Colzium
Encyclopedia
Colzium House and Estate (historically pronounced "Colly-um" but more recently "Col-zeum") is about 500 metres to the north-east of Kilsyth
, North Lanarkshire
, Scotland
. The present house dates from 1783 and was extended and modernised in 1861.
W Mackay Lennox bought the house in 1930 and in 1937, on his retiral as Town Clerk, he presented the House and its policies to Kilsyth Burgh, in memory of his mother. The house and estate are principally used for public recreation, as the venue for the annual Kilsyth International Carnival in mid August, an "Italian Picnic" - a gathering of Italian/Scottish families, and functions such as weddings and parties. There is also a fine walled garden
and a small theatre, the "clock theatre" which is currently closed. A new children's adventure playground has recently been opened and is proving to be popular with local children.
The estate still contains the ruins of Colzium Castle just 100 metres north of Colzium House at the point where the driveway turns sharp left to Tak-Ma-Doon Road. The first building here was a large L plan tower house
built by the Livingstons of Callendar in the mid C15th to replace the ancient motte. The Civil War Battle of Kilsyth was fought just a kilometre to the east.
in 1703, immediately prior to his accession to the title. The family lost the estate due to their Jacobite
sympathies, and it then became the property of the Edmonstone family.
There is an interesting ice house C. 1680 in the glen of the Colzium Burn which was excavated in 1977 and may still be viewed.
The estate also contains the oldest curling
ponds in the world. The world's first recorded curling club was founded in Kilsyth in 1716.
Around 1800, Colzium and the nearby Cairns estate were owned for some period by Michael Linning, Esq., Clerk to the Signet, who lived later in Edinburgh and Chryston, Lanarkshire. Linning was described in 1838 by John Sommers, D.D., minister of Mid-Calder Parish, as "formerly proprietor of the lands of Colzium and Cairns." Sommers continued in detail concerning Linning's work in the development and use of the Water of Leith, on which the Colzium estate sits, for the benefit of the region. Linning is recorded elsewhere as Writer to the Signit. As such, he was an attorney in service to the Crown and the government.
Now on this date the estate is overseen by the head gardener James Martlow who has recently featured on BBC1 SCOTLAND'S beechgrove Garden.
Kilsyth
Kilsyth is a town of 10,100 roughly halfway between Glasgow and Stirling in North Lanarkshire, Scotland.-Location:...
, North Lanarkshire
North Lanarkshire
North Lanarkshire is one of 32 council areas in Scotland. It borders onto the northeast of the City of Glasgow and contains much of Glasgow's suburbs and commuter towns and villages. It also borders Stirling, Falkirk, East Dunbartonshire, West Lothian and South Lanarkshire...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. The present house dates from 1783 and was extended and modernised in 1861.
Walled garden
A walled garden is specifically a garden enclosed by high walls for horticultural rather than security purposes, though traditionally all gardens have been hedged about or walled for protection from animal or human intruders...
and a small theatre, the "clock theatre" which is currently closed. A new children's adventure playground has recently been opened and is proving to be popular with local children.
Tower house
A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation.-History:Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountain or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strategic points with reduced forces...
built by the Livingstons of Callendar in the mid C15th to replace the ancient motte. The Civil War Battle of Kilsyth was fought just a kilometre to the east.
Architectural history
A substantial hall house was added in 1575. The castle was demolished by the third Viscount of KilsythKilsyth
Kilsyth is a town of 10,100 roughly halfway between Glasgow and Stirling in North Lanarkshire, Scotland.-Location:...
in 1703, immediately prior to his accession to the title. The family lost the estate due to their Jacobite
Jacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
sympathies, and it then became the property of the Edmonstone family.
There is an interesting ice house C. 1680 in the glen of the Colzium Burn which was excavated in 1977 and may still be viewed.
The estate also contains the oldest curling
Curling
Curling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...
ponds in the world. The world's first recorded curling club was founded in Kilsyth in 1716.
Around 1800, Colzium and the nearby Cairns estate were owned for some period by Michael Linning, Esq., Clerk to the Signet, who lived later in Edinburgh and Chryston, Lanarkshire. Linning was described in 1838 by John Sommers, D.D., minister of Mid-Calder Parish, as "formerly proprietor of the lands of Colzium and Cairns." Sommers continued in detail concerning Linning's work in the development and use of the Water of Leith, on which the Colzium estate sits, for the benefit of the region. Linning is recorded elsewhere as Writer to the Signit. As such, he was an attorney in service to the Crown and the government.
Now on this date the estate is overseen by the head gardener James Martlow who has recently featured on BBC1 SCOTLAND'S beechgrove Garden.
Source
- "Account of the Parish of Mid-Calder with Miscellaneous Remarks," John Sommers, D.D., Minister of the Parish, Edinburgh (1838).