Haggs Castle

The carved stone above the door records that Haggs was built in 1585 by Sir John Maxwell of Pollok and his wife Margaret Conyngham (Cunningham). It was built to replace the Maxwells' former residence, the Laigh Castle, a 14th-century building which stood to the west. Although built as the Maxwells' main residence, it was later used as a jointure house, or dower house, being occupied by the lord's widow. The Maxwells, a covenanting family, were fined for nonconformist activities, although the change of government resulting from the revolution of 1688 saved them from paying up. In 1753 Haggs in turn was replaced as a residence and abandoned when Pollok House was completed. The castle basement…

, in ink and watercolour]] Haggs Castle is an altered L-plan tower, of 4 storeys. The main block measures around 17 m by 7.2 m. The ground floor contained two chambers and a kitchen with a large fireplace. The main stair led up to the first floor, where a private room was located behind the main hall. Smaller corbelled stairs led to the upper storeys, which included a square cap house above the stair tower. Square and round gun loops were located around the tower. The most striking feature is the carved decoration, including cable-moulded string courses, moulded corbels, and the carving over the door. In the 19th century, the upper parts of the walls were rebuilt with larger dormer windows.…