Friends of Colzium

30/10/2026

Earlier this year the Café and Visitor Centre at Colzium was put up for lease. Many people have been asking about the town what the status of this is so we would like to give some information on this matter.

Following a lengthy process there were no suitable applicants willing to take on the Café and Visitor Centre and it will remain under Council management for the time being. With everything going on in the Colzium Estate at the moment, we thought it was worth making this post to say that it is open every day from 10.30-3pm and there is no better time to visit than this time of the year.

A few of our volunteers have been up at the Café and Visitor Centre in the past few weeks and added a few nice touches to the place in the form of some wall art, table decorations and also some nice tablecloths. Our Friends of Colzium Map leaflet should also be there should you wish to take one. it is hoped that with the revamp coming to Colzium House and the Museum that there will be scope for further changes to the Café and Visitor Centre going forward. It is still surprising to us as volunteers that when we talk to people in the Estate that many of them do not even know that this vital part of the Estate is even there or that you can access the wonderful Walled Garden from it. The Walled Garden features many trees and shrubs that are stunning all year round, but especially so right now in the autumn. Here are some photos of the inside of the Cafe and Visitor Centre and of the autumn colours of the Walled Garden but do note that its much better to experience it yourself with a nice hot drink and a cake from the Café!

24/10/2026

Friends of Colzium have, with the help of Voluntary Action North Lanarkshire, published a questionnaire which is designed to gather information about the community's opinion regarding the ongoing and future developments within the Colzium Lennox Estate. It can be found at the following link www.surveymonkey.com/r/6RBKJ69. This is live until the end of November and we would appreciate it if you could spend a few minutes to complete the survey. Physical copies will be available around the town and if you would prefer a physical copy please don’t hesitate to comment on this post and we will do our utmost to sort this as soon as we can.

12/10/2026

A year on from the bridge over the Lade being removed due to damage, the new bridge has now been installed. This was no simple feat due to a variety of factors including the location of the bridge and access to the site to do work.

As many of you will be aware, various parts of Colzium Estate are undergoing some much anticipated upgrades. As we move towards the winter months the bigger pieces of the jigsaw puzzle of renovations will start to take shape. The works already completed at Colzium are the play park, the Walled Garden and the front two rooms of the house. Adding the replacement bridge onto that list and with further work in the Estate beginning today, it is really fantastic to see progress all round.

We would like to say a big thank you to the Contractor K4 Civils Scotland Ltd who has installed the new bridge up to the Bluebell Woods. A couple of our members spoke with them last week and they have helped Friends of Colzium with something that would have taken a considerable amount of time and effort for us to do ourselves. They have left a really good impression on us whilst also making a positive impact in the Colzium.

Today part of Lade path has reopened and you can get from the access off the Tak-Ma-Doon road at the Craig En Goyne end, right along and past the new bridge, all the way to the small stone bridge that takes you up to the Colzium House. This provides crucial access to many people who use Colzium for recreation and also makes the Bluebell woods accessible once again. Autumn in Colzium Estate is always a sight to see as there are plenty of vibrant colours of the leaves before and as they come off the trees.

14/09/2026

North Lanarkshire Council held a meeting in August about how Kilsyth should be developed over the next 10 years. They have organised another meeting for tonight in the Garrel Vale Community Centre on Haugh Road Kilsyth at 6.30pm. It is important that as many members and businesses in our Community participate in this consultation as possible. NLC have circulated posters around the town regarding this meeting but I thought it would be good to circulate a last-minute reminder.

If you want to be involved in how Kilsyth should be developed, then come along to the Garrell Vale Community Centre tonight for 6.30 pm.

13/09/2026

Another successful Doors open day at Colzium.

It was fantastic to see so many faces - new and ‘well kent’ - along with all those who gave their time and expertise to make the day such a success.

Some thanks are in most definitely in order!

First of all - the music of the day just off the main foyer was the wonderful Anam Alba. Seeing so many children coming into Colzium House yesterday and following their ears into the room where the music was coming from was great to see but leaving with even bigger smiles on their face than they went in with is testament to Anam Alba’s craft. Please give them a follow on the blue link 🔗 on their name above, you won’t regret it.

