4 days ago
The dark history behind this abandoned castle near Glasgow where Lulu was born
Just a 40-minute drive from Glasgow lies the large ruin of Lennox Castle, a former estate built between 1837 and 1841, which later became a maternity hospital and an "infamous" institution for people with learning disabilities.
Constructed by David Hamilton for John Lennox Kincaid, the woodland manor replaced the older Kincaid House.
It was later purchased by the Glasgow Corporation in 1927 and converted into a hospital.
See the dark history behind the 'infamous' Lennox Castle near Glasgow
Lennox Castle is located close to Lennoxtown in East Dunbartonshire (Image: Getty Images) However, very quickly, the facilities here became "vastly overcrowded, understaffed and underfunded," according to The Scotsman.
The BBC adds that by the 1980s, standards had gotten so bad that a study by the British Medical Journal found residents to be dangerously underweight and malnourished.
Alasdair Sim, the hospital's medical director, even said in 1986 that he had "never worked in a worse pit".
The infamous hospital at Lennox Castle closed in 2002 (Image: Getty Images)
In 2002, the hospital closed down, a move that reflected the changing attitudes around housing people with learning disabilities within the community.
Between the 1940s and 1960s, part of the castle was also a maternity hospital and was the birthplace of a number of famous faces.
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These include beloved Scottish singer Lulu, who sang hit songs like Bang-a-Bang and Shout, as well as footballer John Brown, who played for teams like Rangers FC.
Nowadays, the castle is still a category A listed building despite suffering from a fire in 2008.
Part of the grounds was converted into Celtic F.C.'s Lennoxtown Training Centre, with other parts towards the Campsie-side village becoming a long-term residential development.
