File:Site of Mains of Cardross Farm - geograph.org.uk - 1449369.jpg

English: Site of Mains of Cardross Farm. This photograph shows the site of the former Mains of Cardross Farm, as seen from the gate of the field (see 1449370). Although it may not be apparent at first sight, a closer look at the trees in the background makes it clear that the green area in the foreground is raised above the surrounding parts of the field; in fact, the ground falls away rather sharply, for reasons that are explained in the WoSAS entry (see the end-note).

The disruption caused here by the building of Mains of Cardross Farm was compounded by twentieth-century quarrying (see the WoSAS entry just cited). For this reason, the chances of finding medieval remains here are slim, even though it is thought that Robert the Bruce's manor house may have been located nearby (not necessarily on the site of the old farm, but merely somewhere in this general area); for more on that subject, see 914740. At the time of writing, no artifacts had been found that would link this area with the king's manor house.

As for the quarry mentioned in the WoSAS entry, its associated sandpits are shown, for example, on the 1:2500 OS map from 1936. Also mentioned in that entry is the surviving section of wall from the quarry's washing plant; this is barely visible in the undergrowth near the right-hand edge of the photo. For a slightly better view (and for a discussion of how to see the full height of the wall) see 1449395.