Fordell Castle
| Fordell Castle | ||
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 Fordell Castle |
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| Creation time : | 1567 | |
| Castle type : | Niederungsburg (Tower House) | |
| Conservation status: | Well | |
| Standing position : | Scottish nobility | |
| Construction: | Quarry stone | |
| Place: | Dalgety Bay | |
| Geographical location | 56 ° 3 '12.4 " N , 3 ° 22' 14" W | |
| Height: | 71 m ASL | |
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Fordell Castle is a tower house from the 16th century 2 km northwest of Dalgety Bay and 3.2 km east from Dunfermline in the Scottish county of Fife .
history
The earliest charter in the Hendersons of Fordell papers is dated 1217; Richard , son of Hugh de Camera , bequeathed small parts of his estate from "Fordal" with the consent of his wife and son to the Abbey of Inchcolm . By 1240 William de Hercht owned the Fordell lands; at that time there was a dispute with the Abbey of Inchcolm over the border. There are no other charters on Fordell until the 15th century. By 1465, parts of Fordell's land were already in the hands of John Henrisoun of Fordell , Sargeant of the Barony. At that time he witnessed a charter that was ratified by the Crown between 1488 and 1489. Another piece of land was bought by Alexander Drummond of Ardmore on June 3, 1510 or 1511, the surrender of which was confirmed by King James IV in 1511. In 1567 the Tower House was built on the site of an earlier building. Mary Queen of Scots was staying here when one of her maidservants married George Henderson , the laird of Fordell Castle. The castle was destroyed by fire, but rebuilt around 1580. In 1651 Oliver Cromwell's troops damaged the castle again.
The Hendersons became baronets of England in 1694 during the reign of Charles II , but that title lapsed when the last bearer, Robert-Bruce Henderson , died in 1833. By royal permission of January 14, 1853, his son Douglas Mercer , Colonel of the British Army , and his descendants were allowed to bear the name "Henderson" in addition to his own family name after this and to have the Henderson coat of arms quartered with their (Mercer) coat of arms.
In the 19th century the family had a new country house built nearby, but kept the castle in good condition, including a. The north facade was also renewed in 1855 according to plans by the architect Robert Hay . In 1866 the property fell by marriage to Hew Duncan , the second son of the Earl of Camperdown . The country house was demolished again in the 20th century and today only a few foundations, some masonry and the overgrown remains of human habitation can be seen. Light pine forest has spread in its place, only a stone bridge over an earlier railway line still shows the location of the former entrance in the southeast and the old turning area for wagons stands out as clearing.
The ruins were bought by the lawyer and politician of the Conservative Party Air Nicholas Fairbairn (1933–1995) for £ 100. The castle was renovated and served as a private residence for Sir Nicholas and Lady Samantha Fairbairn (1942–2002). Lady Fairbairn lived there until 1997, when the castle was sold to a local vet and later to the Berry family . In November 2007, Fordell Castle went to an unknown buyer for £ 3,850,000. This price was the fifth highest ever paid in Scotland for a private home. The castle remains a private residence and Historic Scotland has listed it as a Category A Historic Building.
After his death in 1995, Nicholas Fairbairn was laid to rest in the crypt under St. Theriot's Chapel on the castle grounds. The Berry family's initials have been added to the stones surrounding the entrance to the chapel.
estate
There is a chapel on the property dedicated to St. Theriot. It was renovated from 1999 to 2007. There are Italianate-style gardens there that are currently being repaired. The entrance to the castle leads over a bridge over a weir that used to hold back the waters of the Fordell Burn and accumulate a lake, which is now completely silted up. Rhododendrons enclose the former sea and can also be found elsewhere on the property, e.g. B. along the avenues. The castle stands in a thick forest, so you can't really see it from any direction, unless you are standing in front of it or from a great distance from the southwest. The former enclosed garden is now a commercial tree nursery .
Other facilities on the property
The Fordell Day Level comes to light near the castle . This is a mine "river" that connects and drains the outflows from numerous previous coal mines as far as Cowdenbeath . It is now one of Scotland's most polluted waters, channeling iron-contaminated water into the nearby receiving waters. Hargreaves , the successor to sequestrated ATH Resources and still operating open pit mines, has committed to address this issue as part of its consolidation efforts. Several extensions have already been proposed for this mine.
One of Scotland's oldest railways runs 400 meters east of the castle. On the Fordell Railway Route , coal was brought from the Fife coalfields to ships in St David's Bay , now part of the Dalgety Bay settlement. The original wooden sleepers have long since disappeared, but the railway embankments, punctures and stone bridges are still there. The wagons and the rest of the material can be seen in the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. There was a winch house, the exact location of which is unknown, but which is believed to have been next to the home of Vantage Farm . It was used to move coal down the slope to the coast and, more importantly, empty wagons back up.
The former entrance avenue and the gates to the east lead to Vantage Farm , a small home with Scotland's only octagonal pigeon house and beautiful farm buildings such as a clock tower, Grieve's Cottage , a milk processing facility and a three-story barn. Today the home is used exclusively for residential purposes and is currently being rebuilt.
To the west is a lodge called "North Lodge" at the junction of Inverkeithing / Crossgates Road . The "South Lodge" is located on Aberdour Road and used to be the main entrance to the property. The chains at the “North Lodge” were stolen in 2011 and have not yet been replaced.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e Fordell Castle . In: Gazetteer for Scotland . Retrieved July 21, 2017.
- ^ Bernard Burke: A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain and Ireland . Harrison. 1862. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
- ^ Dictionary of Scottish Architects . Entry: Robert Hay .
- ↑ Obituaries: Lady 'Sam' Fairbairn . In: Alt.Obituaries . January 27, 2002. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
- ^ Properties: Fordell Castle, Near Dunfermline, Fife . In: The Scotsman . November 2007. Accessed July 24, 2017.
- ↑ Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
