Duddingston House
Encyclopedia
Duddingston House is an 18th-century mansion in Edinburgh
, Scotland
, located west of the village of Duddingston
. It was built in the 1760s for James Hamilton, 8th Earl of Abercorn
, and was designed by Sir William Chambers. It is now protected as a category A listed building, and the grounds of the house are included in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland
, the national listing of significant gardens.
(1712–1789), in 1745 from the Duke of Argyll
. During the Jacobite rising of 1745
, Bonnie Prince Charlie's cavalry camped in the park, before the Battle of Prestonpans
. In 1760, Lord Abercorn commissioned Sir William Chambers (1723–1796) to design a modest new house, which was constructed between 1763 and 1768. The total cost of the house and pleasure grounds, laid out by Robert Robinson in the style of Capability Brown
, was around £30,000.
After Lord Abercorn's death in 1789, the estate passed to his heirs but the house was let. The Benhar Coal Mining Company bought a large part of the 1500 acres (607 ha) estate in the 1880s, and in 1894 Duddingston Golf Club was developed in the grounds. Holyrood High School was built in the park in the 1960s, to the west of the house. By this time the house was in poor repair, and in 1959 it was bought, along with 9 acres (3.6 ha), by a Mr E. Gladstone, who restored the house and opened it as a hotel in 1963. In the 1990s the stables and service block of the house were converted into town houses, while the main block was restored by the Burrel Company as offices, together with a wedding venue and conference centre.
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, located west of the village of Duddingston
Duddingston
Duddingston is a former village in the east of Edinburgh, Scotland, next to Holyrood Park.-Origins and etymology:The estate wherein Duddingston Village now lies was first recorded in lands granted to the Abbot of Kelso Abbey by David I of Scotland between 1136–47, and is described as stretching...
. It was built in the 1760s for James Hamilton, 8th Earl of Abercorn
James Hamilton, 8th Earl of Abercorn
James Hamilton, 8th Earl of Abercorn PC , was a Scottish and Irish nobleman, the eldest son of James Hamilton, 7th Earl of Abercorn and Anne Plumer. He was styled Lord Paisley from 1734 until his accession in 1744...
, and was designed by Sir William Chambers. It is now protected as a category A listed building, and the grounds of the house are included in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland
Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland
The Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland is a listing of gardens and designed landscapes of national artistic and/or historical significance, in Scotland. The Inventory was originally compiled in 1987, although it is a continually evolving list...
, the national listing of significant gardens.
History
The lands of Duddingston were purchased by James Hamilton, 8th Earl of AbercornJames Hamilton, 8th Earl of Abercorn
James Hamilton, 8th Earl of Abercorn PC , was a Scottish and Irish nobleman, the eldest son of James Hamilton, 7th Earl of Abercorn and Anne Plumer. He was styled Lord Paisley from 1734 until his accession in 1744...
(1712–1789), in 1745 from the Duke of Argyll
Archibald Campbell, 3rd Duke of Argyll
Archibald Campbell, 3rd Duke of Argyll, 1st Earl of Ilay was a Scottish nobleman, politician, lawyer, businessman and soldier...
. During the Jacobite rising of 1745
Jacobite Rising of 1745
The Jacobite rising of 1745, often referred to as "The 'Forty-Five," was the attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the British throne for the exiled House of Stuart. The rising occurred during the War of the Austrian Succession when most of the British Army was on the European continent...
, Bonnie Prince Charlie's cavalry camped in the park, before the Battle of Prestonpans
Battle of Prestonpans
The Battle of Prestonpans was the first significant conflict in the Jacobite Rising of 1745. The battle took place at 4 am on 21 September 1745. The Jacobite army loyal to James Francis Edward Stuart and led by his son Charles Edward Stuart defeated the government army loyal to the Hanoverian...
. In 1760, Lord Abercorn commissioned Sir William Chambers (1723–1796) to design a modest new house, which was constructed between 1763 and 1768. The total cost of the house and pleasure grounds, laid out by Robert Robinson in the style of Capability Brown
Capability Brown
Lancelot Brown , more commonly known as Capability Brown, was an English landscape architect. He is remembered as "the last of the great English eighteenth-century artists to be accorded his due", and "England's greatest gardener". He designed over 170 parks, many of which still endure...
, was around £30,000.
After Lord Abercorn's death in 1789, the estate passed to his heirs but the house was let. The Benhar Coal Mining Company bought a large part of the 1500 acres (607 ha) estate in the 1880s, and in 1894 Duddingston Golf Club was developed in the grounds. Holyrood High School was built in the park in the 1960s, to the west of the house. By this time the house was in poor repair, and in 1959 it was bought, along with 9 acres (3.6 ha), by a Mr E. Gladstone, who restored the house and opened it as a hotel in 1963. In the 1990s the stables and service block of the house were converted into town houses, while the main block was restored by the Burrel Company as offices, together with a wedding venue and conference centre.