Balcaskie House
Balcaskie House is a manor house near the Scottish town of St Monans in the Council Area Fife . In 1984 the building was included in the Scottish List of Monuments in the highest category A as an individual monument . The associated gardens and the paired pigeon towers are each classified independently as Category A buildings. The West Lodge and a bridge along the western access road are also protected as Category B structures, as is the East Lodge and the gate pillars of the north access. The associated manor is classified as a Category C monument. The entire property is on the Scottish Landscaping Register . In three out of six categories the highest rating “outstanding” was given.
history
The earliest mention of the Balcaskie lands is from 1223. In 1665, William Bruce bought Balcaskie from John Monicrieff . After the end of Bruce's work at Holyrood Palace in 1668 elevated him Charles II. For Baronet , of Balcaskie . In the same year Bruce began to significantly redesign and expand the existing building there. By 1674 Bruce completed the work, which also included the construction of the surrounding park and the outbuildings. This created the basis of today's Balcaskie House.
In 1685 Bruce sold the property, which changed hands several times in the following years. In 1698 Robert Anstruther bought Balcaskie. To this day it is inherited within the family. Possibly it was Walter Scott who convinced Ralph Anstruther, 4th Baronet, to renovate the dilapidated Balcaskie House. Anstruther commissioned William Burn with the work, which was carried out between 1827 and 1831. The entire system was also modernized in the following decades. In 1853, Anstruther initiated another revision of Balcaskie House. David Bryce gave the mansion its current character in the style of the Scottish Neo-Renaissance . In the interior, however, numerous works by Bruce have been preserved.
Gardens
Balcaskie House is embedded in a spacious park. Along the main visual axes, avenues run towards the striking Bass Rock in the southeast and the 184 m high Kellie Law in the northwest. The terraced gardens extend in front of the south-east facade. They were laid out in the Italian style under William Bruce in the late 17th century. The terrace steps are limited by balustrades . Other design elements include massive parapets with classicist busts. A sundial rises from a lawn . The staircase with arched portals and cast-iron gates in the Rococo style was designed by William Nesfield around 1853 .
Pigeon towers
The pigeon towers flank the portal along the eastern access road. The portal posts from 1714 and 1745 have a square floor plan. She designed with a ribbon ornamentation, frieze , cornices and seated urns. The wrought iron gate was designed by Robert Lorimer in 1886.
The round pigeon towers, which were built around 1745, flank the portal. They are connected to the portal by a curved wall. Their masonry consists of unevenly hewn rubble stone . On the east side, round arched portals with keystones, closed with brickwork and bordered with rustication, led into the interior. Simple cornices run around 1.5 m high. There are entry holes above and below the cornice and in the lantern . The towers close with slate-covered conical roofs .
Beyond the gate is the East Lodge. It once served as the ranger's residence. It was built in 1846 by William Burn and David Bryce and redesigned in 1911. The building has a T-shaped floor plan. Several gables emerge along the facade. They are designed as a simple stepped gable . The final roofs are covered with slate.
West Lodge
The West Lodge marks the western entrance to the property on today's B942. It was designed by William Burn and David Bryce. The one-story building is asymmetrical. A newer extension with Harl- plastered facades continues on the east side . The roofs are slated.
The decorative wrought iron portal dates from the 1940s. Its two portal posts are designed in the style of obelisks . The round outer posts along the road close with cone-shaped caps. They are connected to the inner posts by a flat, curved wall.
bridge
Beyond the lodge, an access road leads to Balcaskie House. A single arch bridge spans the Dreel Burn near the mansion . It was built in 1828 based on a design by William Burns. The wide, brick-lined arch is depressed. Balustrades delimit the roadway on both sides. They close with octagonal posts with seated balls.
North gate
The north gate marks the beginning of the northern access avenue. It is located several hundred meters northeast of the mansion. The flanking goal posts date from the middle of the 18th century. They are designed with square floor plans and rusticated masonry. Bullets sit on. The wrought iron gate was created by Robert Lorimer in 1919.
grange
A few hundred meters east of Balcaskie House is the former estate. It was built by William Lees in the 1830s . Lees probably used a draft by William Burns for this. The western wing was added in 1843. Three elongated buildings are arranged around a courtyard open to the south. Its masonry consists of roughly hewn quarry stone. In the middle of the north facade, an arched archway leads to the inner courtyard. The manor has meanwhile been used as living space.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
- ↑ a b Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
- ↑ a b c Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
- ↑ a b c Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
- ↑ a b Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
- ↑ a b Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
- ↑ a b Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
- ↑ a b Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
- ↑ a b c d Garden and Designed Landscape - entry . In: Historic Scotland .
Web links
- Entry on Balcaskie House in Canmore, Historic Environment Scotland database
Coordinates: 56 ° 13 ′ 20.5 " N , 2 ° 46 ′ 5.3" W.