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Hamilton Palace

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74-696: Hamilton Palace was a country house in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire , Scotland . It was the seat of the Dukes of Hamilton and is widely acknowledged as having been one of the grandest houses in the British Isles . The palace dated from the 14th century, was rebuilt in the Baroque style between 1684 and 1701 and was subsequently much enlarged in the Neoclassical style between 1824 and 1832. The palace

148-714: A royal centre during the later stages of the kingdom, as a precursor to Cadzow Castle . During the Wars of Scottish Independence the Hamilton family initially supported the English and Walter fitz Gilbert (the head of the Hamilton family) was governor of Bothwell Castle on behalf of the English. However, he later changed loyalty to Robert the Bruce , following the Battle of Bannockburn , and ceded Bothwell to him. For this act, he

222-799: A sarcophagus of the Ptolemaic period that he had originally acquired in Paris in 1836 ostensibly for the British Museum. At the same time he had acquired the sarcophagus of Pabasa , an important nobleman which is now in the Kelvingrove Museum . In 1842 Hamilton had begun construction of the Hamilton Mausoleum as repository for the overcrowded family vault at the Palace. He was interred there with other Dukes of Hamilton, from

296-507: A chapel and mausoleum on the medieval church site. Neither came to anything and in the end, in 1848, the commission eventually fell to David Bryce to build Hamilton Mausoleum on a fresh site 650 feet (200 metres) northeast of the palace. Built from 1837 to 1842 for the 10th Duke of Hamilton by the Edinburgh architect William Burn, what was known as the Duke's Riding School was built to replace

370-499: A grand ball with 400 guests. By the later 19th century, Hamilton Palace was proving expensive to maintain, and was used only as an occasional residence by the Hamilton family. The programmes of rebuilding and art collecting on the part of the 10th Duke and his successors had left a heavy burden of debt on the estate. The 12th Duke of Hamilton spent a fortune on horses, increasing the Hamiltons’ debts to around £1.5 million. The 12th Duke

444-410: A horseracing, wedding and event venue, is located in the town. Hamilton's Ice Rink hosts facilities for ice skating, curling, ice hockey and squash to both the general public and competitive teams. SLC Leisure has a number of facilities based in Hamilton. There are three council run Leisure Centres which comprise gyms, swimming pools, fitness classes and more Hamilton Palace Sports Grounds provide

518-407: A major rebuilding programme at Hamilton Palace from 1684 to 1701. Dubbed by the Hamilton family as 'The Great Design', these works led to the creation of a U-plan country house, with an open south-facing courtyard which followed the outline of the existing late 16th-century enclosed quadrangle. Under the direction of the architect James Smith , the south quarter of Hamilton Palace was removed entirely,

592-537: A place near Leicester . The Hamiltons constructed many landmark buildings in the area including the Hamilton Mausoleum in Strathclyde Park , which has one of the longest reverb times of any manmade building at 15 seconds. The Hamilton family are major land-owners in the area to this day. Hamilton Palace was the seat of the Dukes of Hamilton until the early-twentieth century. Other historic buildings in

666-536: A siege of 1570 during the Marian civil war due to James Hamilton, Duke of Châtellerault 's support for Mary, Queen of Scots . The castle was damaged again in 1579 on the occasion when Cadzow Castle was destroyed and left abandoned. It accommodated King James VI on a hunting trip in 1589. 'The Orchard' was rebuilt and enlarged in 1591 on a quadrangular plan and named the 'Palace'. Anne, 3rd Duchess of Hamilton and her husband, William, Duke of Hamilton , commissioned

740-494: A strong interest in Ancient Egyptian mummies , and was so impressed with the work of mummy expert Thomas Pettigrew that he arranged for Pettigrew to mummify him after his death. He died on 18 August 1852 at age 84 at 12 Portman Square, London, England and was buried on 4 September 1852 at Hamilton Palace , Hamilton , Scotland. In accordance with his wishes, Hamilton's body was mummified after his death and placed in

814-561: Is located in the redeveloped Palace Grounds area close to the ROC nightclub. Alexander Douglas-Hamilton, 10th Duke of Hamilton Alexander Hamilton, 10th Duke of Hamilton, 7th Duke of Brandon KG PC FRS FSA (3 October 1767 – 18 August 1852), styled as the Earl of Angus until 1799 and Marquess of Douglas and Clydesdale from 1799–1819, was a Scottish politician and art collector. Born on 3 October 1767 at St. James's Square , London,

