Lunna House
Encyclopedia
Lunna House is a 17th-century laird
's house on Lunna Ness
in the Shetland Islands
. Lunna House is noted for having "the best historic designed landscape
in Shetland". In the 20th century it was used as a base of the wartime Shetland Bus
operation.
The house is protected as a category B listed building, and the grounds are included in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland
, the national listing of significant gardens.
The formal landscape around the house was laid out during the 18th century, and augmented in the 19th century with Gothic ornaments, such as the beach cobble finials of the gates to the south-west of the house. On the hilltop beyond the gates is a small folly
, known as Hunter's Monument, which terminates the axis, and was formerly used as a lookout by the lairds. The harbour was also constructed in the 19th century, along with a walled garden and a lime kiln.
In 1845 Robina Hunter inherited the property. The following year she married Robert Bell, Sheriff at Lerwick
, and a son of the surgeon Joseph Bell
. Their son Robert Bell Hunter, 8th Laird of Lunna, sold the property in 1893 to John Bruce of Sumburgh
. Bruce had the house extended in the 20th century.
During the Second World War, Lunna House became a base for the Shetland Bus
, a clandestine operation to transfer men and materials between Shetland and Nazi-occupied Norway
. The sheltered harbour at Lunna, away from populated areas, was considered ideal. Lieutenant David Howarth
set up his headquarters at Lunna House, which was used as accommodation for the boat crews.
By the end of the war, the house was in poor condition. It was bought in the 1960s, with restoration work beginning soon after. The house was listed in 1971, and in 1998 the Folly, West Gates, Gothick Cottage, and Walled Garden were also listed at category B, as integral parts of the designed landscape, and with a group value of category A. The house is now operated as bed and breakfast
accommodation.
Laird
A Laird is a member of the gentry and is a heritable title in Scotland. In the non-peerage table of precedence, a Laird ranks below a Baron and above an Esquire.-Etymology:...
's house on Lunna Ness
Lunna Ness
Lunna Ness is a peninsula in the north east of Mainland, Shetland, in the parish of Lunnasting near Vidlin. The island of Lunna Holm is nearby. The Shetland Bus operation during WWII used this area as a base....
in the Shetland Islands
Shetland Islands
Shetland is a subarctic archipelago of Scotland that lies north and east of mainland Great Britain. The islands lie some to the northeast of Orkney and southeast of the Faroe Islands and form part of the division between the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the North Sea to the east. The total...
. Lunna House is noted for having "the best historic designed landscape
Designed landscape
A designed landscape is an area of land which has been modified by people for primarily aesthetic effect. The term is used by historians to denote various types of site, such as gardens, parks, cemeteries, and estates. Such sites are often protected for their historic or artistic value...
in Shetland". In the 20th century it was used as a base of the wartime Shetland Bus
Shetland bus
The Shetland Bus was the nickname of a clandestine special operations group that made a permanent link between Shetland, Scotland, and German-occupied Norway from 1941 until the German occupation ended on 8 May 1945. From mid-1942 the official name of the group was "Norwegian Naval Independent Unit"...
operation.
The house is protected as a category B listed building, and the grounds 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 earliest part of Lunna House was built in 1660, possibly on the site of a medieval haa (hall), for Robert Hunter (d.1695). Robert was Chamberlain of the Lordship of Zetland, and a Commissioner of Supply. An armorial panel on the house commemorates the 1707 marriage of his son Thomas Hunter and Grisella Bruce, around which time this part of the house was added. In 1753, nearby Lunna Kirk was built by Robert Hunter (1710–1777), 3rd laird.The formal landscape around the house was laid out during the 18th century, and augmented in the 19th century with Gothic ornaments, such as the beach cobble finials of the gates to the south-west of the house. On the hilltop beyond the gates is a small folly
Folly
In architecture, a folly is a building constructed primarily for decoration, but either suggesting by its appearance some other purpose, or merely so extravagant that it transcends the normal range of garden ornaments or other class of building to which it belongs...
, known as Hunter's Monument, which terminates the axis, and was formerly used as a lookout by the lairds. The harbour was also constructed in the 19th century, along with a walled garden and a lime kiln.
In 1845 Robina Hunter inherited the property. The following year she married Robert Bell, Sheriff at Lerwick
Lerwick
Lerwick is the capital and main port of the Shetland Islands, Scotland, located more than 100 miles off the north coast of mainland Scotland on the east coast of the Shetland Mainland...
, and a son of the surgeon Joseph Bell
Joseph Bell
Joseph Bell, JP, DL, FRCS was a famous Scottish lecturer at the medical school of the University of Edinburgh in the 19th century. He is perhaps best known as an inspiration for the literary character Sherlock Holmes....
. Their son Robert Bell Hunter, 8th Laird of Lunna, sold the property in 1893 to John Bruce of Sumburgh
Sumburgh, Shetland
Sumburgh is a small settlement in the Shetland Islands, Scotland. Sumburgh is located at the south end of Mainland on Sumburgh Head. Sumburgh Airport is just outside the village. There are about 100 people in Sumburgh....
. Bruce had the house extended in the 20th century.
During the Second World War, Lunna House became a base for the Shetland Bus
Shetland bus
The Shetland Bus was the nickname of a clandestine special operations group that made a permanent link between Shetland, Scotland, and German-occupied Norway from 1941 until the German occupation ended on 8 May 1945. From mid-1942 the official name of the group was "Norwegian Naval Independent Unit"...
, a clandestine operation to transfer men and materials between Shetland and Nazi-occupied Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. The sheltered harbour at Lunna, away from populated areas, was considered ideal. Lieutenant David Howarth
David Armine Howarth
David Howarth was a British historian and author. After graduating from the University of Cambridge, he was a radio war correspondent for the BBC at the start of World War II. Howarth joined the Navy after the fall of France...
set up his headquarters at Lunna House, which was used as accommodation for the boat crews.
By the end of the war, the house was in poor condition. It was bought in the 1960s, with restoration work beginning soon after. The house was listed in 1971, and in 1998 the Folly, West Gates, Gothick Cottage, and Walled Garden were also listed at category B, as integral parts of the designed landscape, and with a group value of category A. The house is now operated as bed and breakfast
Bed and breakfast
A bed and breakfast is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast, but usually does not offer other meals. Since the 1980s, the meaning of the term has also extended to include accommodations that are also known as "self-catering" establishments...
accommodation.
External links
- Lunna House website
- Lunna House, shetlopedia.com