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1st APRIL 2018 - 11.00:1600
ALL WELCOME Welcome to our first clearing and tidying day of 2018! Let's get back the view! We will be concentrating on clearing the remaining scrub on the side towards the Clyde. There will be a plan of work so that everyone knows which plants can be cleared and which cannot. All welcome - it's Easter Sunday, so there might be some chocolate around, too! The event photo is courtesy of Tacye Blest and Sarah Faith Peacock, who grew up at the Priory in the 1960s. 
FUND RAISING NOW UNDER-WAY To help save the priory you can now donate two ways on facebook via paypal and here on the website via paypal or stripe please help us save this beautiful building, GO TO THE DONTATE PAGE please help us save this beautiful building, GO TO THE DONTATE PAGE or STORE---- your money is urgently needed to help even just a little - THANKYOU FIRST FUND-RAISING APPEAL TO BE LAUNCHED SOON! During the past few weeks I have mentioned that we are about to start initial fund-raising. It is important that everyone knows what any money raised will be used for. In a project this size, it is difficult to know which funds will be required and when. Therefore we plan to run a series of appeals as the project roadmap becomes clearer. The FIRST APPEAL will be to raise the funds for the solicitor costs to set up our group as a legal charitable entity. Achieving this status is a requirement for us before we can go ahead and apply for funding and grants. The cost for this is 700 pounds. In addition, we estimate we would need 3000 pounds for additional legal costs and fees. The legal situation for our project is very complex because we do not own the building and we hope to work together with the owner to drive the project forward in a way which satisfies all stakeholders, while ensuring that the main purpose of the visitor centre area will be maintained so that public access is guaranteed for generations to come. Therefore, we hope to raise 3700 pounds during the FIRST APPEAL. Any additional funds which we receive will be put in reserve to cover costs during the subsequent stages of the project, when those steps become clear. We will keep you informed of all updates regarding this matter. Once we have our legal status confirmed, we will begin the next stage of working together with the Strathclyde Buildings Preservation Trust to carry out the necessary surveys, architectural plans and overall business plans, as well as to apply for funding and grants. Keep an eye out for posts about the launch date! Any questions or comments, let us know! Here is the first draft proposal for a multi-purpose visitor centre for the Clyde Walkway and Community Park at Cambusnethan Priory. It would be located in the lower ground floor, which is partially submerged and contains the historic sandstone vaulting. There is a cafe, wedding venue, conference room and an area to display the history of the Priory and the Clyde Valley in general. We have included an access for those with restricted mobility. The plan is that the remaining floors of the building would be converted into apartments. By lowering the ground floor there would be a wonderful view from the bay window down towards the Clyde. This vision would mean that the building would remain accessible to the public for future generations! Please SHARE and spread the word! The more people who support this, the more likely it is to succeed! The next step is official fund-raising, official legal status and then the long road of surveys and planning to make our dream a reality! This could be the restoration of the decade! |
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As the campaign to save the Priory grows the following are the members of the newly appointed committee.
11 current members:
Founder and General Secretary – Christine Wallace
Chairman – Graham Smith
Vice Chairman – Alistair Morrow
Treasurer – Dallas Carter
Publicity – Margaret Lockhart
Committee Members - Jill Williams, Les Hoggan, Mick Connal Hough
Specialist Consultant - Margaret Botham
Website - Rae Woodrow
Historic Consultant - Marie Michlová
a bank account is in the final stages of being set up, to help raise much needed funds for the project, an update will be posted here when we have this completed.
11 current members:
Founder and General Secretary – Christine Wallace
Chairman – Graham Smith
Vice Chairman – Alistair Morrow
Treasurer – Dallas Carter
Publicity – Margaret Lockhart
Committee Members - Jill Williams, Les Hoggan, Mick Connal Hough
Specialist Consultant - Margaret Botham
Website - Rae Woodrow
Historic Consultant - Marie Michlová
a bank account is in the final stages of being set up, to help raise much needed funds for the project, an update will be posted here when we have this completed.
www.facebook.com/CambusnethanPriory
5th October - CANCELLED for the moment - update later
- 10th AUGUST 2014
2pm
Just another wee informal get-together at the Priory for anyone who wants to come along and for those who missed our first event. Hopefully we can get the owner and perhaps the SBPT to join and we should have a better idea of the next steps.