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888-638: Is represented in the House of Commons by two Members of Parliament (MPs). The following MPs were elected from Hamilton in 2019 : Hamilton is also represented in the Scottish Parliament by two constituency MSPs . The following MSPs were elected from Hamilton in 2021 : Areas of Hamilton: Nearby prominent towns and cities: The following towns/villages directly border Hamilton: Blantyre , East Kilbride , Quarter , Strathaven , Motherwell , Bothwell , Ferniegair , Limekilnburn. Hamilton

962-637: Is the M8 , leaving at junctions 6 or 7. Cycling paths run from Strathclyde Park to Chatelherault Country Park following the banks of the Clyde and Avon. These are being expanded at part of the Sustrans Connect2 project and will make up part of the National Cycle Route 74 which will run from Uddingston to Carlisle, Cumbria There are currently three comprehensive high schools in

1036-731: Is to the north of the Palace Grounds. Renowned explorer and missionary David Livingstone 's house still stands at 17 Burnbank Road and has a plaque about him. Hamilton is located within the Scottish council area of South Lanarkshire . Its local government services are provided by the unitary authority the South Lanarkshire Council, which is headquartered in Hamilton. Hamilton itself is divided between three wards, totalling 11 seats: Hamilton North and East, Hamilton West and Earnock and Hamilton South. Hamilton

1110-774: Is twinned with Châtellerault in France. This connection dates from the 16th century when the title Duc de Châtellerault was conferred on James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran . The Duke's Chatelherault Hunting Lodge (now in Chatelherault Country Park), a primary school and new railway station are named ' Chatelherault ' for this reason. Service industries and local government are major employers in Hamilton. The town centre has been regenerated with new indoor shopping centres (the Regent Shopping Centre, New Cross Shopping Centre) Hamilton Retail Park and

1184-621: The House of Lords . His son, William, 12th Duke of Hamilton , took a great interest in horse racing, gambling and sailing. He disliked Hamilton Palace and resided at Brodick Castle on the Isle of Arran and, after his marriage to Lady Mary Montagu, the eldest daughter of the 7th Duke of Manchester , in December 1873, he developed Easton Park in Suffolk (which had been inherited by the 10th Duke in 1830) as his principal seat and sporting estate. It

1258-420: The " ȝ " being the letter yogh ), pronounced /kadju/. It is an ancient settlement, possibly dating back to the days of Strathclyde , or perhaps earlier. The Roman fort of Bothwellhaugh lies nearby. A lost medieval settlement was excavated in the 2010s near the Clyde, only around 1 mile from the current town. It is known that kings of Strathclyde did have a hunting lodge near Cadzow, and the area may have been

1332-536: The 12th Duke's trustees granted the Bent Colliery Company the authority to work the coal seam beneath Hamilton Palace. In June 1919 the trustees petitioned the Court of Session for authority to sell the contents of Hamilton Palace and then demolish the building. The trustees had been advised that the coal workings then in progress beneath the palace would damage and might ultimately destroy the fabric of

1406-624: The 1858 completion of the Mausoleum until 1921 when subsidence and the subsequent demolition of the Palace forced removal of the bodies to the Bent cemetery in Hamilton, where he still lies buried in his sarcophagus. His collection of paintings, objects, books and manuscripts was sold for £397,562 in July 1882. The manuscripts were purchased by the German government for £80,000. Some were repurchased by

1480-526: The 2011 International Children's Games . Speedway racing was staged in Hamilton for one off shows from 1947 to 1955 on the old ash football pitches of Strathclyde Park (now covered by the town square). Hamilton Townhouse Theatre is a 712-seat venue in the Cadzow Street area of the town. It is the first cultural venue in Scotland to attain the prestigious Quest accreditation. A multiplex Vue Cinema

1554-582: The 20th century large and ostentatious country houses had fallen from fashion, partly due to the prohibitive cost of their upkeep. Hamilton Palace had long ceased to be a residence of the Hamilton family. The 13th Duke had been paralysed in 1890 by a rare tropical disease and considered the huge palace unsuitable as a modern residence, preferring to live a rural life at the smaller Dungavel House in Lanarkshire. The palace had not been updated since 1876 and could not be brought up to date and maintained with only

