Hamilton Mausoleum
Hamilton Mausoleum is one of the largest and grandest private tombs in the country. It stands today as a reminder of the vast and impressive buildings which once occupied the Hamilton estates.
Built by Alexander, 10th Duke of Hamilton, the Mausoleum is a domed Roman-style structure, around 37 metres high. It stands 200 metres north of the original site of Hamilton Palace, one of the finest non-royal residences in Europe.
Although plans had been drawn up as early as 1842, building began in 1848, to a design by the famous Edinburgh architect, David Bryce. It was completed around 1857, five years after the death of the 10th Duke.
Constructed of massive carved sandstone blocks, the building is entered from a stepped terrace leading into the chapel. The original bronze doors, now displayed inside the chapel, were cast from the famous Ghiberti doors at the Baptistery of Florence.
Inside the eight-sided chapel, four arched alcoves are topped by the huge dome. The 10th Duke's love of marble is evident in the magnificent mosaic floor. However, the chapel's 15-second echo, one of the longest in the country, made it unsuitable as a place of worship.
Two massive lion sculptures by Alexander Handyside Ritchie overlook the entrance to the crypt. In 1852, the bodies of 16 members of the Hamilton family were removed from the Collegiate church and placed in the crypt. Later that year, the 10th Duke himself died and his embalmed body was laid to rest in an Egyptian sarcophagus, or coffin, on a black marble pedestal in the Mausoleum chapel.
In 1921, when the Mausoleum was found to be subsiding, the bodies were transferred to a burial plot in Bent Cemetery.
You can view our Hamilton Mausoleum photo gallery and our virtual tours of the Hamilton Mausoleum Chapel and Hamilton Mausoleum Crypt (these will all open in new windows).
Guided tours of the Mausoleum can be booked at Low Parks Museum for a small charge of £1.50.
This service is provided by Community Resources
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