Lennox Castle

Remains of Lennox Castle as it appeared in 2012

Lennox Castle is an abandoned castle in Lennoxtown, East Dunbartonshire, Scotland, approximately 12 miles (19 kilometres) north of Glasgow.[1] It is infamous for previously hosting Lennox Castle Hospital, Scotland's "largest institution for people with learning disabilities".[2]

The castle was built between 1837 and 1841 by David Hamilton for John Lennox Kincaid, on the Lennox of Woodhead Estate, replacing Kincaid House.[3] In 1927, the castle and its land was purchased by the Glasgow Corporation, and converted into a hospital for people with learning disabilities; the hospital opened in 1936.[3][2] The castle itself was the nurses' home, whilst its grounds provided accommodation for about 1,200 patients.[2] The Scotsman reports that soon afterwards, the facilities were "vastly overcrowded, understaffed and underfunded".[1]

By 1982, 1360 patients between the ages of 10 and 80 years old were looked after by around 500 staff- with fewer than half of these being trained nurses. The Scottish Hospitals Advisory Service had visited the year before and recommended a further 100 staff.[4] The care provided by the hospital was reported to be poor, with patients being malnourished.[2]

There was also a separate maternity unit in operation between the 1940s and 1960s;[3][5] singer Lulu and footballer John Brown were among the babies born there.[6][7]

This hospital was closed in 2002,[8] as a reflection in changes to how society treated patients with learning disabilities with a view to keeping them in the community.[2][9] Further it was noted that patients were treated poorly by staff.[1]

The castle itself (Category A listed since the 1970s)[10] is in ruins following a fire in 2008. Part of the grounds of the castle were converted into Celtic F.C.'s Lennoxtown Training Centre (opened in 2007),[1][6] while other parts towards Lennoxtown village have become a long-term residential development to be completed in several phases, known as Campsie Village.[11][12]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "The sad secrets of Glasgow's abandoned mental hospital". www.scotsman.com. 27 September 2017. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e McEwan, Michael (7 January 2022). "The shameful legacy of the Lennox Castle hospital". BBC News. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  3. ^ a b c "Lennox Castle". Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  4. ^ "Hospital that plucks at the conscience". The Glasgow Herald. 11 February 1982. p. 7. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  5. ^ Lennox Castle, Harriet Richardson, Historic Hospitals, 1 May 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2022
  6. ^ a b Abandoned psychiatric hospital at Celtic's Lennoxtown training ground has a dark history, Sean Murphy, Daily Record, 17 July 2020. Retrieved 23 January 2022
  7. ^ "Interview: John Brown admits he cringes about his Ibrox rant". The Scotsman. 5 March 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  8. ^ Locking away an unhappy history Lennox Castle hospital is about to close its doors for the last time on its controversial past, The Herald, 2 April 2002. Retrieved 23 January 2022 (subscription required)
  9. ^ ‘Remembering Lennox Castle’ to launch on 24 February, Heritage Lottery Fund, 26 January 2012. Retrieved 23 January 2022
  10. ^ Lennox Castle, British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 23 January 2022
  11. ^ New Campsie Village home proves just the job for Connie, Daily Record, 18 September 2014
  12. ^ Phase 2, Campsie Village, Jones Lang Lasalle Property, 2015
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55°58′39″N 4°14′07″W / 55.9774°N 4.2354°W / 55.9774; -4.2354

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