Scotland · Still standing
Bedlay Castle
Bedlay Castle is a late 16th–18th century castle on a volcanic crag above the Bothlyn Burn near Chryston and Moodiesburn in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The original late 16th-century tower house was extended in the late 17th century with a large west wing and round corner towers, and an 18th-century linking block was later added; it remains a privately owned, occupied house and is Category A listed.
Its prime
1780
Today
Still standing
As it stood in 1780
What Bedlay Castle looked like in its prime.
Perched on a volcanic crag above the Bothlyn Burn and protected on three sides by watercourses, the building combines a late 16th‑century two‑storey tower house with attic and a projecting square stair tower at its north‑east corner, a late 17th‑century west extension of equal height finished by round towers at both western corners, and an 18th‑century two‑storey linking block to the north; stone masonry walls, pitched roofs and large sash windows complete the silhouette.
Its story
The story of Bedlay Castle.
In 1580 James Boyd of Trochrig, then titular Protestant Archbishop of Glasgow, granted the lands of Bedlay to his kinsman Robert Boyd, 4th Lord Boyd of Kilmarnock, and the castle was built soon after — a simple tower house of two storeys and an attic, with two vaulted cellars and a hall above, on a natural defensive point protected on three sides by watercourses.
The Boyds held the castle until 1642, when James, 9th Lord Boyd sold it to the advocate James Roberton, later Lord Bedlay. The Robertons extended it in the late 17th century with a large west wing finished with round corner towers — one concealing a hidden room beneath — and held the property until 1786. Later owners included the Campbells of Petershill, who built a family mausoleum in the grounds and brought the stone balustrades and gate piers from their now-demolished property.
An 18th-century linking block, sash windows and the division of the main hall completed the house, which has gathered several ghostlore stories over the years. Bedlay remains privately owned and occupied, and is Category A listed.
Step inside
10 places to explore in 1780.
The record describes 10 distinct spots at Bedlay Castle — including 4 interiors: vaulted cellars (ground floor), principal hall on the first floor, upper chamber in west extension and more. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and walk through every one — more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.
Create History
Recreate Bedlay Castle with AI to explore it.
The artist rebuilds it as it stood in 1780 — a photoreal walk that belongs to you alone. Pay with coins, no subscription needed.
Recreate this castle →Whose castle
Clans who held Bedlay Castle.
The families that held Bedlay Castle for a decade or more across its history — follow a name to its clan.
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