Under 10 miles north of Glasgow in East Dunbartonshire is this beautiful, decaying Victorian mansion with a dark history. Commissioned by John Lennox Kincaid Lennox to replace his former clan home of Kincaid House, Lennox Castle was built between 1837 and 1841 in grand, ostentatious style, with turrets, crenellated rooftops, tall windows and ornate stonework.
In 1927, the Glasgow Corporation acquired the site, which was developed to establish a hospital for people with learning disabilities. It opened in 1936, the castle serving as the nurses’ home.
In its heyday, it was one of the largest and best-equipped institutions of its kind in the UK, housing around 1,200 residents. However, the facility was difficult to maintain and soon became overcrowded and understaffed, while the castle itself was costly to repair.
Residents became neglected, and malnourishment was commonplace. By the 1980s, the buildings were rapidly deteriorating. The institution closed in 2002, and a fire in 2008 left the castle a romantically overgrown ruin.
How can you visit Lennox Castle?
Follow the track north from Lennox Forest Car Park, then take the path to the castle just before the training ground.
