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Random Palace jottings - Hamilton Palace on tour
Remains of the Palace continued to pop up in unexpected places after its demolition in the 1920’s: some of the Palace sandstone was used in the construction of the Carron Valley Reservoir in the early 1930s. The contractor building the reservoir needed rubble and knew the Palace demolition contractor, so a nice deal was indeed arranged!
In March 1934 a large exhibition of arts and crafts was held at Glasgow’s McLellan Galleries. Among the pieces on display was a collection of wood carvings by Thomas W. Wilson. The wood he used was structural timber recovered from the Palace demolition.
A solid piece of ceiling timber also found its way to Manchester. In 1921 during a lock-out at Hamilton Palace Colliery, the Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers in Manchester sent a cheque for £6000. This was a loan to the Lanarkshire Mineworkers Society to help the miners' families. The loan was given with no pressure whatsoever to repay it. As a gesture of thanks and appreciation, a delegation from the Miners Society travelled to Manchester in 1924. The Woodworkers Society were presented with an oak mallet and casket, carved from 600 year old timber from one of the Palace ceilings. It was reported in the press that the woodworkers greatly admired the independence of the Scottish miners, in their promptness of repaying the loan in this fine way!
