CASTLEMILK STABLES
Built around 1790, Castlemilk Stables formed a grand late Georgian quadrangle at the heart of the Castlemilk Estate on the southside of Glasgow. Commissioned by the Stuart family as a visible symbol of their wealth and status, the Category B-Listed stables lay derelict for almost 20 years before Glasgow Building Preservation Trust,and the Cassiltoun Trust brought it back to life. Since its completion in 2007, it has become a much-loved and much-used amenity for the local community.
- Completion Date: 2007
- Project Cost: £4.1 million
- Building End User: Cassiltoun Trust
History
The Stables are among the few remaining structures from the original Castlemilk House estate and are thought to have been designed by David Hamilton, one of Glasgow’s most prominent early architects. Later in his career, Hamilton also designed notable buildings such as Hutcheson’s Hall and the Royal Exchange on Queen Street, which now houses the Gallery of Modern Art.
Though the Castlemilk estate was sold to Glasgow Corporation before the death of the last Stuart laird in 1938, the house itself served various wartime and post-war community roles before being demolished in 1969. By the 1990s, the stable block stood empty and fire-damaged, eventually listed on the Buildings at Risk Register in 1996. In response, the local community and the Cassiltoun Trust housing association launched a determined 10-year campaign to save the building. A feasibility study led to a sustainable plan: converting the space into offices for the local housing association, with additional rentable offices generating income for community initiatives.
The Project
GBPT undertook the challenge in 2005, purchasing the building, assembling the design team, and securing over £4 million in funding from 26 different sources. Parts of the stonework were so severely weathered that entire sections had to be rebuilt. One of the most distinctive features of the Stables—the onion dome cupola atop the octagonal tower—had been destroyed by fire, but was meticulously reconstructed using a 1902 photograph as the reference. Another important piece of Castlemilk’s history also found a new home at the Stables: the historic fireplace from the old Castlemilk House, which had been demolished in the 1960s, is now on display in the foyer.
Architects, Elder and Cannon, delivered a sensitive yet transformative design, restoring the original exterior while adding a contemporary glass and steel cloister and inner foyer. This new intervention preserved the building’s historic character while allowing for its modern reuse as a vibrant, multi-functional community and office space.
The building re-opened in 2007 is now home to The Cassiltoun Trust housing association, a children’s nursery and a suite of community spaces, including the magnificent walled garden.
Project Team
- Architect: Elder and Cannon
- Cost Consultant: Neilson Binnie McKenzie
- Structural Engineer: Dewar Associates
- M&E Engineers: Hawthorne Boyle
- Access Consultants: Adapt Trust
- Planning Supervisor: CDM Scotland
- Clerk of Works: Clerk of Works Inspection Service Ltd
- Main Contractor: Chard Construction Limited
Funders
- Adapt Trust
- Architectural Heritage Fund
- Castlemilk Partnership
- Cassiltoun Trust
- Communities Scotland
- Cruden Foundation
- Dean of Guild Court Trust
- Glasgow Merchants House
- Fresh Futures – New Opportunities Fund via Forward Scotland
- Glasgow City Council
- Glasgow Housing Association
- The Monument Trust
- Heritage Lottery Fund
- Historic Scotland
- Hugh Fraser Foundation
- Landfill Tax Credit via Glasgow City Council
- Leche Trust
- Pilgrim Trust
- Energy Saving Trust through Scottish Community and Household Renewables Initiative
- Scottish Enterprise Glasgow
- Scottish Power Green Energy Trust
- Strathclyde European Partnership- European Regional Development Fund
- William Grant and Sons
Awards
- The Georgian Group Architectural Awards – Best Re-use of a Georgian Building
- Glasgow Institute of Architects Supreme Medal and Conservation Award
- Anthony Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award
- Scottish Design Award
- Civic Trust Award
- RIAS Scottish Regional Award
- RIBA Regional Award
- Roses Silver Award
- Herald Society Award (commendation)
- RICS Community Award