 Low Parks Museum, Portland Building | |
  Shown in South Lanarkshire | |
| Established | 1967 |
|---|---|
| Location | Hamilton, South Lanarkshire |
| Coordinates | 55°46′46″N4°02′06″W / 55.779581°N 4.03503°W |
| Type | Regimental museum |
| Website | www |
The Low Parks Museum is located in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland and traces the local history of South Lanarkshire through numerous exhibits on provincial industries and events of local historical importance.
The Low Parks Museum first opened on 3 November 1967 as the Hamilton District Museum, [1] and is housed within two historic buildings, both closely linked to the history of Hamilton and its Dukes throughout the years. The Museum is located next to the site of Hamilton Palace, demolished in 1927, and the history of the buildings is directly linked to the palace. [2]
The first of these buildings, now known as Portland, was designed by the architect James Smith and built in 1696 as the private home of David Crawford, secretary and lawyer to Anne Hamilton, 3rd Duchess of Hamilton, and was sited near the foot of the 'Hietoun' close to the precincts of Hamilton Palace. [3] It is believed to be the oldest surviving building in Hamilton. [4] To the rear of the building is an assembly room and fives court, added after the 8th Duke bought the house in 1784. The house subsequently became a coaching inn on the London to Glasgow road, until the road was realigned in the 19th century. From 1835 the inn became the Duke of Hamilton's estate offices. [4] The building was then purchased by Hamilton Burgh Council in 1964 and subsequently made into the museum that now stands today. [3] The second building is the former Palace Riding School, built in 1837 by Alexander Hamilton, 10th Duke of Hamilton, to designs by William Burn to replace the stables court within the Hamilton Palace complex. [5] The Riding School building became the regimental museum of the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) in 1983. A refurbishment project in 1993 added new linking buildings and an entrance to the combined museums, which are category A listed for their national importance. [4]
The main collection on show in the museum is that of the former British Army Regiment, the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles). The Cameronians were formed on 14 May 1689, with their name being in memory of Richard Cameron, "The Lion of The Covenant", a Scottish preacher who died at the Battle of Airds Moss in 1680. The Cameronians still hold the distinction of being the only regiment in the British military to have a religious origin, with their initial recruits all being Covenanters. In 1881 the 26th (Cameronian) Regiment and the 90th Perthshire Light Infantry amalgamated to form the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles). The Cameronians were the only rifle regiment in Scotland and featured in many campaigns over their almost 300 years in military service. The Cameronians are an important part of South Lanarkshire history with the regiment being based in the county for most of their history. Rounds of cuts in the military eventually resulted in the regiment being disbanded, instead of losing its identity through an amalgamation, on 14 May 1968, bringing to an end 279 years of military history. [6]
The museum's Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) collection features many exhibits on the history of the regiment. A number of the regiment's flags and banners are on display, such as the Bluidy Banner, which Covenanting forces carried at the Battle of Bothwell Bridge in 1679. [7] The museum also contains over 1,000 medals and awards earned by soldiers and officers from the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), including seven Victoria Crosses. [8]
One of the most well-known displays in the Museum tells the story of one of the nation's lost treasures – Hamilton Palace. The Palace was the primary residence of the Hamilton family from at least 1591 until 1919, and was the largest non-royal residence in Britain. However, as a result of mining decline, it was demolished in the 1920s—one of the largest ever losses to Scottish national heritage. Many items from within the palace are on display, such as a large floor-to-ceiling mirror. The museum also contains many images of the Palace prior to its demolition in 1927. [9]
Another of the museum's displays is based on coal mining. Before the late 19th century coal mining had not fully developed as an industry in Hamilton, but due to the mining boom in 1874 the prominence of coal mining in the area grew: there were 22 collieries in just the Hamilton Parish. [9] The display in the museum looks at this period in South Lanarkshire's coal mining history and also holds a small exhibit on the Blantyre Mining Disaster of 1877 where 207 miners were killed in a firedamp explosion. This disaster is still Scotland's most fatal mining disaster. [10]
Previous to the industrial revolution the primary occupation of almost all of the residents of South Lanarkshire was in agriculture. The museum's agricultural display focuses on the most famous piece of farm life in the area – the Clydesdale Horse. [11]
A very important industry in the history of Lanarkshire was weaving, and there was a weavers' loom in every cottage in every town and village throughout the area. One of the original weaving looms can be seen in the museum's Textile gallery. This gallery also holds information on the story of Hamilton's peculiar lacemaking industry, which was introduced in by Duchess Elizabeth in 1752. [9]
This displays information on the history of the remaining ducal buildings in the town, including those on the museum site—Portland, the Palace Riding School, and Hamilton Mausoleum. The exhibit on the ducal buildings describes the history of these nationally important buildings and the people who built and used them. [9]
One of the most unusual and interesting objects in the Museum is a 4,000-year-old Bronze Age burial. Found during sand quarrying operations at Ferniegair in the 1930s, this well-preserved skeleton represents one of the very early residents of South Lanarkshire. [9]
The museum has held numerous temporary exhibitions. A robot exhibition in 2013 featured robotic characters from film and television, such as R2-D2 from Star Wars , the NS-5 robot from I, Robot , and a full size RoboCop costume. [12] It has also previously presented artwork by Scottish Autism's Hamilton group; The Talented Young Adults with Autism in 2013 [13] and regularly hosts demonstrations of period costumes and weaponry giving revelers the chance to take part in such activities as archery and medieval coin striking. [14] The museum has even given a glimpse into the life of Duchess Anne and Alexander Hamilton, 10th Duke of Hamilton through the dramatized ‘At Home with the Duke and Duchess’ where professional actors took on the role of the important figureheads of Hamilton’s past. [15]
Hamilton is a large town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It serves as the main administrative centre of the South Lanarkshire council area. It sits 10 miles (16 km) south-east of Glasgow, 37 miles (60 km) south-west of Edinburgh and 74 miles (120 km) north of Carlisle. It is situated on the south bank of the River Clyde at its confluence with the Avon Water. Hamilton is the county town of the historic county of Lanarkshire and is the location of the headquarters of the modern local authority of South Lanarkshire.
