As an author I get to visit places and call it research. To physically be at a place doesn’t happen often. Thankfully, I was able to cycle to Morgan Glen and walk up to find the ruins of Blackwood House where the Black Lady is reported to haunt. Here are my directions for you.
Note: please take a bag and fill it with rubbish when you are there. The site has deteriorated with litter and broken glass present, so good footwear is also advisable. Such a shame that the site has been allowed to become a mess.
Morgan Glen
From the entrance to Morgan Glen. To find it via satnav you can also search for the Applebank Inn, Larkhall.
Walk forward until you see this plaque.
The turn off is before it, to the left.
Head up the slope, and turn off to the left again here.
At a tree on the left turn off and follow a worn path in the grass.
I recommend taking a moment to admire the view of South Lanarkshire’s rolling countryside first.
Then head towards a dead tree. The turn off to find the house is to the left of it.
Condition of Broomhill House
Here are the photos taken to record the condition as of 2026.
The sandstone is weathered, the ground littered, there is a fallen tree, graffiti and smashed glass. I got the sense that any trace of a ghost, like the Black Lady, has long been washed away by the elements and the energy of whoever has been mis-treating the site.
Please use the arrows above to see more photos.
The view is great. A line of trees mostly blocks it, planted in too straight a row for it to have been natural.
I would be happy to see an information board go up with information about this important site. The name of the Black lady was Sita, an Indian lady brought across from Africa to Scotland who vanished one night. My fictional book raises questions about the untold voices of history, where we have no records and whose voices are lost. Sita is one of those voices.
The Indian Princess of Broomhill House will be released in November 2026.
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