Did you know that Cardonald Place Farm stands on hallowed ground? It replaced a palace. Let’s journey back in time. We will uncover the secrets of Cardonald Place Farm.
Cardonald Place Farm is not just any farmhouse. It sits on the banks of the White Cart Water. This location in Cardonald Glasgow holds centuries of history. The current farmhouse was built in 1848. It was erected on or near the site of the former Cardonald Palace.
Before the farm there was a palace. Cardonald Castle was the seat of the Cardonald Stewart family in the 16th century. Imagine lords and ladies strolling where we now stand. The Cardonald Stewarts were a junior branch of the House of Stewart. Allan Stewart of Cardonald was the younger son of John Stewart 1st Earl of Lennox.
The palace met its end in 1846. It was demolished to make way for Cardonald Place Farm. The name “Place” is said to be a corruption of “palace”. But a piece of the past remains. A stone from the palace. Look closely above the door. See the coat of arms of the Cardonald Stewarts. It is set into the farmhouse.
In 1565 the Cardonald Stewarts built a palace at Cardonald. Walter Stewart Commendator of Blantyre Priory made Cardonald Palace his base in 1580. John Thomson’s Atlas of Scotland from 1832 refers to it as “Cardonald Ho”.
The five bedroom farmhouse at 135 Cardonald Place Farm has a large coat of arms above its entrance. Take a moment to appreciate this relic of a bygone era.
A short distance west of Cardonald Place Farm was Cardonald or Crookston Mill. It was built in 1748. Its water wheel measured 30 feet in diameter.
In 1926 Glasgow Corporation acquired the Cardonald estates. This included Cardonald Place Farm. In the 1940s they built the Moulin Circus estate on the farm’s orchard. This development erased all traces of the old mill.
Until around 1992 the steading served as a Council yard. It fell into disrepair. Fortunately a private developer Hugh Kinnaird purchased the property. He refurbished the main farmhouse. The steading was converted into three houses.
Today nothing remains of the original farmland or orchard. Yet Cardonald Place Farm stands as a reminder of Cardonald’s rich past. It is built in blonde sandstone with crow stepped gables. The building is a Category C(S) listed building. The main building has a T shape.
The farmhouse even made it onto a book cover. John A. Innes’s 1993 book “Old Cardonald Had A Farm” features it. So Cardonald Place Farm connects us to local stories. It links us to national history. It is a unique blend of residence and monument. As we conclude our visit remember the layers of history beneath our feet. From the Cardonald Stewarts to the modern day Cardonald Place Farm is a place where the past and present intertwine.