Latest update - 6th AUGUST 2014
1pm - STRATHCLYDE BUILDING AND PRESERVATION TRUST
The SBPT have offered to hold a meeting to go through the steps we will need to take to move this project forward. I will attend through Skype from Germany! The meeting will be at their office in Glasgow, it would be great if a few of us could go along. You can ask any questions you have.
12th JULY 2014
Remember our wee event tomorrow, where Marie, an expert on John Gibson Lockhart (son-in-law and biographer of Sir Walter Scott) will be visiting the Priory for the first time and would like to meet us there for a chat about the history. John Gibson Lockhart was born at Cambusnethan House and it is said that Sir Walter Scott himself wrote part of "Old Mortality" there.
https://www.facebook.com/events/488133081333143/
6 JULY 2014J
Good morning everyone, as I mentioned a couple of days ago, I would like to run another poll to see how much residential development we would be willing to accept to allow a full or partial restoration of Cambusnethan Priory. We will soon be in more formal discussions with the owner and the SBPT and this poll will help us decide in which direction to drive the campaign. Please take a look at the poll and vote, there are only 3 choices this time! I will close the poll on Friday the 11th of July in the evening and post the results.
As is often the case with FB applications, it will inform you about taking certain information from your FB account before allowing you to vote. I looked into to this and it does seem to be to do with how the software works and the information is not shared further. However, if you are uncomfortable about this you can also post your answer in the comments below!
Thanks very much! Comments, suggestions always welcome.
https://apps.facebook.com/my-surveys/fswylo
JULY 1st 2014
Just a wee update - the SBPT got in touch to say they were impressed with our group photo and that it's good that we have "cross-generational support" as we are more likely to get funding that way! I think our youngest attendee was just 4 weeks old! We should be able to get a date for a meeting with them some time after the 14th of July.
In other news, I have received images of two more amazing historical documents from Simon Sinclair-Lockhart, one of which I'll post later this evening. The fans of Cambusnethan Priory are spread around the world - one of the contributors to the page, Marie Lockhart Michlova is a history researcher from Prague and is an expert on the family of Sir Walter Scott and the Lockharts. I was unaware of the link between Sir Walter Scott and the Priory but Marie informed us that his son-in-law and biographer John Gibson Lockhart was born at Cambusnethan House (the previous building) and spent his first 3 years there. Thanks for your comments and contributions, Marie, and also to Maryellen Carracher McKenzie and Margaret Lockhart who also posted information about the link with Sir Walter Scott.
We now have easily enough historical information for a booklet about the Priory and, to me, the building seems important enough in its own right to be a tourist attraction, especially with the link to Sir Walter Scott. I have been sent the contact details of the lady in charge of tourism at NLC, and I will write to her with this in mind.
In addition, I'll chase up the people at Abbotsford, the home of Sir Walter Scott. I hope they can give us advice and perhaps we could somehow set up a Walter Scott Trail! These are just some ideas that have been distracting me from work today!
June 21 2014
The Heritage Planning Manager from North Lanarkshire Council has kindly agreed to meet a group of us on site at the Priory on Thursday the 26th of June. We will also request that the owner's agent attends this meeting. This will be a chance to discuss the current status of the building and find out what the next steps are if we are to save the Priory. I am looking for at least 4 to 5 people but the more the merrier! Don't worry if you can't attend, this will be the first of many meetings, I hope!
Monday 16 June 2014
Friends of Cambusnethan PrioryFirst Meeting of Friends at The Priory!Liked · 2 hrs
It's just under 2 weeks until our first meeting, so I've prepared a short agenda just to give the afternoon some structure! I'll be posting event news on the main page and on the event page, so apologies if you see everything twice. Comments, suggestions, feedback welcome!
I am looking for one volunteer who will definitely be there to take a list of names and count how many people attend! The group photo is important - we can send it to the Wishaw Press, Daily Record, etc. I was also thinking about the Scots magazine, it has a worldwide readership of ex-pat Scots!