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1628-553: The Deer Park and the Chatelherault Hunting Lodge designed by William Adam . The palace housed two libraries and a renowned collection of fine and decorative art which were dispersed in two huge sales in 1882 and 1919. Hamilton Palace was demolished between 1921 and 1932 after coal works beneath the house were discovered to threaten its structural integrity. The building at the core of Hamilton Palace

1702-478: The Dining Room's fireplace. The new palace provided an appropriate setting for a number of magnificent social events: in 1831 it was visited by Marie Thérèse of France , the eldest child of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette , while in 1843 Henri, Count of Chambord visited the palace and a grand reception was held there following the marriage of the future 11th Duke to Princess Marie Amelie of Baden . In 1851

1776-633: The Duke of Hamilton appointed a committee to conserve the cross and a railing was erected around it to protect it. The Duke and Duchess of Hamilton gifted the cross to Hamilton Town Council in January 1920. In 1926 the Netherton Cross was moved from its site in the Low Parks and erected in front of Hamilton Old Parish Church. The cross is under the protection of Historic Environment Scotland . The medieval parish church of Hamilton stood close to

1850-648: The Hamilton Palace Sports Ground. Most of Hamilton Palace's grounds were incorporated into Strathclyde Country Park . When the park was being constructed in 1974, vaulted cellars were discovered which may have belonged to the palace. However, these were not excavated but instead infilled with rubble. Hamilton Mausoleum still stands in Strathclyde Country Park and tours can be booked at the nearby Hamilton Low Parks Museum . The black marble chimneypiece and chimneypiece wall of

1924-707: The Hamilton School for the Deaf. Hamilton is a university town with The University of the West of Scotland campus formerly sited on Almada Street, but now relocated to Hamilton International Technology Park in High Blantyre. Hamilton Academical Football Club (the Accies) was formed in 1874 and is one of Scotland's oldest senior clubs. It takes its name from Hamilton Academy, now called Hamilton Grammar School ,

1998-452: The Hamilton and Kinneil Estates passed to the 13th Duke, who took on over £1 million in debts, which took him until July 1908 to pay off. The trust disposition and settlement of the 12th Duke also stated: "with reference to Hamilton Palace, which is not now used by me as a place of residence, that it shall be in the power of my said trustees if they, in their sole discretion, shall think it advisable to do so, to entirely displenish and dismantle

2072-860: The Long Gallery, Old Dining Room, Old State Breakfast Room, Old State Drawing Room and Old State Bedroom, new state rooms such as the Egyptian Hall, Entrance Hall, Tribune, Billiard Room, Charter Room, State Dining Room, Drawing Room, State Bedroom, Music Room, the Hamilton Library and the Beckford Library were built. These held much fine furniture and by the mid-19th century housed one of the best private collections of paintings in Scotland, including works by Peter Paul Rubens (see below), Titian , Anthony van Dyck , and other masters. A sumptuous chimneypiece by William Morgan adorned

2146-529: The Palace Grounds Retail Park. Restaurants and national retail outlets are situated in a redeveloped part of the Palace Grounds that are visible upon entering the town from the M74 motorway . The creation of a circular town square has resulted in Hamilton receiving numerous town planning awards during the past decade. This development transformed the Hamilton side of Strathclyde Park, which was

2220-970: The Tuileries by Jacques-Louis David. Lord Lamington, in The Days of the Dandies , wrote of him that 'never was such a magnifico as the 10th Duke, the Ambassador to the Empress Catherine; when I knew him he was very old, but held himself straight as any grenadier. He was always dressed in a military laced undress coat, tights and Hessian boots, &c'. Lady Stafford in letters to her son mentioned 'his great Coat, long Queue, and Fingers cover'd with gold Rings', and his foreign appearance. According to another obituary, this time in Gentleman's Magazine, he had 'an intense family pride'. Hamilton had

2294-903: The administration of his estate, which comprised the Hamilton Estates (in Lanarkshire , including Hamilton Palace); the Arran Estate (Brodick Castle and the greater part of the Isle of Arran); the Kinneil Estates (in Stirlingshire , including Kinneil House ) and the Easton Estate and the Great Glemham Estate in Suffolk . The Duke's only child was his ten-year-old daughter, Lady Mary Hamilton, so

