Two weeks ago (Nov 15), I was at Crossbasket, High Blantyre on some business and was kindly offered a tour around the newly renovated building. The Castle has undergone a wonderful renovation over the last 2 years both inside and out.
I’ll be posting some new photos of the interior of Crossbasket shortly, but first, I wanted to you show you some photos of the new Ballroom, and with the permission of the owners, I’m pleased to be able to show a glimpse of Blantyre’s newest and most luxurious wedding venue.
At the back of Crossbasket, where the old greenhouses and outbuildings were, is now a brand new function hall, a grand room where care and attention has been given to every detail. Partially clad in wood to blend in with the natural scenery, the building adds a huge extension on to Crossbasket.
Linked by a modern looking glass bridge between the old Crossbasket Castle, the new ballroom is also made of the same kind of stone as the Castle, allowing it to weather later at the same age as the recently exposed stonework of the main building.
The function room holds up to 250 people and is on 2 levels. The first as pictured as the entrance from the Castle itself, leading out from the new bar, into the function room, which will be an amazing entrance for any new bride and groom to greet their guests. The day i was there in mid November, the staircase had just been put in, leading down past windows with arched detail and adjacent to the new terrace outside.
However, it is the beautiful beams that form the large, grand room itself that took my breathe away. It reminded me a little of Brigadoon, Ayrshire, but I would say Crossbasket is now more beautiful than that famous location! The beams give it an almost medieval feel. Contractors worked everywhere scurrying about their business, as they focused on getting the building ready for the first full weddings. New floors going down, ornate chandeliers planned and the band area being kitted out with equipment.
The window at the back of the hall, is modelled on the small clover feature window of the ancient tower itself and of course the gothic theme of the nearby Generals Bridge is apparent almost everywhere now at Crossbasket. The grand ballroom is beautifully lit by natural light from the large windows in the roof. A new carpark has been built and gardeners were working hard planting many new species of trees and shrubs in the gardens surrounding the building.
Crossbasket Castle is due to make some announcements in the coming months, including their official opening including, you’ll be pleased to know, some news that make the exclusive venue, a little more accessible to all. Stay tuned for their official press release.
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