If you want to get in touch directly about this or anything else, you can PM the page or write to cambusnethanpriory@hotmail.com
Friday 9th JUNE 2014
It's just under 3 weeks until our first official meeting! Remember, this is just an informal get-together for everyone to meet up and have a look around the building and the surrounding area. Keep our vision of a country park in mind and let your imagination run riot! There will be two representatives from the Clyde and Avon Valley Landscape Partnership there to evaluate the Clyde Walkway in that area and the SBPT will be very interested in knowing how many people attend - this gives them an idea of the level of local interest.
As most of you know, I won't be able to attend myself
I have two favours to ask:
1. Could someone who lives locally please inform the people who live at the stable block about the meeting, well in advance if possible? I don't want them to be shocked at the sudden arrival of many cars and it would also be great if they could join (if they don't know about it already!). Please let me know if someone has done this and what the response from the residents is.
2. I'd like someone to count the number of people attending and it would also be great if we could get a group photo in front of the Priory! Such things always demonstrate the level of support we have.
One more thing - I will be back in the area on the weekend of August 9th-10th. I would therefore like to arrange the next meeting on either of these days. So, for those of you not able to attend this time or wanting to go along again, please note this date in your diary!
Friday 4th JUNE 2014
Had another lovely e-mail from the Strathclyde Buildings Preservation Trust - that's one organisation I don't have to chase up! They will be very interested to know how our first meeting goes on June 28th and how many people participate - this gives them an idea of the level of public interest in the building. So, spread the word! Here's the link to the event once more: https://www.facebook.com/events/1439314492993740/?ref=22
Friday 30th MAY 2014
The page and our campaign is 9 weeks old today! Here is the weekly summary:
- Things are moving forward, we have our first event arranged on June 28th at 2pm - thanks very much to James Allan who suggested this and is the main organiser, he is going to check out the site tomorrow. If you haven't seen the event yet, please check the page and join if you can, feel free to invite anyone else who may be interested.
- I have been in contact with the owner's representative twice, according to him the owner is interested in our campaign and I am hoping that soon all interested parties can meet to discuss the next steps in detail. Of all the organisations I've contacted, it seems that the one with the most experience in community-led projects is the Strathclyde Buildings Preservation Trust, and they have already said they will be happy to support a meeting. Best date for this seems to be the second half of July, so we are looking for a core group of "Friends" who can attend and drive this forward. This should be easier to sort out after the first meeting at the Priory.
- The contact at the council has said that they would be able to host this meeting and that it is key to have a clear agenda. It would be necessary to discuss the current state of the building as well as our proposal for Cambusnethan Priory Country Park. We should think about what we want to present here. We should look for some ideas about how a country park could look during the meeting at the Priory.
SUNDAY 25 MAY 2014
Here's my first direct request to the folk living locally to the Priory. I contacted the MP Frank Roy and MSP John Pentland by e-mail and I am awaiting a reply. However, since I do not live in the constituency, it may be that my e-mail will be low in the priority list (there was some warning about this on the website, can't remember the exact wording). So I think it would be helpful if some folk within the constituency also send an e-mail. Here are the addresses I used:
royf@parliament.uk
John.Pentland.msp@scottish.parliament.uk
Just include a link to our page and website. This is the wording of the e-mail I already sent:
"I am writing to you about the status of Cambusnethan Priory and to notify you about a new campaign to secure the future of the building for future generations.
Through various Clyde Valley heritage websites and Facebook pages I have realised that there is a huge local support for a restoration and preservation of this neo-gothic masterpiece and, therefore, I started a FB page to generate interest and build a case for its rescue.
Here is the link to the Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/CambusnethanPriory
The "Friends of Cambusnethan Priory" has gathered nearly 650 supporters in just seven weeks and more than 40 individuals have submitted many photos of the building, often artistic, which show how inspirational the beautiful architecture is. Many others have submitted stories of their own relationship with the building. There are those who remember the times it was run as a medieval banqueting venue, there are those who worked there and were involved in earlier restorations and others who lived on the estate, at the north and east lodges. The majority simply cannot believe that such a beautiful building has been left to crumble to dust.
One only has to do an on-line search for Cambusnethan Priory to see how many people visit it and photograph it - the Priory is a well-loved building. By collecting as many historical and current photos as possible, as well as memories and stories about the Priory and the wider estate, we hope to make a strong show of support for a rescue. The interior of Chatelherault was restored using only a few old pictures of the interior plaster and a few broken blocks which remained.
