This is a story about the former Drumpellier House in Coatbridge and its owner Andrew Buchanan, famously known for being one of the first Scottish businessmen to make money from holding people in slavery.
Who was Andrew Buchanan?
Andrew Buchanan born 1690 and died 1759, was a Scottish Tobacco Merchant, which means he sold tobacco. He is well known for being one of Glasgow’s ‘Tobacco Lords’ who were a group of Scottish Merchants who made large amounts of money through selling tobacco produced by people they enslaved. The group took full advantage of the American tobacco trade being open to Scotland after 1707.
He is one of the first Scottish people to have had a tobacco plantation, (a farm where tobacco is grown), in America. His plantation was in Virginia, USA. He is estimated to have enslaved up to 300 people. The Tobacco Lords used the money to buy several buildings/estates in Scotland. Andrew was not out of place then, and people were often not upset by him claiming people as property. He was simply viewed as a wealthy merchant. Due to this he was elected Lord Provost of Glasgow in 1740.
What else is he known for?
Old Ship Bank
In 1750 he became one of two founders of the Old Ship Bank, Glasgow’s first local bank, which is located on the corner of Saltmarket and the Bridgegate in Glasgow. The building, was later made into flats and shops and, in 1845, a new pub was then opened on the ground floor of the building.
Old Ship Bank, 1902
The building was then later redesigned in 1904 and was after reopened and named the ‘Old Ship Bank Tavern.’
Old Ship Bank Tavern, 2020s
Another thing Andrew Buchanan is known for is the famous shopping area in Glasgow being named after him. In recent years many people have raised concerns about the street still being named after an enslaver and there have been many petitions to change the name.
Buchanan Street, Glasgow, 2010s
The most important example of a Scottish estate bought by Andrew Buchanan was The Drumpellier estate in Coatbridge which became his home. The image below of the estate is held in a collection by North Lanarkshire Council Archives.
The estate was bought by Andrew in 1735 and he was responsible for building the oldest parts of the house in 1736. The estate remained within the Buchanan family, descendants of Andrew, until 1919, so belonged to the family for 184 years. The postcard photograph above was taken in 1913, not long before it was used as a hospital for wounded soldiers during the First World War, which began in 1914.
After the war was over, Andrew’s descendant, Lt Col Carrick Buchanan gifted The Drumpellier Estate, the house and grounds, to the town of Coatbridge in 1919. After this, when the family were no longer living there, many people from Glasgow took the tram to Drumpellier during the 1920s and 30s, to spend time at the weekend camping in the park.
Drumpellier Today
Drumpellier Park, 2023
The Drumpellier house was sadly demolished during the 1960s after it had been standing for over 200 years, and the estate was later turned into a Country Park and Golf Course in Coatbridge, as it remains today.
I was glad to have come across this postcard photograph in the collection as even though Drumpellier Park today is a well-known and well visited place in Coatbridge I had no previous knowledge of the former house, and that the owner was Andrew Buchanan. It is an incredibly interesting piece of local history.
About The Author
Written by Digital Collections Volunteer, Emily Carstairs. Emily is a 4th year Social Science undergraduate student at Glasgow Caledonian University, who has a keen interest in social and local history.