Birkwood Castle (Birkwood House)

Lesmahagow, near Lanark

South Lanarkshire

Scotland

Circa Date: 18th century w/1840 & 1890 additions and alterations

Status: Fully Extant

House Open to Public: No

Country House: Yes

House & Family History: In 1920 Birkwood was purchased by Lanarkshire County Council for £10,000; in July of 1923 the house opened as a "certified Institution for Mental Defectives." The hospital, which cared for boys and girls with learning disabilities, closed in 2005. Birkwood is supposedly one of the most haunted places in Britain; it is allegedly the home of a cigar-smoking specter and the ghost of a man stabbed through the throat.
Architect: James Thomson

Date of Birth: 1835
Date of Death: 1905
Nationality: British
Notes: Thomson was a Glasgow architect who was in partnership with John Baird circa 1858.

Date: 1890
Designed: Additions

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Architect: John Baird

Date of Birth: 1798
Date of Death: 1859
Nationality: British
Notes: Classical restraint, logic, and efficiency characterize most of his work. His style was developed early in his career.

Date: Circa 1840
Designed: Alterations and additions

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Title: Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600-1840, A - SOFTBACK
Author: Colvin, Howard
Year Published: 1995
Publisher: New Haven: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300072074
Book Type: Softback
House Listed: Category B

Park Listed: Not Listed
Past Seat / Home of: J.G. McKirdy.

Current Ownership Type: Corporation

Primary Current Ownership Use: Unoccupied
House Open to Public: No
Historic Houses Member: No

Birkwood Castle (Birkwood House)

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