Tower of Hallbar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tower of Hallbar |
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| Braidwood, South Lanarkshire | |
The Tower of Hallbar, seen from the west.
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| Coordinates | 55°42′13″N 3°50′55″W / 55.7036°N 3.8485°W |
| Type | Tower house |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Lockharts of Lee |
| Condition | Restored from 1998 |
| Site history | |
| Built | Mid-16th century |
| In use | Until 1984 |
The Tower of Hallbar, also known as Hallbar Tower or Braidwood Castle, is an old stone tower from the 1500s. It's located in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, near the River Clyde. This historic tower sits above the Braidwood Burn, a short distance from Carluke and Crossford. It has been carefully fixed up and is now a unique place where people can stay for holidays.
A Look Back in Time
Who Owned Hallbar?
The land where Hallbar Tower stands, called the barony of Braidwood, was first given to a person named John de Monfod in 1326. This gift came from Robert the Bruce, a famous Scottish king.
Later, in 1581, the land went to Harie Stewart of Gogar. The tower was already there at this time. It was probably built because King James V had ordered that strong "towers of fence" should be built on all valuable lands. These towers helped protect the land and its people.
Over the years, Hallbar Tower changed hands many times. It was owned by Lord Maitland, then the Marquess of Douglas. In 1681, it was bought by George Lockhart of Lee Castle. His family's land was right next to Braidwood. The Lockhart family still owns Hallbar Tower today.
Saving the Tower
By the mid-1800s, the tower was falling apart. But a young owner named Sir Norman Macdonald Lockhart Bt. saved it. He had the tower fixed up in 1861. The top parts of the castle, like the walls and roof, were rebuilt. After that, the tower was rented out to earn money for the Lockhart family.
One interesting person who lived there was the Rev. Neville Donaldson. He was a minister at Glasgow Cathedral and lived in the tower during the 1950s and 1960s. The last person to rent the tower left in 1984. After that, the tower became empty again and was damaged by vandals.
In 1998, the Lockhart family made a deal with a group called the Vivat Trust. This trust helps save old buildings. They agreed to fix up Hallbar Tower and turn it into a place for holiday stays. They repaired the stone walls and put on a new roof. A small cottage nearby was also fixed up for more accommodation.
Today, the Vivat Trust no longer exists. But you can still rent the castle for holidays through a company called cottages.com.
Exploring the Tower
The Tower of Hallbar is a tall, narrow building with five floors. It's only about 7.5 meters (25 feet) wide, but its walls are very thick, up to 1.6 meters (5 feet) wide!
Each floor originally had just one room. A winding staircase, built inside the thick walls, connects all the floors. In the basement, there was a low, arched cellar with its own entrance. The main door was on the first floor, leading into a small hall. Above this were two more rooms. The staircase continues up to a small room at the very top, called a cap-house. This room leads to a walkway on the east side of the roof. Another room on this level gives access to the west walkway.
The walkways around the roof stick out from the walls. There's also a special window that sticks out on the south side. In the 1800s, a projecting toilet area, called a garderobe, was added to the west wall.
On the outside of the north wall, there's a dovecote. This was a home for pigeons, and it used to have a wooden walkway leading to a high door. The chimney runs behind the pigeon holes, which kept the birds warm in winter.
To the south of the castle, there was once a courtyard called a barmkin. It was about 30 meters (98 feet) long and 13 meters (43 feet) wide, surrounded by a stone wall. The main door on the first floor was probably reached by a walkway on top of this courtyard wall.
The 1998 renovation was done very carefully, with only a few big changes. The arched cellar is now a kitchen. A bathroom was added on the second floor, which was divided into two rooms and a hallway. Other work was done to make the stone walls stronger and to make the roof lighter. In the main hall, the ceiling was painted with a medieval design that includes the Lockhart family's coat of arms.
Hallbar Tower is considered a very important historic building in Scotland. The land to the south, where the old courtyard was, is also a protected ancient site. There's even a house at Carluke High School named after the tower, though they spell it "Halbar."
