If "short-minded councils" (which we forget are actually elected) had to pay for effective security at all such locations, council tax payers would be up in arms, led as ever by the "campaigning" local/national press. Security for this site alone would cost taxpayers between £ 75 - 90,000 p.a., plus initial securitisation £ 200,000.
@1258-Eckhart There are always possible reasons not to! But, with the right investment and incentives in conjunction with a third-party partnership, it is possible, with effective planning and long-term strategy to save such places. Maybe too late now...... but once it's gone, it's gone!
How was the local council "short minded"? It made several attempts to save the property by partnering with companies which had plans to not only physically restore the building, but to restore it to *use.* What else was the council to have done? Cough up the money for a wildly expensive rehabilitation project all on its own? From whose pocket?
@roaringgirl7079 Makes more sense to ones who are passionate about history and where we came from, than spending billions on a white elephant ride called HS2!
I've just rewatched it and appreciate how long you stay on each view. It's just the right amount and gives us a chance to 'look around' before the scene changes. I spend a lot of time pressing pause when the scene changes quickly on other videos. 😁
looks as if there is not much left worth saving beyond the outer shell. Very sad. Especially for a building that apparently was still in use so recently.
Such a shame that this beautiful, graceful building has fallen into such a state. It would be stunning if restored, but it would take a heroic amount of money.
Would love to see this on place brought Back to her former glory. The grounds with all those beautiful and exquisite trees I just love. Strangely when I saw this place in the picture as I was scrolling I stopped and looked at it and thought to myself how I would bring this one back as it had good architecture style with minimal roof top ornaments.
Good grief, I can hardly believe that a few decades of neglect can wreak such havoc on such a substantial building. The initial approach completely hides the fact that the inside is nearly totally gutted, with missing floors and roofs essentially open to the elements. Make no mistake, in its current state this building is closer to being an irredeemable ruin than a salvageable estate.
Beautiful building. My favorite style. Hopefully someone like Dan and Brian and Nick from Escape To Rural France come along and bring it back to life. I'd do it in a heartbeat if I had the resources. This was the first of your videos I've seen and I had to look up the house and town on a map. With UA-cam being worldwide, it's always helpful if you mention which part of the world you're in. Even better if you put it in the title. During the video, if possible, please show us on the map where the building is. Would also love to see how much property there is and what state the gardens and outbuilding are in. And are there any interior/exterior photos from the past that you could share? Either way, thanks for posting. Am happy to have found your channel.
Thanks for your comments and suggestions, I'll take them on board in future and will check to include the info in the descriptions. I did quite a lot of research on the internet but didn't find any internal photos from the past. There are some aerial shots on the Canmore site (canmore.org.uk/site/199371/birkwood-house ) which show the complete house and the outbuildings although the outbuildings have now been demolished as far as I am aware, I should perhaps have videoed a bit more of the surroundings. There were also UA-cam videos showing some of the internals but only after it was already a wreck.
I have walked my dog passed kirkwood it's not just the house that's haunted it's the land around it.for me it was filled with sadness. I live in Lesmahagow myself. It's a beautiful building. Would be nice for it to fixed up and have the place for tourists for a day .
Ghosts don't pull walls down, and the roof repairs are pathetic, two options 1. they ripped out the internal floors which in turn helped make the walls unstable when combined with the poor roof repairs or 2. Someone decided that pulling down some of the castle would cause it all to fall down allowing them to build a bunch of cheap to build but expensive to buy houses in its place
This would be very easy to restore. Notice the interior walls are stone, not brick. Brick is a wonderful fill, but doesn’t support its integrity once water logged and freezing takes place. All that has to be done here is a temporary roof like those used at Tynesfeld so to dry out the entire building. Once the stone and mortar is dried out, repointing and replacement stones can be worked on. It’s a very elegant structure. I would write a very nice letter to Elon Musk. You never know. I mean, how much could this possibly cost? 20 million? I tell you this, a proper lead roof would do the trick for the next 300 years. Start there.
@@therespectedlex9794 I would say probably during the days of feudalism ,when the poor were serfs and didn’t even have the right to be free enough to work for themselves.
