St Peters-Section 12 Appendices - Historic Scotland

1865-95
1st Edition Ordnance Survey /County Series 21
This shows two burns, Kilmahew and Wallacetown with densely wooded banks,
surrounded by farmland. Farmsteads are scattered roundabout, and include
Kilmahew, Wallacetown, Low and High Milndovan.
The lane that will form west boundary of designed parkland has a spur leading
directly to the Keep. There are narrow shelterbelts lying parallel to the lanes in
some places.
A spur off Carman Road leads a settlement labelled “Triangle of Milndovan”
via a property called Ladeside further south. Neither settlement is shown as
a courtyard which suggests that they are not farmsteads. There is a triangular
area between the two burns shown as open field and a noticeably small field
network surrounding the Triangle of Milndovan settlement to elsewhere.
There is a path suggested on the west bank of Kilmanew burn leading north to the
Keep, but could be shading to suggest embankment.
The boundaries, be they fields or roads of the designed landscape already exist.
1871 John William Burns, began, on his accession to the property in 1871, an extensive
scheme of improvements to the estate. He acquired several of the neighbouring
properties (including the old Chapel of St. Mahew) which had formed part of the
ancient property of the Napiers. Among the lands thus incorporated in the estate
was the ancient property of Milndovan …, which in the eighteenth century was
owned by a family named Bontine. A somewhat pathetic memorial of this family
and their house remains in a group of a few stones, near the tennis courts, one of
which bears the inscription: “R.B., M.B., 1732” (Robert Bontine of Milndovan and
his wife, Margaret Bontine), and, another repeats the date 1732.’ St Peter’s College
Magazine, p. 8
‘John William Burns undertook extensive schemes of roadmaking, fencing and
draining and he laid out the lovely lawns, garden and woodland, together with the
fine artificial lake. The whole complex makes the most of a magnificent situation.
The able landscape architect who has laid out the grounds has made full use of the
splendid back-ground provided by the broad River Clyde, the Renfrewshire coast and
distant Argyllshire mountains.’ St Peter’s College Magazine, p. 8
1871-2 Cardross Free Church built to designs by John Burnet, commissioned by James
Burns and son, John William. North Clyde Estuary, p.59
1875 John William Burns bought ‘… the fine estate of Cumbernauld, so long associated
with the historic family of Fleeming, Earls of Wigtown and Lords Fleeming, paying for
the same £160,00.’ Historic Families, p.67
1879 ‘Among all the sunny slopes that swell upwards from the bosom of the Clyde, through
richly cultivated fields and picturesque ravines to the heath-clad hills of the Lennox,
there is surely no fairer scene than that glen of Kilmahew in which the old Napiers
dwelt. Their castle, a roofless ruin, still stands embowered among the trees near the
head of the ravine. A little lower down, on a nobler plateau on the oppositie bank of
the burn which runs through the defile, stands the modern castle of Kilmahew. The
12. APPENDICES
CONSERVATION ASSESSMENT - VOLUME 1: ST PETER’S SEMINARY FEBRUARY 2008 288 Final Issue
sweet southern exposure; the magnificent look-out , in front across the Clyde to
the pastoral hills of Renfrew and Ayr, on the right to the grim mountains of Argyll,
in the centre, to the distant peaks of Arran; the bosky glades lying between the
ancient home of the Napiers and the shore-these might well sufficed to vindicate the
choice of merchant prince of our own day, who fixed his abode among the woods of
Kilmahew…
When we have walked up the romantic glen we find the ancient seat of the Napiers
is in the possession of a happy party of excursionists: three young men are
discoursing music form the summit of a fragment of the broken wall, while their
companions are dancing merrily on the green sward underneath, a few couples may
be seen wandering in the woods. This picturesque spot is a favourite resort of such
parties from the city: and they are always made welcome by the lord of the manor.’
Dumbaton Herald, 1879
1879 Kilmahew, The Seat of John Burne, The Book of Dumbartonshire,1879
1880 “Kilmahew Tower” described as roofless by David Murray Old Cardross p. 20
1889 ‘This old castle, the ancient seat of the Napiers, stands near the top of a picturesque
little ravine, about one mile north from the Frith of Clyde at Cardross. The estate
remained in the possession of the Napier family from the thirteenth to the nineteenth
century, when it was broken up and sold in lots, but has again to a great extent been
gradually acquired and reunited by the present proprietor, John William Burns, Esq.,
and his father. During the interval the owner of the castle for the time carried out
considerable alterations upon it, and rebuilt the south and west walls with the view
of rendering it a modern mansion in the Gothic style, with a large entrance staircase
and doorway a the south-west angle.
The fireplace in the east wall and various wall recesses also seem to owe their origin
to the operations of this period. The general outline of the structure is undoubtedly
that of the original castle, being parallelogram 46 feet long by 25 feet broad. The
entrance door was near the north-west angle, and on the ground floor. The broad
lintel which covers it bore at one time the motto-“The peace of God be herein.” At the
parapet, exactly above the doorway, may be noticed two large and boldly-projecting
corbels, which no doubt carried a battlement or breteche for the protection of the
entrance. …’
This fine modern mansion of Kilmahew, built by the late Mr. Burns, occupies
a beautiful site at a short distance from the old castle. From its well-kept and
picturesque grounds a splendid view is obtained over the Frith of Clyde and the
Renfrewshire hills beyond.’ The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland
p.443-444
1891 ‘…the family was, of course, well established in the house and we can see from the
census that present that night were four members of the family, two visitors, a retired
nurse, and nine domestic servants. When we consider the number of gardeners,
under-gardeners, foresters, gamekeepers, ostlers and stable boys who were also in
the employ of the family, the total number must have been similar to some small-to
medium sized business today. …
… The gardens of Kilmahew were at one time the horticultural glory of the area, none