Secondly - the massively popular The Royal Oak Society of Scotland were dressed to the nines with charm, charisma and some of the best storytelling Colzium house has ever seen! What a fantastic addition they were to the day and how busy they were showed that they took the time to give all of those who attended some wonderful memories. We hope that they will return in future.

Upstairs in the main hall was the museums team and judging by the amount of children that came down to the foyer with their shields and brass rubbings ready for war they were also extremely popular.

Out at the front of the house was the local Kilsyth Community Fire Station with a fire truck and their kit to boot! They were more than happy to show kids and adults alike around the equipment and were kept busy throughout the day.

With it being a wet start to the day it was fantastic to see The Colzium Railway operating and being busy throughout the day. People coming into Colzium House and asking - ‘where is the railway track?’ were numerous as the day went on and we were delighted to hear that many people had meandered up the driveway on the day and had already had a great experience on the trains AND were keen to have another go on their way home.

Lastly we want to take a moment to say thank a big thank you to our volunteers who manned the doors of Colzium House and took their time welcoming every single person who made their way through the front doors of the House. Our volunteer David Chalmers who brought up his classic car collection and motorbike which was once again very popular despite the weather.

Thank you once again to everyone who gave their time to make it a successful day and to all who managed to come along. The House will next week start the massive renovation work programme that will take us into 2027.

Did you make it along to Doors Open Day yesterday? If you did and you managed to snap any photos 📷 we would love to see them in the comments below.

12/09/2026

12/09/2026

Jacobites have now invaded Colzium House! If you can, get out to the House and come and see everything that is going on in Colzium today until 3pm. There are Trains, a fire engine, the museum, Summerlee education staff with armor and there is also a film of the improvements starting on Monday. Vintage cars and a 1978 Suzuki motorcycle at the front of the house and the Café is open along with the walled garden.

12/09/2026

Jacobites have now invaded Colzium House get out o the house and come and see everything that is going on in Colzium. Trains, fire engine, museum, Summerlee education staff with armor and there is also a film of the improvements starting on Monday. Vintage cars and a 1978 Suzuki motorcycle. Cafe is open along with the walled garden.

12/09/2026

It’s Doors open day at the Colzium House! Entry is free today and there are some fantastic things on offer in the Estate from 11am - 3pm today.

Just a reminder that this will be the last opportunity this year to see the inside of Colzium House as the renovation works are due to start next week.

Activities today will include -

The museums team will be in the main hall and they will have a knight and castles theme and there will be dressing up, display of armour which can be handled, there are also crafts (£2 to cover the costs of materials) where you can make a heraldic shield and even have a go at brass rubbings.

The Royal Oak Society are here and set up in one of the refurbished rooms on the lower level of the House. They are in full Jacobite regalia with props swords and they are eating to go!

The classic cars are parked at the front of the House and the popular The Colzium Railway is running at the track around the football field beside the play area. Don’t worry if it rains today as there is plenty to do indoors!

Local group Anam Alba are here and set up in the bride room just off the foyer. Following on from their very popular musical event held in the Colzium Estate earlier this year we’re sure to be singing along after we go home.

Friends of Colzium Volunteers will be in the foyer just past the front door to greet people as they come in and to talk you through what’s on and where.

Please can you share this post and drop us a follow to keep up to date with what’s on in the Estate. We hope you are able to join us today for what we are sure will be a fantastic event.

10/09/2026

With the Colzium House being part of Doors open day this Saturday we thought we would share some more information about the Royal Oak Society who will be in attendance.

The Royal Oak Society of Scotland are a true Jacobite group who commemorate 1745/1746 Jacobite risings. They educate, but mostly remember, those who fought, by telling the true history as they see it. They will be dressed as Jacobites and tell the story of the rising as well as having interactive activities for children and adults alike.��This was very popular at last years Doors Open Day at Colzium and we look forward to welcoming them again this Saturday for what is shaping up to be a fantastic day out.

Saturday 12th of September
11am - 3pm
Colzium House, Kilsyth.