@franksullivan1873 Yes, if that period really existed. When was this 'castle' built? Conventional history, such as you describe, would make even 18 and 19th centuries very enslaved, peasanty, serf-like. But they have lugged around an immense amount of stone, very quickly and expertly.
Council should not has passed it to knock it down totally wrong as councils all over uk has let the destruction of manor houses happen when they should be saved
Paranormal activity? How about extensive water damage. Those walls are all going to start falling in before anyone gets to some REAL renovation. If that roof isn't finished soon, then that building is DOOMED!
Basically it's a hopeless loss at this point - who is going to spend multi-millions rebuilding this place. I would not. There are other far more historic places & more beautiful homes that need to be rescued before this one ! Since obviously all the homes in this condition cannot be rescued, it seems a strategic decision to clear the site & build something useful - lots of great stonework for reuse !!!
2:80 "most of the roof is in a bad state" - correction from the chartered building surveyor here - ALL of the roof is in a bad state. Why do we say this? Because a new owner would have to erect a completely new roof. Not one square metre of the existing rain-cover is serviceable. The property is clearly ruinous and restoration will require an £ eight-figure budget.
A beautiful rellect, but it is in way to much despair, cannot be fixed. By 2020, peak COVID time (pestilence hit) and workers could not get back to it. Since then, its collapsing. Not everything that is over 100 yrs of age, can stand forever. This one was to expensive to take care. It was grand in it's elegant time, but no more.
Im Canadian so not sure but isn't there something called the national trust that purchase and maintain properties like this as part of the uk heritage?
Hi, Yes, the National Trust and the National Trust for Scotland maintain properties but, as charities, have limited funds. The finance required to restore this property is well beyond the capability of these organisations and they have to focus on more deserving opportunities and buildings which would attract visitors.
I was hoping there'd be some discussion on the architectural style, which to looks Tudorbethan (Tudor Revival). Wikipedia says it Gothic Revival, but of course it's a point of disagreement amongst architectural historians as to whether the Tudor era was late Gothic or early English Renaissance. For me, it's not true Gothic because it requires one or more elements from the following; the pointed or Gothic arch, the ribbed vault, and the flying buttress.
The pace of deriliction is quite shocking for something that was occupied as late as the early 21st century. Is it listed? Should anyone have the wherewithal to take on such a project, the state of dereliction could actually be something of an advantage as you could reinstate with fewer but larger bedrooms, probably as suites rather than just bedrooms or ensuite bedrooms. Taking that approach would make it a more manageable and cosier home or bespoke country hotel/B&B. Having lost all of its modern-day conveniences leaving only a shell in its place, you could essentially start again with plumbing, electrics, insulation, triple glazing, etc, whilst still reinstating the period feel that once existed. Eco tech could be seamlessly integrated into the restoration of the house, making it economically viable to run, either as a private dwelling or business proposition, something that often simply isn't possible with historic buildings.
Did they ever get it done that will be beautiful but it will take a long time it's too bad it was left to go to look like this it's got to be put back to its former glory a lot of money and a lot of time
It’s not a castle, it’s a mansion, house. Why are you calling it a castle? castle Don’t have windows facing outwards they have a courtyard that they face into.
@@grahamdawsonBeith yes same as I think it’s Bodmin Castle, I spent hours walking around Bodmin looking for their castle just to find out I was a little tiny square building that’s been recently built for the council to do their workout off absolutely nothing to do with the castle whatsoever it is literally just a little square building with a small parapet round the top of it and they list it and it’s all on the road sign as Bodmin castle, I think that one was Bodmin Castle
At 2:15 - If there are real entities molesting the inhabitants.. see a real Christian / Pastor, who can cast out the freeloading, non-paying squatters. They would have more success if it was property of a strong Christian. Then they would claim authority over it and its contents.
Nature is relentless. Whilst the architecture does absolutely nothing for me it's really a shame that it has been allowed to degrade to this state in a little over seven years. Put it out of its misery, please.
Such a beautiful place should be in the hands of landmark trust with a view to restore and make safe, hauntingly beautiful.❤❤
Wow goes to show how quickly a building falls down without a watertight roof!