In parallel I have contacted several organisations. I have already had guidance from a contact at North Lanarkshire Council, who makes it clear that a third party, in addition to the owner and the council, would be required to step in. Three weeks ago I received an "encouraging" response from Gordon Mackie at Historic Scotland, who indicated that he will be contacting the SBPT regarding Cambusnethan Priory in due course. I myself have also contact the SBPT, GBPT, The Scottish Civic Trust and others – 13 organisations in total.
I have attached a map to show how important Cambusnethan Priory is in the context of the heritage of the Clyde Valley, especially since so many other wonderful buildings have been lost. What a legacy we would have, had Carfin, Mauldslie, Milton Lockhart and, of course, Hamilton Palace survived! In addition, the Wishaw area has also lost the great Wishaw House, Coltness House, Clelland House and many other architecturally significant public buildings.
I have also attached a copy of our campaign poster, which should be popping up in various locations in the neighbourhood soon.
I should also inform you that I no longer live locally and am limited it what I myself can do, but there are many supporters who feel as strongly as I do and I think that finding a local campaign leader should be no issue.
Please support this campaign in anyway you can.
Best regards,
..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Our campaign to save The Priory
Over the following weeks and months we hope to keep you up to date with all the progress of the campaign.
Here is the list of the contacts made so far:
Organisations:
1. The National Trust for Scotland
2. Historic Scotland
3. Scottish Civic Trust
4. RACHMS
5. Clyde and Avon Valley Partnership
6. Glasgow Buildings Preservation Trust
7. Strathclyde Buildings Preservation Trust
8. North Lanarkshire Council
9. Culture NL
10. NL Heritage Centre
11. The Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland
12. Dunblane History Society (trying to get info on James Gillespie Graham)
Politicians:
1. M.P Frank Roy
2. M.S.P. John Pentland
Celebrities/Broadcasters
1. Kirsty Wark
Other important people
1. The Owner!
5th October - CANCELLED for the moment - update later
- at 10:00
Cambusnethan Priory, WIshaw-
- 10th AUGUST 2014
2pm
Just another wee informal get-together at the Priory for anyone who wants to come along and for those who missed our first event. Hopefully we can get the owner and perhaps the SBPT to join and we should have a better idea of the next steps.
Latest update - 6th AUGUST 2014
1pm - STRATHCLYDE BUILDING AND PRESERVATION TRUST
The SBPT have offered to hold a meeting to go through the steps we will need to take to move this project forward. I will attend through Skype from Germany! The meeting will be at their office in Glasgow, it would be great if a few of us could go along. You can ask any questions you have.
12th JULY 2014
Remember our wee event tomorrow, where Marie, an expert on John Gibson Lockhart (son-in-law and biographer of Sir Walter Scott) will be visiting the Priory for the first time and would like to meet us there for a chat about the history. John Gibson Lockhart was born at Cambusnethan House and it is said that Sir Walter Scott himself wrote part of "Old Mortality" there.
https://www.facebook.com/events/488133081333143/
6 JULY 2014J
Good morning everyone, as I mentioned a couple of days ago, I would like to run another poll to see how much residential development we would be willing to accept to allow a full or partial restoration of Cambusnethan Priory. We will soon be in more formal discussions with the owner and the SBPT and this poll will help us decide in which direction to drive the campaign. Please take a look at the poll and vote, there are only 3 choices this time! I will close the poll on Friday the 11th of July in the evening and post the results.
As is often the case with FB applications, it will inform you about taking certain information from your FB account before allowing you to vote. I looked into to this and it does seem to be to do with how the software works and the information is not shared further. However, if you are uncomfortable about this you can also post your answer in the comments below!
Thanks very much! Comments, suggestions always welcome.
https://apps.facebook.com/my-surveys/fswylo
JULY 1st 2014
Just a wee update - the SBPT got in touch to say they were impressed with our group photo and that it's good that we have "cross-generational support" as we are more likely to get funding that way! I think our youngest attendee was just 4 weeks old! We should be able to get a date for a meeting with them some time after the 14th of July.
