Birkwood House
Hospital (20th Century), House (18th Century)(Possible)
Site Name Birkwood House
Classification Hospital (20th Century), House (18th Century)(Possible)
Canmore ID 199371
Site Number NS83NW 51
NGR NS 81154 39329
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/199371
- Council South Lanarkshire
- Parish Lesmahagow
- Former Region Strathclyde
- Former District Clydesdale
- Former County Lanarkshire
NMRS REFERENCE
Architect : John Baird (Primus)
NS83NW 51.00 81154 39329
NS83NW 51.01 80921 39405 Birkwood, West Lodge / Lesmahagow, 185 New Trows Road
NS83NW 51.02 80838 39030 Birkwood, South Driveway Bridge
NS83NW 51.03 81400 39348 Birkwood, Walled Garden
NS83NW 51.04 81341 39473 Birkwood, Bridge over River Nethan
NS83NW 51.05 80823 38917 Birkwood, South Lodge
Large castellated gothic mansion with towers, turrets and crenellated parapets, 2/3 storeys over basement, now (1989) a hospital. Several building phases, beginning with a north-facing Georgian villa (built late 18th/early 19th century) originally free-standing, now part of rear wing; additions in at least 2 phases, viz 1858 and 1890, the last by James Thomson of Glasgow.
Formerly owned by the Mackirdy family. (Historic Environment Scotland List Entry) Bought for £10,000 by Lanarkshire County Council in 1923 for conversion to an institution for juvenile mentally handicapped patients (Dictionary of Scottish Architects)
Archaeological Evaluation (20 February 2015)
The evaluation required a 10% trenching sample of the development area totalling 500 m2. Due to the presence of mature trees and bushes, as well as live electric cables either side of the current driveway, and a high voltage cable along the eastern edge of the site, the total amount evaluated equated to 120 m2. A total of five trenches of varying lengths and alignments were excavated throughout the site, encountering up to 2 m of made ground and landscaping between the driveway and the house. To the S of the driveway the trenches showed abundant root disturbance around the trees and bushes, and no significant archaeological features or artefacts were revealed on the sloping ground at the far S of the development area. No further works are considered necessary within the development area.
Information from OASIS ID: aocarcha1-204521 (K Paton) 2015
