Chatelherault Country Park facts for kids
Chatelherault Country Park is a beautiful park in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It's a great place to explore nature and history.
The park's name comes from a town in France called Châtellerault. A long time ago, in 1548, a Scottish nobleman named James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran was given the special title of 'Duc de Châtellerault'. This was a reward for helping to arrange the marriage of Mary, Queen of Scots, to a French prince.
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What is Chatelherault Country Park?
Chatelherault Country Park is built around an old hunting lodge. This lodge was designed to look impressive from Hamilton Palace, which used to stand nearby. It was at the end of a wide grassy area lined with lime trees.
The Hunting Lodge's Design
The famous architect William Adam designed the lodge. It was finished in 1734. The lodge has two main buildings connected by a gateway. These buildings look like four small towers above a garden wall.
The front of the lodge faced Hamilton Palace. Behind it, there were fancy gardens. The buildings were used for kennels (where hunting dogs lived), stables for horses, and a place for hunting parties to rest after being in the woods. William Adam even joked that he called it 'The Dogg Kennel'.
The Story of Hamilton Palace
From 1591, Hamilton Palace was the main home for the Dukes of Hamilton. It was rebuilt in 1684 to become the largest country house in Scotland. In 1822, Alexander, 10th Duke of Hamilton made it even bigger to show off his large art collection.
Why the Palace Disappeared
The family had money problems, so they sold the art collection in 1882. They moved out of the palace. Later, in 1889, the 12th Duke allowed coal mining to happen under the park. By 1915, mining was even happening under the palace itself.
This mining caused the ground to sink, which damaged the palace. So, in 1921, the palace was sold and taken down. The land in front of the hunting lodge was also dug up for sand. This digging made the lodge floor a bit uneven.
The Park Today
The mining stopped in the 1970s. The land around Hamilton, including the High and Low parks, was given to the country. Historic Scotland started fixing up the lodge in the late 1970s. They restored the beautiful old plasterwork inside.
A visitor centre was built behind the lodge. The lodge and park opened to the public in 1987. Today, South Lanarkshire Council looks after the park.
Exploring the Park's Nature
The park has many woodland walks and cycle paths. These follow the gorge of the Avon Water, a river that runs to the west of the lodge.
Cadzow Castle and Cattle
The old ruins of Cadzow Castle are located above the Avon Water gorge. You can also see a special group of cows called Cadzow cattle in the fields near the hunting lodge. These cows are unique because they have white coats and long horns.
Getting to the Park
It's easy to get to Chatelherault Country Park. In December 2005, a new train station called Chatelherault railway station opened near the park entrance. Now, two trains from Glasgow (through Hamilton) arrive every hour.
Park Improvements
Since July 2017, work has been done to remove many non-native trees from around the hunting lodge. This has opened up the views to the Duke's Bridge, Cadzow Castle, and the Avon Gorge.
Views of Cadzow's ancient oak woodlands
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The oak woodland showing new plantings
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The woodland trees are widely spaced.
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An ancient specimen oak
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Detail of the main trunk and branches of an ancient oak