In other news, I have received images of two more amazing historical documents from Simon Sinclair-Lockhart, one of which I'll post later this evening. The fans of Cambusnethan Priory are spread around the world - one of the contributors to the page, Marie Lockhart Michlova is a history researcher from Prague and is an expert on the family of Sir Walter Scott and the Lockharts. I was unaware of the link between Sir Walter Scott and the Priory but Marie informed us that his son-in-law and biographer John Gibson Lockhart was born at Cambusnethan House (the previous building) and spent his first 3 years there. Thanks for your comments and contributions, Marie, and also to Maryellen Carracher McKenzie and Margaret Lockhart who also posted information about the link with Sir Walter Scott.
We now have easily enough historical information for a booklet about the Priory and, to me, the building seems important enough in its own right to be a tourist attraction, especially with the link to Sir Walter Scott. I have been sent the contact details of the lady in charge of tourism at NLC, and I will write to her with this in mind.
In addition, I'll chase up the people at Abbotsford, the home of Sir Walter Scott. I hope they can give us advice and perhaps we could somehow set up a Walter Scott Trail! These are just some ideas that have been distracting me from work today!
June 21 2014
The Heritage Planning Manager from North Lanarkshire Council has kindly agreed to meet a group of us on site at the Priory on Thursday the 26th of June. We will also request that the owner's agent attends this meeting. This will be a chance to discuss the current status of the building and find out what the next steps are if we are to save the Priory. I am looking for at least 4 to 5 people but the more the merrier! Don't worry if you can't attend, this will be the first of many meetings, I hope!
Monday 16 June 2014
Friends of Cambusnethan PrioryFirst Meeting of Friends at The Priory!Liked · 2 hrs
It's just under 2 weeks until our first meeting, so I've prepared a short agenda just to give the afternoon some structure! I'll be posting event news on the main page and on the event page, so apologies if you see everything twice. Comments, suggestions, feedback welcome!
I am looking for one volunteer who will definitely be there to take a list of names and count how many people attend! The group photo is important - we can send it to the Wishaw Press, Daily Record, etc. I was also thinking about the Scots magazine, it has a worldwide readership of ex-pat Scots!
If you want to get in touch directly about this or anything else, you can PM the page or write to cambusnethanpriory@hotmail.com
Friday 9th JUNE 2014
It's just under 3 weeks until our first official meeting! Remember, this is just an informal get-together for everyone to meet up and have a look around the building and the surrounding area. Keep our vision of a country park in mind and let your imagination run riot! There will be two representatives from the Clyde and Avon Valley Landscape Partnership there to evaluate the Clyde Walkway in that area and the SBPT will be very interested in knowing how many people attend - this gives them an idea of the level of local interest.
As most of you know, I won't be able to attend myself
I have two favours to ask:
1. Could someone who lives locally please inform the people who live at the stable block about the meeting, well in advance if possible? I don't want them to be shocked at the sudden arrival of many cars and it would also be great if they could join (if they don't know about it already!). Please let me know if someone has done this and what the response from the residents is.
2. I'd like someone to count the number of people attending and it would also be great if we could get a group photo in front of the Priory! Such things always demonstrate the level of support we have.
One more thing - I will be back in the area on the weekend of August 9th-10th. I would therefore like to arrange the next meeting on either of these days. So, for those of you not able to attend this time or wanting to go along again, please note this date in your diary!
Friday 4th JUNE 2014
Had another lovely e-mail from the Strathclyde Buildings Preservation Trust - that's one organisation I don't have to chase up! They will be very interested to know how our first meeting goes on June 28th and how many people participate - this gives them an idea of the level of public interest in the building. So, spread the word! Here's the link to the event once more: https://www.facebook.com/events/1439314492993740/?ref=22
Friday 30th MAY 2014
The page and our campaign is 9 weeks old today! Here is the weekly summary:
- Things are moving forward, we have our first event arranged on June 28th at 2pm - thanks very much to James Allan who suggested this and is the main organiser, he is going to check out the site tomorrow. If you haven't seen the event yet, please check the page and join if you can, feel free to invite anyone else who may be interested.
- I have been in contact with the owner's representative twice, according to him the owner is interested in our campaign and I am hoping that soon all interested parties can meet to discuss the next steps in detail. Of all the organisations I've contacted, it seems that the one with the most experience in community-led projects is the Strathclyde Buildings Preservation Trust, and they have already said they will be happy to support a meeting. Best date for this seems to be the second half of July, so we are looking for a core group of "Friends" who can attend and drive this forward. This should be easier to sort out after the first meeting at the Priory.
