Glasgow, unlike a number of other major European cities, is not renowned for its abundance of medieval architecture - which makes the fairly recent destruction of historic Cathcart Castle all the more hard to take.
It was not troops from a long forgotten siege that caused the destruction of the 15th century keep, but employees of Glasgow City Council in the 1980s.
The castle, which had lain neglected for decades, was deemed beyond saving, and its ruins were demolished following a 1979 health and safety report. Sometimes the pen really is mightier than the sword.
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Cathcart Castle was built in around 1450 by Alan Cathcart, 1st Lord Cathcart, whose family owned the estate for 100 years before passing it on to the Semples of Lochwinnoch.
Overlooking the Cart two miles south of Glasgow, the five-storey main tower of the castle managed to stand solid for hundreds of years. Then, around 1750, it was abandoned, and a gradual decay set in.
In 1809, the Scots Magazine gave a historical description of Cathcart Castle, writing: "It stands on a very commanding situation, two of its sides being covered by the river, from which the hill on which the castle stands rises almost perpendicularly.
"This castle derives an historical and romantic interest, from its overlooking the celebrated field of Langside, in which were finally decided the fortunes of Queen Mary."
Cathcart Castle's descent into ruin appears to have begun when the building was bought in the 18th century by a Glasgow tradesman, who sought to strip it of its materials and use them elsewhere.
The Scots Magazine article continues: "The castle, however, which had often resisted the attack of powerful chieftains, bid defiance also the efforts of this modern improver. The walls were found so thick and well-compacted that the expense of taking them down would be greater than the profit."
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While the tradesman had been unsuccessful in dismantling the castle, they had managed to remove the roof - which would set the wheels in motion for its eventual demise.
In 1927, around 18 acres of land adjacent Linn Park, including Cathcart Castle, was purchased by Glasgow Corporation for a sum of £2,300. This should have been the moment the historic ruin, which still rose to five storeys in height, was saved for the nation - but it was not to be.
While there were some superficial repairs made by the Corporation, the castle found itself mostly neglected and allowed to fall into a state of total dereliction.
Following weeks of heavy rain during 1979, surveyors discovered that the front face of the tower had almost completely collapsed, leaving the rest of the building in a precarious state.
In order to make the site safe, it was decided by the then Glasgow District Council that all loose and unstable walling should be removed. Unfortunately, the tricky nature of the demolition work proved to be Cathcart Castle's undoing.
According to records, there had been discussions to restore the castle, but the hundreds of thousands of pounds required to do the job could not be spared.
By August 1980 there was next to nothing of the castle left to see save for the foundations. The rubble from the castle (along with rubble from the St Enoch Station and Hotel) was reportedly used as infill for the Queen's Dock at Finnieston, where the new SECC was to be built, and is now lost for good.
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