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2368-550: The area include Hamilton Old Parish Church , a Georgian era building completed in 1734 and the only church to have been built by William Adam . The graveyard of the old parish church contains some Covenanter remains. Hamilton Townhouse , which now houses a library and concert hall, underwent a sympathetic modernization in 2002 and opened to the public in summer 2004. The ruins of Cadzow Castle also lie in Chatelherault Country Park , 2 miles (3 km) from

2442-421: The building), were discovered in the north-west quarter, clearly indicating the defensive nature of the medieval core of the palace. In 1451 the medieval parish church of Hamilton (which stood to the east of the later palace) was promoted to collegial status by Lord Hamilton. 'The Orchard' was the object of much destructive attention on the part of royal armies in the period between 1565 and 1579, suffering damage in

2516-461: The court of St. Petersburg until 1807; additionally, he was Lord Lieutenant of Lanarkshire from 1802 to 1852. He received the numerous titles at his father's death in 1819. He was Lord High Steward at King William IV 's coronation in 1831 and Queen Victoria 's coronation in 1838, and remains the last person to have undertaken this duty twice. He became a Knight of the Garter in 1836. He held

2590-411: The east and west quarters were rebuilt as courtyard wings, while the north wing was left much as it had been before, although it was refaced and remodelled internally. The south front was rebuilt between 1693 and 1701 in the Baroque style, the principal feature of this new formal ceremonial entrance being the frontispiece with its huge Corinthian portico. Behind the facade of the remodelled north front,

2664-468: The east front of Hamilton Palace. Promoted to collegiate status by the 1st Lord Hamilton in 1451, it continued in use after the Reformation in 1560 as the local parish church and burial-ground. With the opening of Hamilton Old Parish Church in 1734, the medieval church was demolished, with the exception of the east end and the attached aisle which served as the burial vault of the ducal family. In 1852

2738-486: The eldest son of Archibald Hamilton, 9th Duke of Hamilton , he was educated at Harrow School and at Christ Church, Oxford , where he matriculated on 4 March 1786. He received his MA on 18 February 1789. Hamilton was a Whig, and his political career began in 1802, when he became MP for Lancaster . He remained in the House of Commons until 1806, when he was appointed to the Privy Council , and Ambassador to

2812-451: The first floor was fully taken up by the 36.6 m (120 ft) Long Gallery, while the first floor of the west wing contained the main suite of ducal apartments. A new north front had been planned by James, 5th Duke of Hamilton in the 1730s, and extensive plans were prepared by William Adam . The Duke's early death and the significant costs involved prevented the plans from being executed, but significant programme of interior decoration

2886-427: The headquarters of the modern local authority of South Lanarkshire. The town itself has a population of around 55,000, which makes it the 9th largest locality in Scotland, and anchors a defined settlement of 84,000 (including neighbouring Blantyre , Bothwell and Uddingston ) which is the country's 8th largest. The town of Hamilton was originally known as Cadzow or Cadyou ( Middle Scots : Cadȝow ),

2960-522: The income from the Hamilton and Kinneil estates in central Scotland that the 13th Duke had inherited. In July 1914 the Duke and Duchess hosted King George V and Queen Mary when they visited the palace, which was marked by a grand reception. In June 1915 the Duke lent part of the palace for the accommodation of soldiers and sailors who had been injured during the First World War and discharged from hospitals and convalescent homes. In November 1915

3034-597: The main administrative centre of the South Lanarkshire council area . It sits 10 miles (16 km) south-east of Glasgow , 37 miles (60 km) south-west of Edinburgh and 74 miles (120 km) north of Carlisle . It is situated on the south bank of the River Clyde at its confluence with the Avon Water . Hamilton is the county town of the historic county of Lanarkshire and is the location of

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3108-434: The main pediment over the entrance, carved by John Greenshields in 1822. Between 1824 and 1832 the north front itself was enhanced and enlarged by the distinguished Glasgow architect David Hamilton . The 15-bayed, three storey north front was 265 ft (80 m) long and 60 ft (20 m) high, adorned with a colossal portico of six 25-foot-high (7.5-metre) Corinthian columns. In addition to existing rooms such as

