Clan Rising
Blackhall Manor today

Scotland · Restored

Blackhall Manor

Blackhall Manor is a sixteenth-century Scottish tower house in Paisley, Renfrewshire, built of local sandstone and long associated with the Stewart / Shaw-Stewart family. The building was used as farm outbuildings in the 19th and 20th centuries and was completely rebuilt and restored in 1982–83; it is a listed Category B structure.

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Photograph via Wikimedia Commons

Its prime

1590

Today

Restored

As it stood in 1590

What Blackhall Manor looked like in its prime.

Compact rectangular stone tower house of two storeys plus attic with a steep slated roof and crow-stepped gables at each end; a slender projecting stair tower with narrow vertical windows abuts one corner. Small gabled dormer windows puncture the roof, and tall stone chimneys rise from the gables. Rubble sandstone walls are partly clothed in climbing ivy. A low stone boundary wall and iron entrance gate with a carved stone pier mark the planted courtyard and approach, and the house sits amid mature trees.

Its story

The story of Blackhall Manor.

Blackhall Manor is a sixteenth-century tower house in Paisley, Renfrewshire, built of local sandstone, though parts of the fabric may be older. The first house on the site was raised around 1160 by the Norman knight Walter fitz Alan, and the manor long belonged to the Stewart, later Shaw-Stewart, family.

According to a record book now lost, barony courts were regularly held at Blackhall through the sixteenth century. After spending the nineteenth and twentieth centuries demoted to farm outbuildings, the house was donated by the Shaw-Stewart family to the Burgh of Paisley in 1940, designated a Category B listed building in 1971, and completely rebuilt and restored in 1982–83.

Step inside

8 places to explore in 1590.

The record describes 8 distinct spots at Blackhall Manor, including 3 interiors: great hall and 14th-century fireplace jamb, spiral stair within the stair tower, attic garret with dormer light. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.

Approach from the streetEntrance gate and carved pierWest gable and crow-stepped endSouth front with dormers and entranceProjecting stair tower (exterior)Great hall and 14th-century fireplace jambSpiral stair within the stair towerAttic garret with dormer light

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Recreate Blackhall Manor with AI to explore it.

The artist rebuilds it as it stood in 1590, a photoreal reconstruction that belongs to you alone. Pay with coins, no subscription needed.

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Whose castle

Clans who held Blackhall Manor.

The families that held Blackhall Manor for a decade or more across its history, follow a name to its clan.

  • Stewart

    Held by the Stewart, later Shaw-Stewart, family until donated to the Burgh of Paisley in 1940.

Nearby

Landmarks within reach of Blackhall Manor.

Scotstoun Stadium, ScotlandStadiumScotstoun Stadium6 km awayIbrox Stadium, ScotlandStadiumIbrox Stadium7 km awayKelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, ScotlandMuseumKelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum8 km away

Questions about Blackhall Manor

What is the history of Blackhall Manor?

Blackhall Manor’s present tower house dates from the sixteenth century, although the first house on the site was built around 1160 by the Norman knight Walter fitz Alan. Robert III gave the property to Sir John Stewart in 1396, and barony courts were held there during the sixteenth century. After becoming farm buildings, it was completely rebuilt and restored in 1982–83.

What is inside Blackhall Manor?

Inside Blackhall Manor are a great hall, a spiral stair within the stair tower and an attic garret lit by a dormer. The building also contains a 14th-century fireplace jamb. These features sit within a tower house of two storeys plus an attic.

Where is Blackhall Manor?

Blackhall Manor is in Paisley, in Renfrewshire. It stands in the western central Lowlands of Scotland, with Paisley as the nearest named town or city. Renfrewshire is the administrative area in which it is located.

When was Blackhall Manor built?

Blackhall Manor was built as a sixteenth-century tower house, although the first house on the site was raised around 1160. The present building may incorporate older fabric, and architectural evidence suggests that it began as a hall house before being enlarged in the sixteenth century with another storey, an attic and a stair tower.

Which family or clan held Blackhall Manor?

The Stewart, later Shaw-Stewart, family held Blackhall Manor until it was donated to the Burgh of Paisley in 1940. The property remained associated with that family for centuries, including the period when Archibald Stewart became a baronet of Nova Scotia in 1667.

What did Blackhall Manor look like in its prime?

Blackhall Manor is a compact rectangular sandstone tower house with two storeys and an attic. It has a steep slated roof, crow-stepped gables, small gabled dormers and tall stone chimneys. A slender projecting stair tower with narrow vertical windows rises at one corner, while ivy partly covers the rubble sandstone walls.

Is Blackhall Manor still standing or is it a ruin?

Blackhall Manor is still standing and has been restored. After serving as farm outbuildings, including a storehouse, cattle byre and coal shed, the structure was judged dangerous in 1978 and demolition was proposed. It was completely rebuilt and restored in 1982–83, and is a Category B listed building.

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