Bardowie Castle is located 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) east of Milngavie, in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. The A-Listed building overlooks Bardowie Loch. The oldest sections were built in the 16th century and additions were made in the 17th and 18th centuries.[1]
History
Bardowie was the property of the Clan Galbraith from 1214, and passed by marriage to John Hamilton of Cadzow in the later 14th century.[2] The tower was built in 1566, with additions made from the late 17th or early 18th century.[3] The later part of the castle is dated 1713. In the mid 18th century the castle passed by marriage to Thomas Buchanan of Spittal-Leny, whose descendants owned the castle until the early 20th century.[2] Thomas' son Francis Buchanan-Hamilton claimed the chiefship of Clan Buchanan.[4] In his 1854 Rambles Round Glasgow, Hugh Macdonald wrote that Bardowie Castle was "an edifice of moderate size, somewhat timeworn, yet withal wearing an appearance of quiet cosiness and comfort".[5] The castle was sold several times in the 20th century, including in 1912 and 1951.[2]
The castle has been a category A listed building since 1973.[3] LB5726 The description stated: "Tower c.1566, and additions made from late C17th or early C18th onwards. The latter are still occupied as a modern mansion".[6]
In 2002, the property was owned by motivational speaker Jack Black, the founder of MindStore, who listed it for sale when he was unable to get a permit to operate his wife's software business from the property. By that time, the interior had been extensively modernized.[7] In 2004, the castle interior was described as including "6 reception rooms, 9 bedrooms, 8 bath/shower rooms, kitchen, library, home cinema, 2 kitchenettes, sauna, gymnasium."[8]
The property was listed for sale in June 2019, and the news report photos indicated that the interior had certainly been modernized.[9] The grounds included a former orchard, tennis court, walled garden, two garages and a patio.[10]
