Glorious Gardens: Dalserf

Hamiltons in the Clyde and Avon Valley

- Sue Hewer, Scotland’s Gardens and Designed Landscape Heritage volunteer

Dalserf was originally part of the much larger Cadzow estate but became an individual unit in around 1400 and has descended through the Hamilton family until today. There has been a house on site from since at least the final years of the 16th century as indicated on Blaeu’s map from 1654.

This house was replaced by another in the early 1700s close to Dalserf church and village. The house was demolished in 1963 after the Royal Commission for the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland recorded the site. Although little remains of the gardens and pleasure grounds of Dalserf, it is fortunate that the painting that Francis C B Cadell painted of his sister in the grounds of Dalserf House survives, giving us insight to what the grounds looked like in 1912.

The most interesting remaining feature in the setting of the house is the Lime Avenue which appears to have probably been in existence since at least the mid-seventeenth century according to Roy's map, but features of the designed landscape still remain. The estate is now on a life-long lease to tenants who live in the converted coach house and stable block.

Read more by clicking the Glorious Gardens: Dalserf report on Canmore link under 'Find out more'.

This research was carried out as part of the Glorious Gardens volunteer project, which is managed by Scotland's Garden & Landscape Heritage and delivered by Northlight Heritage, with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund supported Clyde and Avon Valley Landscape Partnership and from Historic Environment Scotland.  To find out more about the project, explore the other museum items below.