Tunnels in Lanarkshire

[malcysmith]

As you may have read elsewhere, been speaking to a family member interested in local history tonight. We were speaking about two tunnels in Lanarkshire i wondered if anyone knew anything about. The first is the supposed tunnel connecting what was hamilton palace (not the nightclub!) and the High park grounds at Chatelherault. This was meant to run as the crow flies



The second of the two Tunnels is located on Strathaven Road. Those of you who know the Hamilton Strathaven Road will know where i am about to describe. On the way to Strathaven from Hamilton there is a road to the right which skirts around Strathaven and round the back of the Golf club. This road eventuall brings you out at the road running from East Kilbride to Strathaven. Indeed if you cross over the EK road the road leading to Strathaven is called " The Crags". Anyway just after turning off the Hamilton to Strathaven road there is a farm on the left hand side, Udstonhead Farm. This farm has had various classic cars in the garden for as long as i can remember. Anyway apparently local folklore or otherwise says that there is a tunnel running from here to Strathaven Castle. It would have been used in the event of someone making their escape from the castle.



If anyone knows anything of the above two tunnels i would love to hear from them.

Thanks in advance

Malcolm

[Josef]

That just looks like an unfeasibly long tunnel, particularly for the stated purpose. There were certainly tunnels under the house, though. As wikipedia says :

When the park was being constructed in 1974, vaulted cellars were discovered which may have belonged to the original house. However these were not excavated but instead infilled with rubble.

[malcysmith]

I know i would be inclined to agree but due to it being so popular locally as a belief then one can only assume there is no smoke without fire. Hopefully someone knows something more.

Malcolm

[DMcNay]

Surely a tunnel from Hamilton Palace to Chatelherault would have had to go uphill? Not saying it's wrong, but why? What would be the point?

And josef, the cellars found when they were constructing Strathclyde Park were just that - cellars. No tunnels as far as I know.

[malcysmith]

Yeah it would be a considerable climb and at one point at least would pass beneath a water course. My Uncle was a local historian but unfortunately passed away. He has passed the story of it to others who have retold as best they could but do not know the full story. My only thought is that it could have been an escape route for the Duke of hamilton or family. However the palace was not a castle nor fortified so i dont see any reason for this. there are considerable mine workings in the area but most of these were infilled prior to construction of the parks.

Malcolm

[scotty]

Hi Malcolm,

Would the deep excavation in front of Chatellerault not have cut into where the tunnel would have been running? I can't remember the exact local history, but I do know there was some sort of excavation work that occured, and of course the hamiltons had expolited the area for coal workings.

I remember doing the tour of the mausoleum when I was a kid, and they guy said it was prone to flooding, which was why the Hamiltons bodies were exhumed and moved elsewhere, so I guess the tunnels must have been submerged as well. The tour's really good, not sure if they still run it but well worth a look if it is. Chatellerault a good place to visit too, especially on a nice day, and of course on bonfire night for the fireworks display at Strathy park.

Hmm, funny that, they sell the land for coal mining and both the palace and the mausoleum both had subsidance problems, thats why the palace was knocked down.

Cheers
Scotty

[MacotheIsles]

This ancient map (composed by Hamilton of Badenoch and Clunie circa 1000 AD) may be of assistance. If it is to be believed then the secret tunnel may have been used by Hamilton of Badenoch & Clunie, etc, to perambulate secretly twixt the Palace and the 'Dogg Kennel' (as it was known) whilst exercising his collection of leopards, peacocks, corkindrills, etc, out of public view.

(Map courtesy of The Hamyltonne Repositorye of Pricelesse Anciente Mappes and Antiquaries, Cleland Library Portakabin)

[red_kola]

Haha

[Fossil]

nice find with the map

[floweredpig]

Here be monsters

[standingstone]

Hi, I was looking for info on Millbrae Crescent, langside and came on your forum, which has some excellent photos. I am a stoneworker and have been asked to price for repointing at Millbrae Crescent.

Anyway, I noticed a piece about tunnels in Lanarkshire, including the Strathaven area. I have built several dry stone dykes around Strathaven and source stone from the site of an old Mansion House outside Strathaven. I can tell you that in the vicinity of this house there certainly is one tunnel that leads off in the direction of Glassford village. The Tunnel is not high enough to walk in but crouching, a person could make their way along it.

I dont know the full extent of it and neither does the landowner but you can see traces where it has collapsed because of the weight of agricultural machinery etc passing over it. Some has been filled in. As to purpose, escape route for Covenanters has been mentioned but since the age of the house was relatively modern, I doubt it. It looks more like a very well built culvert, lined in good quality stone and roofed by large slab. Probably for drainage or sewerage I would think.

Great forum, very interesting. I particularly liked 2 photos of a gable end taken many years apart that happen to show extremely well how stone can decay rapidly if the wrong type of pointing is used. Keep up the good work.

[Dexter St. Clair]

A fine example of a first post. Explaining what brought you here. Contributing to a topic and offering positive comments about another topic.

You may care to add a post here

[Lucky Poet]

I'm not a betting man, but I'd wager somebody's done a thesis on tunnel stories. (Or somebody ought to.) Seriously, similar tales seem widespread. One has it that there was a secret tunnel from Linlithgow Palace to Blackness, which seems very unlikely as it's a good 3 miles. Another had a similar one from Edinburgh Castle right down the Lawmarket and High Street to Holyrood, supposedly rediscovered and investigated by a piper, who played full blast to show his progress; the story says a crowd followed the noise underground till about St Giles, when the noise suddenly ceased.

There's a whiff of pre-Reformation belief about a lot of it (and hence pre-Christian, all faeries and the underworld and all that.) Having said that, a former workmate told me about a section of very sturdily built tunnel discovered by accident near Granton...

[BrigitDoon]

Neddes

Cracking map.

[standingstone]

Well thanks for the welcome, BrigitDoon. I dont know about the poster below saying Get to Falkirk coz I'm already there!