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Crookston Castle from the grass, its ruined tower and lower walls under bare branches and a bright sky.
Glasgow

Crookston Castle

The only medieval castle left in Glasgow, a Stewart tower of about 1400 inside a ditch dug in the 1100s, and the first place the National Trust for Scotland owned.

Welcome

On a low hill on the south-west side of the city, inside a deep ditch first dug in the 1100s, stands the only medieval castle left in Glasgow.

Sir Robert de Croc built a timber castle on the hilltop, and the district still carries his name.

The Stewarts of Darnley held the ground by the 1300s, and around 1400 they raised the stone tower whose shell stands today: a tall central block with a square tower at each corner. Only the north-east tower survives whole. The way up it is a spiral stair and then a run of steep metal ladders, and from the top the view runs out over the south side of Glasgow and straight down into the roofless rooms below.

A yew that grew by the walls was long said to be where Lord Darnley courted Mary Queen of Scots. In 1931 Sir John Stirling Maxwell gave the castle to the National Trust for Scotland, the first place the Trust ever owned.

Not farOx and FinchSmall plates to share from the kitchens of France, Italy and Greece, on Sauchiehall Street since 2014 and named in the Michelin Guide.4 milesSee itOx and Finch
Before you go

The castle is looked after by Historic Environment Scotland.

From the road, a grassy slope leads up to the cottage at the gate in the railings round the castle. Inside, a spiral stair and then steep metal ladders take you to the top of the one whole tower.

Where
Brockston Road, Crookston, on the south-west side of Glasgow.
Getting in
Up the grass to the gate by the cottage in the railings.
The climb
A spiral stair, then metal ladders, each steeper than the last.

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Where it is

Crookston, on the south-west side of Glasgow, on a low hill off Brockston Road.

Close byWhat stands within a short drive of the castle.
  1. Fallen leaves along a tree-lined path through Bellahouston Park in autumn.Bellahouston ParkA hundred and sixty-nine acres above Ibrox, which held the Empire Exhibition of 1938.3 miles 9 min by road
  2. Pollok Country ParkPollok Country ParkWoodland, gardens and Highland cattle on the south side of the city.3 miles 8 min by road
  3. Paisley AbbeyPaisley AbbeyAn abbey founded in 1163, in the middle of Paisley.3 miles 10 min by road
  4. House for an Art Lover behind a pine tree, its white front lit by low sun.House for an Art LoverMackintosh's design of 1901 for a country house, built at last in Bellahouston Park.4 miles 10 min by road
  5. A carved stone of the Govan collection.The Govan StonesCarved stones of the Kingdom of Strathclyde, kept in Govan Old Church.4 miles 12 min by road
  6. The Burrell CollectionThe Burrell CollectionA shipowner's collection of art and objects, in its own gallery in Pollok Country Park.4 miles 14 min by road
Directions
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Stay nearby

Places to stay near the castle, and when each is next free.

A grey sofa with cushions sits before a black and white kitchen, a framed print on the wall to the left.Moment Blythswood Street
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Glasgow
  • 4 miles from the castle
Check datesA grey corner sofa with cushions and a sheepskin throw sits before a shelf of books and a round mirror, a wood burning stove and log store to the right.Talli House
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Dunlop
  • 8 miles from the castle
Free 31 Oct – 2 NovCrossbasket Castle, GlasgowCrossbasket Castle
  • To stay
  • In Glasgow
  • 10 miles from the castle
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in GlasgowAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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