30 years is still a
Top visitor attraction celebrates anniversary of opening
Last week marked the 30th anniversary of Chatelherault being opened to the public.
It was on September 30, 1987, that it stopped being ‘the private province of the upper classes’ and became the much-loved country park that attracts 600,000 visitors every year.
That ceremony three decades ago was the culmination of nearly 10 years of restoration work to the former hunting lodge and summer house of the Dukes of Hamilton.
Chatelherault was originally built in 1732. What was once an exclusive retreat is now one of South Lanarkshire’s biggest public attractions. It has 500 acres of countryside with over 10-miles worth of walks, and the idyllic surroundings are home to a variety of wildlife, including otters, badgers, roe deer and whole host of woodland birds.
But the country park that we know today dates back to 1987 when the Prince Richard, the Duke of Gloucester, and a relative of the family who created Chatelherault, was invited to declare it open.
And three decades ago the Hamilton Advertiser wrote: ‘The ceremony marked the end of Chatelherault as the private province of the upper classes – who built and maintained it for their own pursuits of hunting, shooting and fishing – and the start of an era in which every man, woman and child in the country can enjoy its architecture and the natural wonders of the surrounding High Park.
‘The ceremony was closed to the public and the champagne flowed for invited guests, something which might have been interpreted as a return to the exclusive old days of Chatelherault. However, the ‘private’ opening was for security reasons and the champagne and caviar lunch for the guests was meant to reflect the importance of the event for Hamilton District.
‘Chatelherault, it is hoped, will attract even more visitors than the vaunted Burrell Collection in Glasgow. Indeed, last weekend, before Chatelherault was even officially opened, 2000 visitors turned up.
‘A question being asked was why the Duke of Gloucester was invited to perform the opening ceremony. Apart from his relationship to the Hamilton family (the current Duke of Hamilton was also there), he is a qualified architect and plays a leading role in the conservation of historic buildings.
‘The Duke was full of praise for the restoration work. It was an example of a greater and growing concern for our heritage, he said.
‘He added that he was impressed by the willpower and skill it took to save