Garscube Estate , Scotland, was acquired by the Colquhouns of Luss, Argyll & Bute, Scotland, in 1558 . The western section of the estate lay in the County of Dunbartonshire, Scotland, the eastern section within the City of Glasgow, the boundary between the two being the River Kelvin. In 1687, the disposition of Garscube (c950 acres) was granted by Humphrey Colquhoun of Luss and his spouse, Margaret Houston, to John Campbell of Succoth, Argyll & Bute, son of William Campbell of Succoth, Burgess and Provost of Dumbarton. He had been granted the lands of Kipperminster in 1677, and Dunottar (Aberdeenshire, Scotland) in 1683. He was succeeded by his eldest son, William Campbell of Succoth (1679-1764), who had disposition of the estate from 1689. His second son, Archibald Campbell of Succoth (died 1790) married Helen, only child and heiress of John Wallace of Elderslie, Renfrewshire, Scotland, in 1731. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Sir Ilay Campbell, 1st Baronet, Lord Succoth (1734-1823).
The original Garscube House was demolished on the instructions of Sir Archibald Campbell (1769-1846), 2nd Baronet, and a new house built in 1827 , to a design by William Burn, in Elizabethan style. Sir Archibald died on 23 July 1846, and the barony and lands passed to his grandson, Sir Archibald Ilay Campbell (1825-1866), 3rd Baronet. He died on 11 September 1866 and, having no children, the estate passed to his brother, Sir George Campbell (1829-1874), 4th Baronet. He died without an heir on 17 February 1874 and the estate and barony passed to his cousin, Sir Archibald Spencer Lindsay Campbell (1852-1941), 5th Baronet. Sir Archibald and his wife, Lady Lucy, lived in Garscube House until the outbreak of the World War in 1939. By this time, fields in the Dunbartonshire section of the Estate had been set aside for the building of residential housing, whilst 55 acres of the 75 acre Glasgow section had been town planned as open space. The ground floor and basement area of Garscube House were requisitioned by the Ministry of Works for use during the War, whilst the first floor and attics were used as residential accommodation for nursing staff of Glasgow Royal Infirmary who were on duty at Canniesburn Hospital and Schaw Hospital, Bearsden.
Sir Archibald died on 1 March 1941 and was succeeded by his only son, Sir George Ilay Campbell (1894-1967), 6th Baronet, who inherited both the title and the lands, although his home was in Inveraray, Argyll & Bute. At the close of War in 1945, Sir George was faced with a decision as to the future of Garscube House. Between 1944 and 1947 several options were pursued: Gateside House School, Drymen, Stirling, Scotland, offered to rent the house for use as a girls' boarding school, but Sir George declined to make a decision as the house was still being used by the Ministry of Works. In February 1944 , the house was offered to Sir William Burrell ( 1861-1958 ) for his art collection, but the surrounding atmosphere was considered too smoky for the valuable items and the site still too close to the city. Sir George then offered to gift the house to the Thistle Foundation, a disabled person's charity based in Edinburgh, for use as a clinic and residential accommodation although this offer was declined. Glasgow Royal Infirmary was interested in the house for residential accommodation and a nurses' training school, but the hospital management were not convinced of the long term suitability of the property. However, as a temporary measure, they did agree to lease the whole house when the Ministry of Works vacated their part of the building. Another possibility was that the house be used by the Glasgow Royal Mental Hospital, however, the proposed nationalisation of the hospitals led Sir George to withdraw this offer. Instead, in 1947 , Sir George made an offer to gift the Manor House, South Lodge, East Lodge, and outbuildings to the University of Glasgow , and to sell part of the surrounding land to the University. This offer was accepted and the University took possession of Garscube House and lands on Whitsunday 1948 . The original intention had been to keep Garscube House, but following the discovery of extensive dry rot, the building was demolished in 1954 . There had been a suggestion to build a complete new campus at Garscube, but the University gave preference to the site at Hillhead. The University lands at Garscube became the home of the Department of Veterinary Medicine. Sir George Ilay Campbell died in 1967, and the title, though not the Estate, passed to his son, Sir Ilay Mark Campbell of Murrayfield (b.1927), 7th Baronet.
From the guide to the Records of the Garscube Estate, Glasgow, Scotland, 1837-1968, (Glasgow University Archives Service)
