North Lanarkshire Council

The mansion house, grounds and policies were presented to Kilsyth Burgh by W. Mackay Lennox of Craigengoyne, Kilsyth, on his retiral as Town Clerk in 1937, as a memorial to his mother Margaret Lennox.

Colzium House

The mansion was built by the Edmonstone family of Duntreath. The work was started in 1783 and considerable additions were made in 1861. Some of the masonry from the demolished castle was used in its construction. The architectural style is a mixture of the Scottish vernacular and the more modern renaissance mode. After the first world war the family started to sell parts of the estate. W. Mackay Lennox bought Colzium House in 1930. Due to its poor condition, the old portion was pulled down after the second world war and the present interior courtyard occupies its site. The house includes a suite of rooms available for hire and a small museum of local history.

Walled garden

The walled garden has an excellent display of conifers and rare plants. The gates to the garden were presented to the estate by a youth club in Kilsyth some time ago. The attractiveness of the gardens has been highlighted by their being featured not only on the front page of The Herald's "Homes and Gardens" section but also on "The Beechgrove Garden" on BBC Scotland. The garden is certificated by the Scottish Association of Visitor Attractions. It is open from 12 noon - 7 pm from April until September and 1.00 pm - 4.00 pm on Saturday and Sunday.

Walks

The walks in the Colzium Estate have been planned with interest and imagination. The "Granny's Mutch" is a shelter situated near the northern boundary of the estate. The weight of the individual stones and the precision of the masonry of this small semi-domed structure are remarkable.

The Lade

The lade comes down from the Garrel Mill skirting the grounds of Craigengoyne, then flowing through the estate to Banton Loch. It flows gently alongside a pleasant walk from the Tak Ma Doon Road to Banton Loch, at the site of the Battle of Kilsyth, which took place on 15 August 1645.

Colzium Castle

The ruins lie 100 metres north of Colzium House, at the point where the driveway turns sharp left to Tak Ma Doon Road. The original castle, an unusually large "l-plan" tower house was built by the Livingstons of Callander in the mid 15^th century and was placed on a platform above Colzium Burn. The Livingstons built the castle to replace the Motte at Castlehill. The castle was demolished by the third Viscount Kilsyth in 1703, just prior to his accession to the title. Excavation work in 1977-78 uncovered foundations subsequently left open for public viewing and some artefacts found are in the museum.

Colzium Ice House

In 1680, Lord Kilsyth made over the Kilsyth estate to his younger brother William who, apparently, was responsible for having the ice-house built. It is situated in the glen of the Colzium Burn, on the right bank, about 30 metres from the main house. There is a rectangular vaulted chamber with an entry door and passage on its north flank and a trap in the centre of the vault. The floor is stone paved and is drained into the glen. Alongside is a small game-pit for storing game until fit for consumption. The ice-house was excavated and repaired in 1977.

Arboretum

At the entrance to the estate on the left-hand side there is an extensive collection of ash, sycamores, cherries, rowans, cotoneaster, rhododendrons and spring bulbs. This area is criss-crossed with walks leading to and from the main drive and the Stirling Road. The Marie Curie Cancer Care daffodil Field of Hope is a feature on the right hand side of the main drive.

Curling pond

One of the oldest in Scotland used in August each year for a model boat display. Kilsyth Curling Club is still active in the district.

The Clock theatre

This is thought to have been the laundry and old donkey house, and is now restored as a theatre which is run by volunteers.

Conference and function venue

Colzium House is available for hire as a conference/function venue.

Transport

First Buses run an hourly service from Glasgow to Falkirk (number 27) and an hourly service from Glasgow to Stirling (First 24) which pass the gates of the estate, 7 days a week, and will stop at the entrance on request. For patrons who are travelling by car, the estate is situated on Stirling Road, and there are parking facilities on the estate, six of which are situated directly outside and 20 spaces are near to the entrance of the house. See 'other useful websites'.

Disabled access

There are disabled access points to the house and disabled toilets are available on the ground floor of the house but unfortunately not upstairs to the main hall.

Please use the 'contact us' box if you have any questions. For more information, see 'related articles' and 'other useful websites'.