IT is a familiar sight to the thousands of motorists who pass by on the M74 each day, the 120ft-high domed structure of the Hamilton Mausoleum.
Before the motorway ever existed, the distinctive building – within the grounds of the former Hamilton Palace – was a Lanarkshire landmark, holding a world record for the longest echo recorded within a man-made structure (usurped by Inchindown oil tanks at Invergordon in 2014).
Built as a tomb and monument to Alexander, 10th Duke of Hamilton during the mid-19th century, its design is testament to his zest for history, travel and fine art.
Hamilton was appointed British ambassador to Russia, based in St Petersburg, in 1806. He travelled extensively within Europe throughout his life, with Italy being a particular favourite.
It was these experiences that lent a flavour to the design of Hamilton Mausoleum. The original bronze doors, now displayed inside the chapel, were modelled on Lorenzo Ghiberti's "Gates of Paradise" at the Florentine Baptistery and depict scenes from the Old Testament.
READ MORE: Scot Squad star Manjot Sumal on why he loves Lyle Hill in Greenock
Construction on the mausoleum began in 1842. Hamilton died six years before it was finished – but he already had a plan for that.
Long fascinated by ancient Egyptian artefacts, he arranged for the academic Thomas Pettigrew, an expert on the mummification process, to embalm him. Hamilton was a trustee for the British Museum and under that guise had obtained a sarcophagus in Paris some years previously.
The sarcophagus had been made for someone much shorter – believed to be a woman from Egypt's Ptolemaic dynasty – and to accommodate its new occupant, the interior was further hollowed out. Even so, they reportedly had to break Hamilton's legs to make him fit.
After the mausoleum was finally completed in 1858, Hamilton was interred in the sarcophagus on a black marble slab in the main chapel with 17 of his ancestors placed in the crypt below.
By 1921, subsidence caused by coal mining in the area necessitated that the coffins be moved to the Bent Cemetery in Hamilton, where the 10th Duke remains buried in his beloved sarcophagus today.
What to listen to: Composer, songwriter and Teenage Fanclub drummer Francis Macdonald harnessed the building's famed echo when recording his 2018 chamber music album, Hamilton Mausoleum Suite, featuring the Scottish Festival Orchestra.
READ MORE: Andrew Cotter on climbing Scottish mountains with his famous dogs Olive and Mabel
Saxophonist Tommy Smith recorded his solo album, Into Silence, at Hamilton Mausoleum in 2001, and the San Francisco-based Kronos Quartet performed there, alongside members of the National Youth Choir of Scotland, a decade later.
Please follow the Scottish Government's latest coronavirus restrictions, see www.gov.scot/coronavirus-covid-19
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here