Description
Gilbertfield is an L-shaped mansion of early 17th-century date situated on the lower slopes of Dechmont Hill. It has 3 storeys above a vaulted ground floor, and is built of roughly coursed red and yellow sandstone rubble with grey sandstone dressings. The eastern half of the southern wing collapsed in the 1950s.
The tower was entered through a doorway in the re-entrant angle between the two parts, above which is an empty recess which once contained an armorial panel dated 1607. The doorway leads to a small lobby opening onto a broad geometric staircase as well as the usual arrangement of cellars. The kitchen, with its large fireplace, oven and a stone sink and drain, was lost with the partial collapse of the southern wing.
The first floor was arranged as a lodging of hall and chamber, with the hall to the south, where it was connected to the kitchen by a service stair in the south west wall. The chamber was accessible through a corridor that runs alongside the main stair. There were three chambers on each of the two upper floors. Large windows light the south, west and east sides, and several of the upper windows have wide-mouthed gun-loops in their sills. The gables of the roof are crow-stepped with corbelled-out turrets at the north west and south east angles. The conically-roofed turrets provided small studies at the upper level.
History
The castle was evidently built around 1607, and was owned by the Hamiltons of Gilbertfield as part of the barony of Drumsagard. It was the home of the William Hamilton of Gilbertfield (1665-1751), a retired soldier and poet, who inspired Robert Burns through his most famous work the modern English translation of Blind Harry's "Life of Sir William Wallace" published in 1722.
Status
The surviving part of the mansion is intact to the wall head although the upper parts appear fragile. The castle is reasonably accessible, but it should be noted that it is within a working farm.
Conservation Options
Although the east gable and parts of the lateral walls of the southern block have collapsed, the greater part of the mansion is intact to the wall head. Authentically based reconstruction of the missing elements as part of a scheme of adaptive re-use would be possible, as the house was recorded in a complete condition by MacGibbon and Ross in the 1890s. Later photographs also exist. It is considered that the planning of the castle would lend itself to modern requirements quite easily.
Bibliography
D MacGibbon and T Ross, The castellated and domestic architecture of Scotland, Edinburgh, vol 2, 1887, pp 86-88
N Tranter, The fortified house in Scotland, South West Scotland, Edinburgh, vol 3, 1965, pp 131-132