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Historic Scotland
Web siteCity of Glasgow
Private, OS64 NS560626
In Pollokshaws, just north east of junction of B768 and B769 with St Andrews Drive, and east of south eastern entrance to Pollok Country Park.
Haggs is a much altered 16th century L-plan house of three storeys and an attic. There are a plethora of both square and round gunloops. There is much decorative moulding, particularly around the door and windows. It has corbie stepped gables and corbelled out stair turrets above first floor level.
The small wing contains a turnpike stair, accessed from an entrance in the east wall, in the re-entrant. A door in the connecting wall leads to the vaulted basement of the main block. A passage runs west to east, two thirds of the length, terminating at a door which opens into the kitchen. This had a centrally placed fireplace in the east wall, which measured 19ft by 5ft. Above this a large chimney stack rises within the walls. To the north of the passage are two doors, which access separate chambers. There are a few small recesses within the walls in each of these rooms. Originally this floor was illuminated by slot windows, of which a few remain, the others having been enlarged.
The main stair terminates at first floor level, where access is gained to the former hall. This had three windows and a large fireplace in the south wall. From the inshot of the large west window, access is gained to a mural chamber measuring 10ft by 4ft, from which a private stair led to the cellar below. At the eastern end of this floor, a dividing wall created a private room.
This was accessed via a porch like structure which was formed by a corbelled out staircase turret at the south western corner of the hall. Within the private room was a garderobe within the north wall, the chute for which serviced similar closets on the floors above. A further round stair turret was corbelled out in the western wall at the junction of the two wings, at the south western corner of the hall. The dormer windows of the attic appear to have been enlarged, and retain some of the original elaborate decorative moulding. Similarly the cornicing at the eaves is highly detailed.
Until restoration in the 19th century, the floors above were completely ruined, and so a fair assessment of the internal plan cannot be given. The exterior walls above have been much altered at this restoration, with the addition of more modern windows. A small half octagon extension was added out of the south wall just east of the stair turret. This provides another door at ground level and a new main stair to all floors. Above the original main door a highly decorative heraldic panel declares ‘Sr. John Maxwell of Pollok Bart. and Dame Margaret Cunninghame his wife bigget this hous 1585’
The house was built by Sir John Maxwell, to replace the Laigh Castle to the west. It was abandoned on the completion of Pollok house around 1753, and fell into ruin until restored in the late 19th century. For a while it served as a private residence, then was acquired by the City. It was used in the 20th century as a Museum of Childhood. It was sold to a private developer in the late 1990’s, and has now been converted into private flats, a process which again has meant much internal remodelling.
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The Maxwells were powerful locally and for many years they were involved in a feud with the Johnstones of Annandale. The house was used by Covenanters in the 17th century, for which the family only escaped paying a hefty fine due to the outbreak of revolution in 1689.
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