Garscube House photographed by Duncan Brown in 1855.
The mansion was designed by the architect William Burn and completed in 1827, replacing an earlier house. It was built for Sir Archibald Campbell, whose family had owned the Garscube estate since 1687. In Rambles Round Glasgow Hugh MacDonald described the house as "a handsome edifice, in the style of the old English manor-house... The pleasure grounds... are of great extent and beauty, being richly adorned with a profusion of the finest timber, while they embrace a variety of landscape features of the most attractive nature".
In 1948 the University of Glasgow purchased Garscube House and estate for £16,000. The construction of new facilities for the Department of Veterinary Science began by 1950. The house was converted into flats for lecturers but in 1954 it was found to be riddled with dry rot and had to be demolished.
Duncan Brown (1819-1897) was a talented amateur photographer whose work documented aspects of Glasgow life from the 1850s until the 1890s.
Reference: 164
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow School of Art Archives
Keywords:
country houses, dry rot, gardens, Garscube Estate, Garscube House, mansions, Rambles Round Glasgow, University of Glasgow, Veterinary Science