Well... the TREES are beautiful and in great shape!
Another example of our heritage that's left to rot by an uncaring, short minded council. Great research and nicely put together. Well done Graham. 👏
If "short-minded councils" (which we forget are actually elected) had to pay for effective security at all such locations, council tax payers would be up in arms, led as ever by the "campaigning" local/national press. Security for this site alone would cost taxpayers between £ 75 - 90,000 p.a., plus initial securitisation £ 200,000.
@1258-Eckhart There are always possible reasons not to! But, with the right investment and incentives in conjunction with a third-party partnership, it is possible, with effective planning and long-term strategy to save such places. Maybe too late now...... but once it's gone, it's gone!
@@1258-Eckhart
Exactly. Money pit.
How was the local council "short minded"? It made several attempts to save the property by partnering with companies which had plans to not only physically restore the building, but to restore it to *use.* What else was the council to have done? Cough up the money for a wildly expensive rehabilitation project all on its own? From whose pocket?
@roaringgirl7079 Makes more sense to ones who are passionate about history and where we came from, than spending billions on a white elephant ride called HS2!
Was and could be a Beautiful Home. Looking forward to its future..
It hasn't got one.
Genau so ist es 😌
I've just rewatched it and appreciate how long you stay on each view. It's just the right amount and gives us a chance to 'look around' before the scene changes. I spend a lot of time pressing pause when the scene changes quickly on other videos. 😁
Well done and great documentation of a grand building left to ruin.
Great video Graham. Beautifully made and narrated. ☘☘☘
Thanks
Wow, what a same it, needs to be saved if possible.
Someone has done a terrible injustice to this home.
Very well done, thank you.
looks as if there is not much left worth saving beyond the outer shell. Very sad. Especially for a building that apparently was still in use so recently.
They must have had a lovely gardens, or gardens, because there is some wonderful plant material dotted about as well.
The magnificent structure. Much work to be done. Nice presentation.
Such a shame that this beautiful, graceful building has fallen into such a state. It would be stunning if restored, but it would take a heroic amount of money.
Beautiful building in its time. Thanks for being considerate of your audience and sparing us the crude graffiti.
I am in love with this gorgeous building! I wish I had the means to move there and restore it!
They're right about the haunting; it's packed!
The costs now would be enormous.
Would love to see this on place brought Back to her former glory. The grounds with all those beautiful and exquisite trees I just love. Strangely when I saw this place in the picture as I was scrolling I stopped and looked at it and thought to myself how I would bring this one back as it had good architecture style with minimal roof top ornaments.
It would be interesting to know more about the history and why it is considered haunted
So sad that such beautiful place still abandoned
What a mess they've made of it.
Good grief, I can hardly believe that a few decades of neglect can wreak such havoc on such a substantial building. The initial approach completely hides the fact that the inside is nearly totally gutted, with missing floors and roofs essentially open to the elements.
Make no mistake, in its current state this building is closer to being an irredeemable ruin than a salvageable estate.
Great research and video! I hope someone will rebuild this marvel to its former beauty!
Thank you for this interesting and informative video.
A lot of hard work and time and money hope it will be restored a lovely house
Thanks for the tour 😊
Beautiful building. My favorite style. Hopefully someone like Dan and Brian and Nick from Escape To Rural France come along and bring it back to life. I'd do it in a heartbeat if I had the resources.
This was the first of your videos I've seen and I had to look up the house and town on a map. With UA-cam being worldwide, it's always helpful if you mention which part of the world you're in. Even better if you put it in the title. During the video, if possible, please show us on the map where the building is. Would also love to see how much property there is and what state the gardens and outbuilding are in. And are there any interior/exterior photos from the past that you could share?
Either way, thanks for posting. Am happy to have found your channel.
Thanks for your comments and suggestions, I'll take them on board in future and will check to include the info in the descriptions. I did quite a lot of research on the internet but didn't find any internal photos from the past. There are some aerial shots on the Canmore site (canmore.org.uk/site/199371/birkwood-house ) which show the complete house and the outbuildings although the outbuildings have now been demolished as far as I am aware, I should perhaps have videoed a bit more of the surroundings. There were also UA-cam videos showing some of the internals but only after it was already a wreck.
