Pollock Castle
Encyclopedia
Pollock Castle was a tower house castle built by the de Polloc
s in c. 12th or 13th century and became the seat of Clan Pollock, near Glasgow
, Scotland
. The castle appears on Timothy Pont
’s map (1583–96), as a castle named Pook and also appears on Joan Blaeu
’s map of 1654.
The castle was rebuilt between 1686 and 1694 by Sir Robert Pollock, 1st Baronet of Pollock, with a new east wing. Further extensions included an enclosing courtyard with an ornate gateway and formal walled garden with corner pavilions. William Roy
’s map (1747–55) shows the castle and landscape in detail.
Destroyed by fire in 1880, but rebuilt afterwards in 1886 in the Scots Baronial Style architecture, incorporating the surviving elements of the earlier structure. Requisitioned by the British Army
in 1939 during World War II
, bar one wing occupied by the Pollock family throughout the war and the lands used as an ammunition dump. In 1944, Miss Ferguson Pollock abandoned the castle and the castle deteriorated and was required to be demolished in 1952.
All that remains of the castle are the two gate houses, the stable, and the gardener's cottage, the castle's stone foundations, the south entrance steps and a few stones that once formed the castle's massive walls.
Clan Pollock
Clan Pollock is an armigerous Scottish clan whose origin lies in a grant of land on the southern bank of the River Clyde, courtesy of King David I, to the sons of Fulbert the Saxon from Walter fitz Alan, the 1st High Steward of Scotland, in the 12th century. It is among the oldest recorded surnames...
s in c. 12th or 13th century and became the seat of Clan Pollock, near Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. The castle appears on Timothy Pont
Timothy Pont
Timothy Pont was a Scottish topographer, the first to produce a detailed map of Scotland. Pont's maps are among the earliest surviving to show a European country in minute detail, from an actual survey.-Life:...
’s map (1583–96), as a castle named Pook and also appears on Joan Blaeu
Joan Blaeu
Joan Blaeu was a Dutch cartographer.He was born in Alkmaar, the son of cartographer Willem Blaeu.In 1620 he became a doctor of law but he joined the work of his father. In 1635 they published the Atlas Novus in two volumes...
’s map of 1654.
The castle was rebuilt between 1686 and 1694 by Sir Robert Pollock, 1st Baronet of Pollock, with a new east wing. Further extensions included an enclosing courtyard with an ornate gateway and formal walled garden with corner pavilions. William Roy
William Roy
Major-General William Roy FRS was a Scottish military engineer, surveyor, and antiquarian. He was an innovator who applied new scientific discoveries and newly emerging technologies to the accurate geodetic mapping of Great Britain....
’s map (1747–55) shows the castle and landscape in detail.
Destroyed by fire in 1880, but rebuilt afterwards in 1886 in the Scots Baronial Style architecture, incorporating the surviving elements of the earlier structure. Requisitioned by the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
in 1939 during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, bar one wing occupied by the Pollock family throughout the war and the lands used as an ammunition dump. In 1944, Miss Ferguson Pollock abandoned the castle and the castle deteriorated and was required to be demolished in 1952.
All that remains of the castle are the two gate houses, the stable, and the gardener's cottage, the castle's stone foundations, the south entrance steps and a few stones that once formed the castle's massive walls.