Denmark
Alexandra of Denmark was the wife of Edward VII of the United Kingdom...
visited in 1888.
On the death of the 2nd Baron
Gavin Hamilton, 2nd Baron Hamilton of Dalzell
Gavin George Hamilton, 2nd Baron Hamilton of Dalzell KT, CVO, MC , was a Scottish Liberal politician.Hamilton was the eldest surviving son of John Hamilton, 1st Baron Hamilton of Dalzell, and his wife Lady Emily Eleanor, daughter of Alexander Leslie-Melville, 10th Earl of Leven...
in 1952 the estate was sold out of the Hamilton family. Part of it was used as a boys' school until 1967, when it was purchased by Motherwell and Wishaw Town Council. The house then stood empty until the 1980s when developer Classical House renovated the property as a series of 18 private apartments. The interiors retain Billings' Jacobean detailing.
External links
- Dalzell House, Motherwell. Castles of Scotland Preservation Trust.
- Dalzell Estate, Motherwell. North Lanarkshire Council.