Lennox Castle celebrates legacy at public event
‘Lennox Castle Stories’ is a social history project led by a group of ex- residents of Lennox Castle Hospital, a large institution on the outskirts of Glasgow built to house people with learning disabilities. Originally built to house 1200 people, at its peak in the 1970’s it housed almost 1700 people and was conceived as a “model” self-contained community.
Following a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) last year, the arts organisation Project Ability and supported living organisation C-Change formed a successful partnership to support people with learning disabilities who lived in Lennox Castle Hospital to share their stories of life in the “Castle”, which finally closed it’s doors in 2002.
Employing a huge range of media including text, painting, print, ceramics, sculpture, textiles and animation, a group of ex-residents came together in a series of weekly sessions to share their memories. The final legacy of this project is a website, film and book.
This legacy and the artwork from the project participants was launched at C-Change’s 10 Year Celebration Finale ‘Day’ Event at Glasgow's Marriot Hotel. There were stalls, activities, workshops, raffles and much more on the day with everyone made to feel welcome.
Colin McLean, Head of HLF Scotland, said “This website, film and book will open the door to an important element of Scotland’s social history - through the memories of real people recounting their experiences. It is an amazing record of our heritage which we can pass on to future generations. The Heritage Lottery Fund has been delighted to be able to support it.”
Tickets cost £12 which includes a buffet, entertainment and dancing. These are available to buy on their website or by calling 0141 427 2946.