@@grahamdawsonBeith Loved how much info you put in the description. Thank you.
Thank you for obscuring the graffiti. Nice touch.
So sad and when gone, gone forever!
Shame.....looked gorgeous on the b&w pic
I have walked my dog passed kirkwood it's not just the house that's haunted it's the land around it.for me it was filled with sadness. I live in Lesmahagow myself. It's a beautiful building. Would be nice for it to fixed up and have the place for tourists for a day .
Ghosts don't pull walls down, and the roof repairs are pathetic, two options 1. they ripped out the internal floors which in turn helped make the walls unstable when combined with the poor roof repairs or 2. Someone decided that pulling down some of the castle would cause it all to fall down allowing them to build a bunch of cheap to build but expensive to buy houses in its place
Maybe seems hard to believe, but do they want to destroy everything old, eventually?
You are a very skilled drone flyer. Thank you for that stunning video.
Kind of a hodge podge of a layout. The scaffolding that was left on site is worth more than the building itself.
This would be very easy to restore. Notice the interior walls are stone, not brick. Brick is a wonderful fill, but doesn’t support its integrity once water logged and freezing takes place. All that has to be done here is a temporary roof like those used at Tynesfeld so to dry out the entire building. Once the stone and mortar is dried out, repointing and replacement stones can be worked on. It’s a very elegant structure. I would write a very nice letter to Elon Musk. You never know. I mean, how much could this possibly cost? 20 million? I tell you this, a proper lead roof would do the trick for the next 300 years. Start there.
The building and its porch remind me of Highcliffe Castle. The porch also reminds me of Arundel Cathedral.
Drones are great!,,
The taxes and red tape cost more than saving it.
Would take a tremendous amount of money to renovate.
I think that's often been the excuse, throughout the 20th century also. But when was the poorest time?
@@therespectedlex9794 I would say probably during the days of feudalism ,when the poor were serfs and didn’t even have the right to be free enough to work for themselves.
@franksullivan1873 Yes, if that period really existed. When was this 'castle' built? Conventional history, such as you describe, would make even 18 and 19th centuries very enslaved, peasanty, serf-like. But they have lugged around an immense amount of stone, very quickly and expertly.
Lovely video, really enjoyed this! Well done Graham. We've subscribed and look forward to watching more of your content 👍
If I had more money than brains I'd do everything in my power to save this beautiful disaster. They just don't build them like this anymore.
Great job 👏
What a terrible shame to see it like this. Abandoned and abused.
Council should not has passed it to knock it down totally wrong as councils all over uk has let the destruction of manor houses happen when they should be saved
If I had the money I would rebuild this. ❤
A beautiful castle. How fun to rebuild if I were only a millionaire.
Paranormal activity? How about extensive water damage. Those walls are all going to start falling in before anyone gets to some REAL renovation. If that roof isn't finished soon, then that building is DOOMED!
So many properties in Scotland in this state
Basically it's a hopeless loss at this point - who is going to spend multi-millions rebuilding this place. I would not. There are other far more historic places & more beautiful homes that need to be rescued before this one ! Since obviously all the homes in this condition cannot be rescued, it seems a strategic decision to clear the site & build something useful - lots of great stonework for reuse !!!
It can be fixed if they have the money.
What a mess. Haunted my ass. What kind of ghost would want to linger in this heap of stone.
must have been lovely once
Slowly being absorbed back into nature.
Sad that the UK has so many properties going to waste!
2:80 "most of the roof is in a bad state" - correction from the chartered building surveyor here - ALL of the roof is in a bad state. Why do we say this? Because a new owner would have to erect a completely new roof. Not one square metre of the existing rain-cover is serviceable. The property is clearly ruinous and restoration will require an £ eight-figure budget.
Its more Sad!
The Build were Beatifoul
🧐
It is too late !!!
what enchanting music is that?
This looks like somebody deliberately stripped the roof…. Vandals or thieves?