Chatelherault Country Park is a country park in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is located in the village of Ferniegair, 1+1⁄4 miles from Hamilton town centre. On the west side of the park, runs the Avon, a tributary of the River Clyde.
Blantyre is a town and civil parish in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, with a population of 16,900. It is bounded by the River Clyde to the north, the Rotten Calder to the west, the Park Burn to the east and the Rotten Burn to the south.
Patrick Graham VC was born in St Michael's Parish, Dublin and was an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
Serjeant John MacLaren Erskine VC was a British Army soldier and a Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
Hamilton Palace was a country house in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It was the seat of the Dukes of Hamilton and is widely acknowledged as having been one of the grandest houses in the British Isles. The palace dated from the 14th century, was rebuilt in the Baroque style between 1684 and 1701 and was subsequently much enlarged in the Neoclassical style between 1824 and 1832.
Cameronian was a name given to a radical faction of Scottish Covenanters who followed the teachings of Richard Cameron, and who were composed principally of those who signed the Sanquhar Declaration in 1680. They were also known as Society Men, Sanquharians, and Hillmen. The Societies of Cameronians for the Maintenance of the Presbyterian Form of Worship were formed about 1681. There is no evidence that organised bands came from any parish or district to either Drumclog or Bothwell Bridge in June 1679. The United Societies were not in existence at that period. After 1688 it was different. The Covenanters were by then organised in their Societies which were again united in larger groups called "Correspondences."
The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) was a rifle regiment of the British Army, the only regiment of rifles amongst the Scottish regiments of infantry. It was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 26th Cameronian Regiment and the 90th Perthshire Light Infantry. In 1968, when reductions were required, the regiment chose to be disbanded rather than amalgamated with another regiment, one of only two infantry regiments in the British Army to do so, with the other being the York and Lancaster Regiment. It can trace its roots to that of the Cameronians, later the 26th of Foot, who were raised in 1689. The 1881 amalgamation coincided with the Cameronian's selection to become the new Scottish Rifles.
Douglas is a village in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is located on the south bank of the Douglas Water and on the A70 road that links Ayr, on the West coast of Scotland, to Edinburgh on the East, around 12 miles south west of Lanark. The placename is of Gaelic origin, derived from the Old Gaelic dub and glais, meaning "dark stream", in reference to the Douglas Water. The Douglas family took this name when their ancestors settled here in the 12th century.
James Smith was a Scottish architect, who pioneered the Palladian style in Scotland. He was described by Colen Campbell, in his Vitruvius Britannicus (1715–1725), as "the most experienced architect of that kingdom".
Hamilton Mausoleum is a mausoleum located in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It was the resting place of the family of the Dukes of Hamilton. The mausoleum is Category A listed. Built in the grounds of the now-demolished Hamilton Palace, its high stone holds the record for the longest echo within any man-made structure in the world, taking 15 seconds for the sound of a slammed door to fade. In 2014 the record was thought to have been broken at the Inchindown oil storage tanks in the Scottish Highlands, however this was classed as a reverberation, rather than an echo.
In countries whose armies are organised on a regimental basis, such as the army of the United Kingdom, a regimental museum is a military museum dedicated to the history of a specific army regiment.
Bothwellhaugh was a Scottish coal mining village housing Hamilton Palace Colliery workers and their families. Locals referred to the village as The Pailis. It was located near to the towns of Motherwell, Bellshill and Hamilton in Lanarkshire, being occupied from the mid-1880s until it was demolished in 1965.
The Battle of Bothwell Bridge, or Bothwell Brig' took place on 22 June 1679. It was fought between government troops and militant Presbyterian Covenanters, and signalled the end of their brief rebellion. The battle took place at the bridge over the River Clyde between Hamilton and Bothwell in Lanarkshire, Scotland. The battlefield has been included in the Inventory of Historic Battlefields in Scotland and protected by Historic Scotland under the Historic Environment (Amendment) Act 2011.
Winston Barracks was a British Army base, located 2 miles (3.2 km) east of Lanark, Scotland. It was situated in the fork of the A73 and A70 trunk roads, close to Lanark Racecourse. The site was decommissioned in 1994, and some of the buildings have been renovated as part of a housing development.
The 156th Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the British Army. The brigade saw active service in both the First and the Second World Wars with the 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division.
Hamilton Barracks was a military installation in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire.
The Cameronians War Memorial is a war memorial in Kelvingrove Park in the west of Glasgow, Scotland, to the north of Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. It commemorates the service of the Cameronians regiment in the First and Second World Wars. The memorial includes a bronze sculpture representing a machine gun emplacement, with three human figures. It became a Category B listed building in 1988.
The Victoria Road drill hall is a former military installation in Glasgow.
The 1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers was a Scottish Volunteer unit of the British Army. Originally raised in Glasgow from 1859, it later became a battalion of the Cameronians. During World War I it served on the Western Front and in Ireland. Converted into an anti-aircraft regiment just before World War II, it served during The Blitz and in the campaign in North West Europe, and continued in air defence role in the postwar years until 1955.