Crossbasket Castle
Parish: East Kilbride
County: Lanarkshire
Grid reference: NS 66668 56508
Lat / long: 55.783507, -4.127537
Alternative names: Corsbasket Castle, Crosbasket Castle, Crossbasket House
Crossbasket Castle was built in the early 16th century as tower house, although a Victorian mansion house has since been added.
The castle is around 11.6m long by 6.7m wide, rising to a height of 16.5m, and consists of a vaulted ground floor level, above which are a further two floors. It originally stood on a mound on top of a rocky crag, although this is no longer obvious as the level of the gardens has been raised. The remains of a courtyard wall can apparently be seen at the western edge of the crag.
On the roof is a parapet walk and a garret. At the south-east corner of the parapet is a square caphouse presumably at the head of the original stairway. The design of the tower is very similar in design to that of Mains Castle.
Mains Castle was built by the Lindsay family and was their main residence, while Crossbasket Castle apparently served as a dower house.
Crossbasket Castle remained in the Lindsay family until 1619, when it was sold to pay off debts run up by Alexander Lindsay of Dunrod. It was later owned by a succession of businessmen including Charles Macintosh, the inventor of waterproof fabrics.
In the 19th century a new house was built to the east of the castle, which was later connected to the castle by a further wing. In the 20th century Crossbasket House (as it is now known) was variously used as a home for handicapped children, a Christian centre, and a nursery. It is currently empty and being marketed for sale with planning permission to convert it into flats.