3182-511: The north of the medieval motte hill in the Low Parks, and is now part of Strathclyde Country Park. The Netherton Cross dates back to the 10th or 11th century and is a rare example of ecclesiastical sculpture from the Kingdom of Strathclyde . It is a free-standing carved cross of red sandstone standing to a height of 2.1 metres and is decorated on all four sides with figurative scenes of humans, animals and patterns. In 1857 Hamilton Town Council and

3256-709: The office of Grand Master Mason of the Freemasons of Scotland between 1820 and 1822. He held the office of President of the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland between 1827 and 1831. He held the office of Trustee of the British Museum between 1834 and 1852. He married Susan Euphemia Beckford , daughter of William Thomas Beckford and Lady Margaret Gordon, daughter of Charles Gordon, 4th Earl of Aboyne , on 26 April 1810 in London, England. Hamilton

3330-751: The oldest school in the town (founded 1588). It is the only professional football team in the UK to originate from a school team and they currently play in the Scottish League One . Their stadium is New Douglas Park , built in 2001 near the site of the former ground Douglas Park (which was demolished in 1994 to make way for a retail park). Hamilton Rugby Club is based at the Laigh Bent sports ground, Bent Road. They currently play in Tennent's National League Division Three . Hamilton Park Racecourse ,

3404-928: The original site of the Duke's palace. Hamilton has been a Fairtrade Town since 2005. Hamilton has three railway stations, Hamilton Central , Hamilton West and Chatelherault on the Argyle Line 's Hamilton Circle . Hamilton Central is approx 25 minutes from Glasgow on the Larkhall - Dalmuir service. It was once served by the North British Railway , which had three stations in the area - Hamilton (NBR) , Peacock Cross railway station and Burnbank . Beside Hamilton Central lies Hamilton Bus Station , providing links to surrounding towns and cities, also offering an express bus to Glasgow and also some parts of England. National Express services run to London and Birmingham from this station. Major roads in

3478-456: The palace - 572 lots including wood panelling, furniture, porcelain, carpets, curtains, sculpture and fittings - were sold at the palace from 12 to 14 November 1919, raising £29,000. In May 1920 Hamilton Town Council considered purchasing the building from the trustees, with a view to restoring it and converting it into flats for public housing, while in December of that year the Duke and Duchess of Hamilton gifted 22 acres (8.9 hectares) of ground at

3552-458: The palace before the sale of contents and fittings and its demolition. The sale of the Hamilton Palace Collection took place from 4 to 7 November 1919 took place at Christie's. The sale raised £232,847 (equivalent to £13,515,976 in 2023) and included furniture, porcelain, silver plate, tapestries, jewellery and paintings by van Dyck , Rubens , Rembrandt , Reynolds , Romney , Raeburn , Delacroix and Winterhalter . The remaining contents of

3626-426: The palace was visited by Victoria, Duchess of Kent (the mother of Queen Victoria ), and in 1860, a great crowd gathered in the park to catch a glimpse of the visiting French empress Eugénie . A grand ball was held at the palace in her honour. After his marriage in 1843, William, 11th Duke of Hamilton lived chiefly in France and Germany , took little interest in his Scottish or English affairs and never attended

3700-411: The palace's Old State Drawing Room is on display in the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh . The Dining Room is on display at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston . Five panels of wrought iron railings from the palace grounds can be seen outside Hamilton College . The remains of the tree-lined "Great Avenue" that linked Hamilton Palace to Chatelherault hunting lodge can still be seen. These give

3774-407: The palace, and so - with the approval of the 13th Duke - they had decided to demolish it. Permission was granted by the Court of Session on 12 June 1919. At this time, the magazine Country Life featured a number of articles on the palace and a quantity of photographs were taken by A. E. Henson, the magazine's staff photographer, to accompany the series. As such they represent an invaluable record of

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3848-435: The palace, and take down and remove the building, or allow the same to fall into disuse" . In 1889 the 12th Duke had leased to the Bent Colliery Company (who owned the Hamilton Palace Colliery at nearby Bothwellhaugh ), the coal under the Low Parks, to be worked on a system, known as the 'stoop and room' method, which would have left Hamilton Palace and the nearby Mausoleum supported by the pillars of coal known as stoops. By

3922-477: The remains of the 12 members of the family buried there were moved to Hamilton Mausoleum and the east end and aisle were demolished. In line with his grandiose enlargement of Hamilton Palace, Alexander, 10th Duke of Hamilton planned to redesign or replace his family burial vault which stood close to the east of the palace in the aisle of the old and dilapidated Hamilton Collegiate Church. The architects David Hamilton and Henry Edmund Goodridge both produced designs for