- The contact at the council has said that they would be able to host this meeting and that it is key to have a clear agenda. It would be necessary to discuss the current state of the building as well as our proposal for Cambusnethan Priory Country Park. We should think about what we want to present here. We should look for some ideas about how a country park could look during the meeting at the Priory.
SUNDAY 25 MAY 2014
Here's my first direct request to the folk living locally to the Priory. I contacted the MP Frank Roy and MSP John Pentland by e-mail and I am awaiting a reply. However, since I do not live in the constituency, it may be that my e-mail will be low in the priority list (there was some warning about this on the website, can't remember the exact wording). So I think it would be helpful if some folk within the constituency also send an e-mail. Here are the addresses I used:
royf@parliament.uk
John.Pentland.msp@scottish.parliament.uk
Just include a link to our page and website. This is the wording of the e-mail I already sent:
"I am writing to you about the status of Cambusnethan Priory and to notify you about a new campaign to secure the future of the building for future generations.
Through various Clyde Valley heritage websites and Facebook pages I have realised that there is a huge local support for a restoration and preservation of this neo-gothic masterpiece and, therefore, I started a FB page to generate interest and build a case for its rescue.
Here is the link to the Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/CambusnethanPriory
The "Friends of Cambusnethan Priory" has gathered nearly 650 supporters in just seven weeks and more than 40 individuals have submitted many photos of the building, often artistic, which show how inspirational the beautiful architecture is. Many others have submitted stories of their own relationship with the building. There are those who remember the times it was run as a medieval banqueting venue, there are those who worked there and were involved in earlier restorations and others who lived on the estate, at the north and east lodges. The majority simply cannot believe that such a beautiful building has been left to crumble to dust.
One only has to do an on-line search for Cambusnethan Priory to see how many people visit it and photograph it - the Priory is a well-loved building. By collecting as many historical and current photos as possible, as well as memories and stories about the Priory and the wider estate, we hope to make a strong show of support for a rescue. The interior of Chatelherault was restored using only a few old pictures of the interior plaster and a few broken blocks which remained.
In parallel I have contacted several organisations. I have already had guidance from a contact at North Lanarkshire Council, who makes it clear that a third party, in addition to the owner and the council, would be required to step in. Three weeks ago I received an "encouraging" response from Gordon Mackie at Historic Scotland, who indicated that he will be contacting the SBPT regarding Cambusnethan Priory in due course. I myself have also contact the SBPT, GBPT, The Scottish Civic Trust and others – 13 organisations in total.
I have attached a map to show how important Cambusnethan Priory is in the context of the heritage of the Clyde Valley, especially since so many other wonderful buildings have been lost. What a legacy we would have, had Carfin, Mauldslie, Milton Lockhart and, of course, Hamilton Palace survived! In addition, the Wishaw area has also lost the great Wishaw House, Coltness House, Clelland House and many other architecturally significant public buildings.
I have also attached a copy of our campaign poster, which should be popping up in various locations in the neighbourhood soon.
I should also inform you that I no longer live locally and am limited it what I myself can do, but there are many supporters who feel as strongly as I do and I think that finding a local campaign leader should be no issue.
Please support this campaign in anyway you can.
Best regards,
..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Our campaign to save The Priory
Over the following weeks and months we hope to keep you up to date with all the progress of the campaign.
Here is the list of the contacts made so far:
Organisations:
1. The National Trust for Scotland
2. Historic Scotland
3. Scottish Civic Trust
4. RACHMS
5. Clyde and Avon Valley Partnership
6. Glasgow Buildings Preservation Trust
7. Strathclyde Buildings Preservation Trust
8. North Lanarkshire Council
9. Culture NL
10. NL Heritage Centre
11. The Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland
12. Dunblane History Society (trying to get info on James Gillespie Graham)
Politicians:
1. M.P Frank Roy
2. M.S.P. John Pentland
Celebrities/Broadcasters
1. Kirsty Wark
Other important people
1. The Owner!
The map below shows just some of the beautiful historic houses of the Clyde Valley which have been lost. Once the river was lined with stately homes. What a legacy it would have been for all the people of Lanarkshire had they survived! This is why we must save the Priory!
- This letter is our first official response from Historic Scotland.