A Brief History of Climpy House

From the drawing room of Climpy House, Robert and Mary Crawford could enjoy a commanding view across the elegant grounds of their estate. Parkland sloped down to a walled garden, a substantial ornamental pond, and a drive that curved to the gatehouse. At a respectful distance beyond the wooded perimeter of the grounds, they might observe the smoke and activity from the lime kilns and coal mines that provided their income, Further out, set within moss and moor ,were the houses of their workforce, and on the distant skyline, the outline of Tinto Hill.

It is thought that the Crawfords built Climpy House in about 1800. The site had been a bleak and lonely moor, and considerable effort must have been required to drain the lands and establish tree belts that provided shelter and privacy. Robert, a Glasgow merchant, had married Mary Wilson in 1792. Mary was daughter of Robert Wilson, the owner of Cleugh estate and senior partner of the Wilsontown iron works, which lay about three miles east of Climpy.

Robert Wilson, in partnership with his two brothers, established the Wilsontown iron works which began production in 1781. Wilsontown was only the second works in Scotland to use coal to smelt iron, but had a troubled history, fuelled by disputes between the Wilson brothers. Robert Crawford had business, as well as family associations with Wilsontown, but was principally concerned with exploiting the mineral riches of the Climpy estate, which he had bought in about 1801. He established the substantial Climpy lime works, which supplied limestone to Shotts iron works, and later leased coal reserves of the estate to the Wilsontown iron company. With this blossoming of industry, Climpy soon developed into a substantial village, home to almost 150 families,

It appears however that Robert Crawford’s finances were over-extended, and in 1811, during a period of depression in the iron trade, he was declared bankrupt. A substantial loan had been received from the Wilsontown Iron Company, and the default on repayment contributed to the failure of the Wilsontown Company in the following year

The Climpy estate was put up for sale in 1811, at which time the house was described as “a large mansion house, with suitable offices, fit for the accommodation of a genteel family, with a walled garden, well stocked with fruit trees.” There were no immediate buyers, and the Crawford family (they are known to have at least one daughter) seem to have been allowed to enjoy the pleasures of Climpy House for a couple of further years, and show round prospective purchasers. By 1820 Robert Crawford was described as “now in North America”, and seems to have disappeared from history; however it was a further decade before creditors resolved his complicated business affairs.

Population statistics from 1822 showing the remarkable number of empty properties in Carnwath parish following closure of Wilsontown ironworks, and industry at Climpy.

The Climpy estate was bought some time prior to 1820 by Sir John Kirkland (1796-1871). The son of a Glasgow magistrate, Kirkland was a banker, closely associated with army finances, who served on the boards of various major companies. Based in the south of England, his purchase of the Climpy estate at a knock-down price was probably considered as an investment. He seemed to have no interest in continuing the limestone business, and it was several years before he fully assessed the coal and other mineral wealth of the estate. It appears unlikely that John Kirkland ever spent much time at Climpy House, Following the collapse of industry there was widespread hardship and depopulation throughout the area, leaving a landscape of derelict homes and rusting, abandoned machinery. Climpy House suffered similar neglect.

In 1860 OS surveyors described Climpy House as “a large mansion, two stories in height, slated and in an extremely bad condition.”The offices belonging to it (presumably the stables and service buildings that flanked the main building) are slated and in good repair, and are now occupied as cot-houses.” The first OS map shows the ornamental pond as choked and overgrown, the walled garden in a state of ruin, and much of the timber sheltering the site had been felled.

In 1871, following the death of Sir John Kirkland, the Climpy estate was purchased by Glasgow coal-master and iron merchant John Darling (1844-1888), whose family had bought the Cleugh and Forth estates a few years previously. Under new ownership, coal mining was further developed, with a new Climpy pit sunk a little to the west of the house and, for a period, a tramway ran through the grounds to serving Climpy No.4 mine. Records show that the grass parks to the front and rear of the house were let for grazing on an annual basis, and there are references to shepherd’s and gamekeeper’s cottages, however little information exists about the mansion house, which presumably remained unoccupied. The “Laird of Climpy and his youthful and amiable partner” were well regarded locally, but will have spent most of their time at their fashionable home in Glasgow’s Park Circus. John Darling and his guests enjoyed shooting parties on the moors of Climpy and Guildhouse, so it may be possible that the facilities of the house still played a part in such entertainment? John Darling died prematurely at Ampherlaw House; a country home that the family had occupied for a number of years previously. The Climpy estate seems to have passed to his young son, then aged 11, and remained in the family into the early years of the 20^th century.

25″ OS map c.1895, by which time only a portion of the pond remained filled, a single wall marks the site of the walled garden, and much of the tree belt had been felled. Courtesy National Library of Scotland

The mansion house and two flanking buildings are shown as complete, roofed buildings on the 1910 OS map, but were probably demolished some time prior to the second world war. The outline of these buildings are still clearly marked by robber trenches where valuable building stone was removed. The island that once adorned the ornamental pond now stands proud in the middle of a marsh, and another waterlogged area marks the site of the walled garden, where fruit was once carefully cultivated.

While the decaying grandeur of the house would have been a sorry sight, the grounds seemed to have been enjoyed by working folk during the late Victorian period. There’s a delightful account of a picnic of the united Sabbath schools of Forth and Climpy that was held in the park around Climpy house in 1889; “Football, races, and many a game employed the energy of scholars…….Twice in the day there was a service of milk and buns, but not even these could keep them long from their sports.” “The weather was delightfully suitable for such an occasion, and the ever-moving active figures and the varied summer dresses made the party a pleasing evidence of youthful health and pleasure.” “The sun dipping behind Climpy Hill reminded all that the maddest, merriest, day must end, and the homeward march was begun.”

Happy, distant, summer days

1.) Site of the mansion house, looking east towards the main road 2.) Site of sluice from the ornamental pond, and the carriageway heading south to the cottage built on the site of the gatehouse 3.) Avenue to the north of Climpy House, part of the original planting. 4.) Trenches marking the site of Climpy House, looking south to Tinto Hill