3996-400: The roof had been removed, but that the black marble staircase and the bronze Atlantes were still in place in the now soaking interior. The last sections of the palace were demolished in 1932. In July 1922 Hamilton Town Council purchased 750 acres (300 hectares) of the Hamilton Estate, including Hamilton Mausoleum, the stables and the riding school, from the trustees for £20,250. Hamilton Palace

4070-715: The sale of some 2,213 articles. The sale included paintings by Dürer , Rembrandt , Rubens , Velázquez and van Dyck ; Chinese, Japanese, Meissen , Sèvres and English porcelain; bronzes, furniture, tapestries, chandeliers, busts, and vases. The sale raised almost £397,562 and, when added to the sale of the libraries, realized £786,847, equivalent to £100,102,020 in 2023. The 12th Duke died at Algiers in 1895. He owned 157,000 acres (64,000 hectares) in Scotland and England (worth an estimated annual income of £147,000 - £118 million as of 2023), but still had debts of £1.5 million. The Duke's trust disposition and settlement conveyed his estate to trustees and left detailed instructions for

4144-469: The south front of Hamilton Palace to the town council for recreational purposes In October 1921 the building was sold for £7,500 to the Edinburgh building contractor William D. Lillico for dismantling and demolition, with demolition work commencing in November 1921. The palace was so solidly built that it took far longer to dismantle and demolish than Lillico had expected. When the travel writer H. V. Morton visited Hamilton Palace in 1927 or 1928, he found that

4218-402: The stables court within Hamilton Palace. In the 1920s and 1930s, the Riding School was equipped with a gymnasium and boxing ring for the Douglas and Clydesdale Amateur Boxing Club. The building was the museum of the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) from 1983 to 1995, and is now the Low Parks Museum. The site of Hamilton Palace is now occupied by the bowling pavilion, bowling greens and car park of

4292-435: The title of 13th Duke of Hamilton passed to his fourth cousin, Alfred Douglas-Hamilton , a poor Royal Navy lieutenant. The 12th Duke's trustees were given power to sell the Glemham Estate and apply the proceeds, and that of some moveable property (including the Duke's yacht), towards paying off the debts on the Easton Estate. The Arran and Easton Estates, along with their income, passed to Lady Mary and her descendants, while

4366-405: The town centre. Hamilton Palace was the largest non-royal residence in the Western world, located in the north-east of the town. A former seat of the Dukes of Hamilton , it was built in 1695, subsequently much enlarged, and demolished in 1921 due to ground subsidence. It is widely acknowledged as having been one of the grandest houses in Scotland, was visited and admired by Queen Victoria , and

4440-459: The town include the A72 running south-east to Larkhall , the A723 south to Strathaven / north-east to Motherwell , and the A724 west towards Rutherglen , while to the west at Blantyre , the A725 dual carriageway connects the area to East Kilbride , Coatbridge and the M8 . By road the town is to the west of the M74 motorway, the main southerly link to England, which joins the M6 just north of Carlisle . The main route from Edinburgh

4514-399: The town with rugby, cricket, tennis, football and bowling areas. Strathclyde Park Golf Centre driving range and 9-hole course is based in Hamilton, while the Hamilton Golf Club (dating from 1892) is situated across the Avon Water in nearby Ferniegair . The town is also home to several large gym chains, such as David Lloyd formerly ( Virgin Active Health Club ), which hosted the tennis at

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4588-539: The town – Hamilton Grammar , Holy Cross High School and St.John Ogilvie High School . The former Earnock High School merged with Blantyre High School in 2008 to create Calderside Academy . Hamilton also has one private school, Hamilton College , a Christian co-educational establishment comprising nursery, primary and high school. There are 17 local authority primary schools in Hamilton; nine non-denominational and eight Roman Catholic schools. There are also provisions for children with Additional Support Needs , and

4662-511: The vast wealth that the family derived from their ownership of the Lanarkshire coalfields. The Duke wanted to erect a grand residence which not only reflected the increasing wealth and national standing of the family but also provided an appropriately grand setting for the considerable art collections which he continued to gather, including the Beckford art collection and library that his wife Susan had inherited from her father William Thomas Beckford . This refurbishment included heraldic carvings in

