Keir House
Encyclopedia
Keir House is a large country house near Stirling
in central Scotland
. It is located in the parish of Lecropt
, 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) north-west of Bridge of Allan
, in the former county of Perthshire
. The estate was home to the Stirling family
from the 15th to the 20th century. Keir House is protected as a category A listed building, and the grounds are included on the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland
, the national listing of significant gardens.
during the 18th-century rebellions, and the estate was forfeited. However, they continued to live at Keir, and built the present house in around 1760. Income from the family's estates in Jamaica
funded agricultural improvements and landscaping of the grounds.
Additions were made to the house, including the south-west wing to designs by David Hamilton
, completed in 1831. In 1847 Sir William Stirling Maxwell inherited the estate, and began a remodelling of the house and grounds. Architects Alfred Jenoure and William Stirling II worked on the house, while formal gardens were laid out by James Niven. A chapel was added in 1912, designed by Rowand Anderson and Paul
, and with interior mosaic decoration by Boris Anrep
. Sir William's grandson David Stirling
, founder of the Special Air Service
, was born at Keir in 1915.
In 1975 the house, together with 15000 acres (6,070.3 ha), was sold by the Stirling family for £2 million to Mahdi Al Tajir
, a businessman from the United Arab Emirates
.
was built through the eastern edge of the grounds. The Home Farm was built in 1832 and designed by David Bryce
, but was elaborated by Sir William Stirling-Maxwell around 1858. The large steading includes a clock tower and a dairy with pictorial tiles.
Stirling
Stirling is a city and former ancient burgh in Scotland, and is at the heart of the wider Stirling council area. The city is clustered around a large fortress and medieval old-town beside the River Forth...
in central 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...
. It is located in the parish of Lecropt
Lecropt
Lecropt is a rural parish lying to the west of Bridge of Allan, Scotland.The population of the parish of Lecropt is estimated to be around 75, consisting entirely of isolated farms and houses, as well as the Keir Estate owned by the landed Stirling family...
, 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) north-west of Bridge of Allan
Bridge of Allan
Bridge of Allan is a town in Stirling council area in Scotland, just north of the city of Stirling. It was formerly administered by Stirlingshire and Central Regional Council....
, in the former county of Perthshire
Perthshire
Perthshire, officially the County of Perth , is a registration county in central Scotland. It extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south...
. The estate was home to the Stirling family
Clan Stirling
-Origins of the Clan:The originator of the Clan Stirling is believed to be a man by the name of Thoraldus de Strivelyn vicecomes de Strivelyn who was granted a charter of lands in Cadder by King David I of Scotland in 1147...
from the 15th to the 20th century. Keir House is protected as a category A listed building, and the grounds are included on 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 Keir estate was acquired by the Stirling family in 1448, and a house was built on it in the 16th century. The Stirlings supported the JacobitesJacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
during the 18th-century rebellions, and the estate was forfeited. However, they continued to live at Keir, and built the present house in around 1760. Income from the family's estates in Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
funded agricultural improvements and landscaping of the grounds.
Additions were made to the house, including the south-west wing to designs by David Hamilton
David Hamilton (architect)
David Hamilton was a Scottish architect based in Glasgow. He has been called the "father of the profession" in Glasgow. Notable works include Hutchesons' Hall, Nelson Monument in Glasgow Green and Lennox Castle. The Royal Exchange in Queen Street is David Hamilton's best known building in Glasgow...
, completed in 1831. In 1847 Sir William Stirling Maxwell inherited the estate, and began a remodelling of the house and grounds. Architects Alfred Jenoure and William Stirling II worked on the house, while formal gardens were laid out by James Niven. A chapel was added in 1912, designed by Rowand Anderson and Paul
Robert Rowand Anderson
Sir Robert Rowand Anderson RSA was a Scottish Victorian architect. Anderson trained in the office of George Gilbert Scott in London before setting up his own practice in Edinburgh in 1860. During the 1860s his main work was small churches in the 'First Pointed' style that is characteristic of...
, and with interior mosaic decoration by Boris Anrep
Boris Anrep
Boris Vasilyevich Anrep was a Russian artist, active in Britain, who devoted himself to the art of mosaic....
. Sir William's grandson David Stirling
David Stirling
Colonel Sir Archibald David Stirling, DSO, DFC, OBE was a Scottish laird, mountaineer, World War II British Army officer, and the founder of the Special Air Service.-Life before the war:...
, founder of the Special Air Service
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
, was born at Keir in 1915.
In 1975 the house, together with 15000 acres (6,070.3 ha), was sold by the Stirling family for £2 million to Mahdi Al Tajir
Mahdi Al Tajir
Mahdi Al Tajir is an Emirati businessman based in the United Kingdom. Al Tajir spends much of his time at his London home or at Keir House, his Perthshire estate...
, a businessman from the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
.
The estate
The estate is entered from the north-east via the New Lodge. Built in 1820 to Greek Revival designs by David Hamilton, this was originally the South Lodge, but was moved to its present location in 1969 when the M9 motorwayM9 motorway
The M9 motorway is a major motorway in Scotland. It runs from the outskirts of Edinburgh, bypassing the towns of Linlithgow, Falkirk, Grangemouth and Stirling to end at Dunblane.- Route :...
was built through the eastern edge of the grounds. The Home Farm was built in 1832 and designed by David Bryce
David Bryce
David Bryce FRSE FRIBA RSA was a Scottish architect. Born in Edinburgh, he was educated at the Royal High School and joined the office of architect William Burn in 1825, aged 22. By 1841, Bryce had risen to be Burn's partner...
, but was elaborated by Sir William Stirling-Maxwell around 1858. The large steading includes a clock tower and a dairy with pictorial tiles.
External links
- The Stirlings of Keir - Chapter III - The Lofty Brow of Ancient Keir, CLan Stirling online