A beautiful rellect, but it is in way to much despair, cannot be fixed. By 2020, peak COVID time (pestilence hit) and workers could not get back to it. Since then, its collapsing. Not everything that is over 100 yrs of age, can stand forever. This one was to expensive to take care. It was grand in it's elegant time, but no more.
Im Canadian so not sure but isn't there something called the national trust that purchase and maintain properties like this as part of the uk heritage?
Hi, Yes, the National Trust and the National Trust for Scotland maintain properties but, as charities, have limited funds. The finance required to restore this property is well beyond the capability of these organisations and they have to focus on more deserving opportunities and buildings which would attract visitors.
Demolition costs a lot of money. It's a pretty enough house but the UK has quite a few of them. This one looks well beyond economic repair.
why was it abandoned?
You've got like 10-20 million it would take to restore it?
Cool!
The next one for Dan Preston of Escape to Rural France?
I was hoping there'd be some discussion on the architectural style, which to looks Tudorbethan (Tudor Revival). Wikipedia says it Gothic Revival, but of course it's a point of disagreement amongst architectural historians as to whether the Tudor era was late Gothic or early English Renaissance. For me, it's not true Gothic because it requires one or more elements from the following; the pointed or Gothic arch, the ribbed vault, and the flying buttress.
So many English move to France to buy and restore such places. Why don’t they do it here?
They all seem to say things are so much cheaper in France, especially rural real esrate
So sad
What a shame.
The pace of deriliction is quite shocking for something that was occupied as late as the early 21st century. Is it listed? Should anyone have the wherewithal to take on such a project, the state of dereliction could actually be something of an advantage as you could reinstate with fewer but larger bedrooms, probably as suites rather than just bedrooms or ensuite bedrooms. Taking that approach would make it a more manageable and cosier home or bespoke country hotel/B&B. Having lost all of its modern-day conveniences leaving only a shell in its place, you could essentially start again with plumbing, electrics, insulation, triple glazing, etc, whilst still reinstating the period feel that once existed. Eco tech could be seamlessly integrated into the restoration of the house, making it economically viable to run, either as a private dwelling or business proposition, something that often simply isn't possible with historic buildings.
It is a Category B Listed Building in Scotland.
@@grahamdawsonBeith Thanks. 😊
Did they ever get it done that will be beautiful but it will take a long time it's too bad it was left to go to look like this it's got to be put back to its former glory a lot of money and a lot of time
I bet it was beautiful in its heyday
Is this for sale?
Why was the eerie music so LOUD,,and the voice over so low,,out of 10? your upload ranked a 4 from Chad,,too-bad!
All grafitti is unacceptable its rude and vandalistic 😢
Half right, it is a manor house not a castle.
It’s not a castle, it’s a mansion, house. Why are you calling it a castle? castle Don’t have windows facing outwards they have a courtyard that they face into.
I agree that it is a mansion house, however, it is designated a castle in official documentation and as such I will refer to it as such.
@@grahamdawsonBeith yes same as I think it’s Bodmin Castle, I spent hours walking around Bodmin looking for their castle just to find out I was a little tiny square building that’s been recently built for the council to do their workout off absolutely nothing to do with the castle whatsoever it is literally just a little square building with a small parapet round the top of it and they list it and it’s all on the road sign as Bodmin castle, I think that one was Bodmin Castle
As is good retirement home for Trump
Seems you need to get a better mouse, this one is clicking all through your presentation.
Thanks for pointing this out, I hadn't noticed but will be aware in the future. I think positing may be the issue.
Can't stand the music.
Click, click, ...
At 2:15 - If there are real entities molesting the inhabitants.. see a real Christian / Pastor, who can cast out the freeloading, non-paying squatters. They would have more success if it was property of a strong Christian. Then they would claim authority over it and its contents.
Nature is relentless. Whilst the architecture does absolutely nothing for me it's really a shame that it has been allowed to degrade to this state in a little over seven years. Put it out of its misery, please.
The music is WAAAAAYYYYYYY too loud! Don't even like this kind of music anyway . . .
Ill move in and renovate , fuck the council. If i put the work in , its MINE.