4736-432: The visitor a good indication, particularly from Chatelherault Country Park , of where the palace stood. 55°46′48″N 4°01′53″W  /  55.780000°N 4.031500°W  / 55.780000; -4.031500 Hamilton, South Lanarkshire Hamilton ( Scots : Hamiltoun ; Scottish Gaelic : Baile Hamaltan [ˈpalə ˈhaməl̪ˠt̪ʰan] ) is a large town in South Lanarkshire , Scotland. It serves as

4810-438: Was a 14th-century tower house known variously as 'The Orchard' or the 'Castle of Hamilton', which was the seat of the Hamilton family. The earliest reference to a castle at Hamilton is in a charter of 1445, when James Hamilton was created first Lord Hamilton. When the palace was demolished in the 1920s, the remains of walls up to 2.7 m (8 ft 10 in) thick (compared to 0.9 m (2 ft 11 in) elsewhere in

4884-431: Was a well-known dandy of his day. An obituary notice states that "timidity and variableness of temperament prevented his rendering much service to, or being much relied on by his party ... With a great predisposition to over-estimate the importance of ancient birth ... he well deserved to be considered the proudest man in England." He also supported Napoleon and commissioned the painting The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at

4958-409: Was built in the flood plain of the River Clyde and in close proximity to the town of Hamilton, which grew up around its western boundaries. Situated in the Low Parks, the palace stood at the centre of an extensive garden which, as its main axis, had a great north–south tree-lined avenue over three miles (five kilometres) in length. This designed landscape may have originated in the late 17th century but

5032-416: Was carried out in the east wing of the palace under Adam's supervision. Modifications and additions continued during the next century, including the purchase or exchange of land surrounding the palace, enabling extensive landscaping to take place. Upon his succession to the ducal title and estates in 1819, Alexander, 10th Duke of Hamilton began to enhance and enlarge the north front of Hamilton Palace, using

5106-418: Was closer to the major race courses and also meant that he could base his steam yacht Thistle at Ipswich , from where he could sail to Brodick Castle, Cowes and racecourse venues on the continent. Hamilton Palace was visited in January 1878 by Edward, Prince of Wales , Napoléon, Prince Imperial and Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria for game shooting in the High Parks, with their visit concluding with

5180-432: Was first drawn up in 1708 by Alexander Edward. The layout was later developed, most notably by William Adam, who introduced Châtelherault hunting lodge into the south avenue in the High Parks where it commanded a broad vista northwards across the Low Parks. The Low Parks contained a number of buildings. The Netherton Cross is the oldest symbol of Christianity in Hamilton. The location where the cross originally stood lay to

5254-507: Was only saved from financial ruin when his race horse Cortolvin won the 1867 Grand National horse race , with the substantial prize money and the £16,000 from the bookmakers restoring his fortune substantially. However, in order to fund his continued extravagancies, in 1882 the Duke was forced to sell the Beckford art collection, Beckford Library, and Hamilton Library housed in Hamilton Palace. The Hamilton Palace Sale at Christie's in London took place from 17 June to 20 July 1882 and involved

5328-625: Was rewarded with a portion of land which had been forfeited by the Comyns at Dalserf and later the Barony and lands of Cadzow, which in time would become the town of Hamilton. Cadzow was renamed Hamilton in the time of James, Lord Hamilton , who was married to Princess Mary , the daughter of King James II . The Hamilton family themselves most likely took their name from the lands of Humbleton or Homildon in Northumberland , or perhaps from

5402-536: Was situated at the centre of the extensive Low Parks (now Strathclyde Country Park ), with the Great Avenue, a broad, north–south tree-lined avenue over three miles (five kilometres) in length, as its axis. The Low Parks also contained the Hamilton Mausoleum designed by David Hamilton and the 11th-century Netherton Cross. South of the Avon Water , the High Parks (now Chatelherault Country Park ) contained

5476-655: Was written about by Daniel Defoe . Hamilton Barracks was formerly the Depot of the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) and the home of the 1st Battalion of the Regiment. The Regimental Museum is part of the Low Parks Museum . The Low Parks Museum is housed in what was a 16th-century inn and a staging post for journeys between Glasgow and Edinburgh. Recently refurbished, it is the oldest building in Hamilton and

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