Carberry Tower

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West facade of Carberry Tower

Carberry Tower is a country house about 3 km southeast of Musselburgh in the Scottish administrative division East Lothian . The house was operated by Clarenco LLP , under the AmaZing Venues brand, as a hotel and event location. Then it was sold to a private individual and now runs under Kingsland Estate . Historic Scotland has listed it as a Category B Historic Building.

Carberry Tower from the outside

history

The land on which Carberry Tower stands was first mentioned in the 11th century when King David I bestowed “Caerbairin” (Carberry) on the monks of Dunfermline Abbey . The first landowner or fiefdom was John de Crebarrie , but the first owners of Carberry Tower were the Johnstone family . The first building was a simple residential tower that exuded strength rather than ornament. In 1541, Hugh Rigg , the king's lawyer , leased the land from the abbey. It appears that Rigg had an agreement with the Abbot of Dunfermline about the lease until 1585. Both John Knox and George Buchanan tell the unflattering story that Hugh Rigg advised Regent Arran in 1547 to change the position of the Scottish Army in the nearby Battle of Pinkie Cleugh . Buchanan writes that Hugh Rigg was known for his corpulence rather than his military skills, and Knox suspects that Rigg advised the maneuver to keep the English away from Carberry.

Queen Mary's Mount, Carberry Hill

In June 1567, on Carberry Hill, on the grounds of Carberry , Queen Mary Queen of Scots faced an army of a confederation of their lords. She quickly surrendered to the Lords and was captured. A memorial, Queens's Mount , commemorates the event at this point.

In 1587, after the Scottish Reformation, the land and Carberry Tower were annexed to the Crown and new masters, the Maitlands of Lauderdale , appointed. On April 1, 1600, the Riggs received a charter from Queen Anna , wife of King James VI. that they could still stay on "Carberrie". In 1659 the property fell to Sir Adam Blair of Lochwood , but his family lived there only about 30 years; then the property was given to Sir Robert Dickson of Inveresk , whose son, also named Robert , was the Supreme Baillie of Musselburgh in 1745 , when the rebellious Jacobite troops passed between Musselburgh and Carberry on their way to the Battle of Prestonpans on September 21 of the same year . In 1760, John Fullerton moved into the Carberry Tower and started renovation and expansion work. It seems that over the years the extensions have been built piece by piece in a counter-clockwise direction. Fullerton's niece, Elizabeth , married the Hon. William Elphinstone in 1774 and in 1801 the house fell to the Elphinstone family . Further renovations to the old tower began in 1830.

William Elphinstone, 15th Lord Elphinstone , inherited the property in 1861 and was primarily responsible for the complete remodeling of the property. The arboretum for the cultivation of plants was created in his time. His son, Sydney Herbert, 16th Lord Elphinstone , married Lady Mary Bowes-Lyon , sister of Queen Mum . Young Elizabeth visited her sister and helped with the Red Cross Bazaar held at Carberry Tower in 1915.

The couple had extensive improvements made to both the house and the grounds, particularly with regard to the formal garden layout in 1911. Different species of trees and many other plants have been planted in the park. Sydney Elphinstone died in 1955 and his wife, Lady Mary, died six years later in 1961. Lady Mary bequeathed Carberry Tower to the Church of Scotland . The church used the building as a conference center, had an annex and a chapel built in the park. Most of the property was divided into small parcels and sold, but most of it is now owned by the Buccleuch Estate .

In 2004 Carberry Tower was given to the nonprofit Gartmore House Trust and in 2008 the country house underwent major renovations.

In April 2011, Clarenco LLP , which operates under the AmaZing Venues brand , acquired the property. Once again the country house has been restored for several million pounds and now serves as a hotel and wedding venue.

In June 2015, AmaZing Venues put Carberry Tower up for sale for £ 3m and Kingsland Estate Ltd bought it.

Carberry Festival

Carberry Festival was a Christian arts festival held at Carberry Tower from 1986 to 2008. It was the brainchild of Jock and Margaret Stein , who were overseers at the time and lived there. The festival focused on people connected in worship and activities and peaked in the 1990s. It offered an opportunity to retreat to a very quiet environment, especially for young families, and a house that had retained its non-commercial character at the time. Music was a core element of the festival and the artists were often invited to perform small concerts in the small chapel. Artists came from many countries. Over the years there have been hundreds of Christian artists including Fischy Music , Suzanne Adam , Vangel , Albert Bogle , Riding Lights Theater Company , Yvonne Lyon and Acquitted . A children's program was also offered at the festival, giving parents time to participate in other activities. When the Gartmore House Trust bought the property, the festival ended.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  2. ^ A b c James Paterson: History and Regality of Musselburgh . Retrieved April 11, 2017.
  3. ↑ a b Garden and Designed Landscape - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  4. ↑ Overview of Carberry Tower . In: Gazetteer for Scotland . Retrieved April 11, 2017.
  5. ^ David Laing (editor): Works of John Knox: History of the Reformation in Scotland . Volume 1. Wodrow Society, 1846. p. 211.
  6. ↑ George Buchanan, translated by James Aikman: History of Scotland . Volume 2. Blackie, Glasgow 1827. p. 366.
  7. ↑ Overview of Carberry Hill . In: Gazetteer for Scotland . Retrieved April 11, 2017.
  8. ^ Colin McWilliam: Lothian, except Edinburgh . Series: Pevsner Architectural Guides - Buildings of Scotland . ISBN 0-14-071066-3 .
  9. ↑ Who's that girl? . John Gray Center. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved April 11, 2017. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.johngraycentre.org
  10. ^ A brief history of the house . Gartmore House. Archived from the original on October 22, 2009. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
  11. ^ Carberry Tower . Amazing venues. July 2014. Archived from the original on April 24, 2014. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved April 11, 2014. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.amazingvenues.co.uk
  12. ↑ See inside £ 3m mansion used by the Queen and MI6 . Retrieved April 11, 2017.
  13. ↑ The Carberry Tower Chapel Cover Up . Retrieved April 11, 2017.

Web links

Commons : Carberry Tower  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 55 ° 54 '57.2 "  N , 3 ° 1' 14.2"  W.