Preston Hall (Pathhead)

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Preston Hall , also Prestonhall , is a mansion near the Scottish village of Pathhead in the Midlothian Council Area . In 1971, the classicist building was included in the Scottish monument lists in the highest category A. Furthermore, various outbuildings are classified as monuments of the categories A, B or C. Finally, all six Category A buildings together form a Category A monument ensemble.

history

The first mansion on this site was probably built around 1700. The builder was Roderick McKenzie , a lord judge , brother of George Mackenzie, 1st Earl of Cromartie and from 1703 Lord Prestonhall . The 2nd  Duchess of Gordon acquired the property in 1738 and around 1740 commissioned the Scottish architect William Adam to redesign the building. As the daughter of Charles Mordaunt, 3rd Earl of Peterborough , the princess was familiar with agriculture and drove it forward on the lands. In the first half of the 18th century, the grounds of the property were also designed. The basic pattern largely unchanged to this day. Adam Gordon inherited Preston Hall in 1760. He invested heavily in the design of the grounds and sold the property after considering it to be near perfect.

After a long time no buyer had been found for Prestonhall, Alexander Callander acquired the manor house in 1789. By this time it had been neglected for several years, which meant that the substance had suffered. Callander had made his fortune in India and bought Preston Hall and Crichton Castle before returning to Scotland . He hired Robert Mitchell to redesign the property, and the mansion was in such poor condition that it was decided to demolish and rebuild it. Mitchell's work wasn't finished before Callander's death. Preston Hall went to John Callander , Alexander Callander's brother, who entrusted Thomas White with the completion. The work was probably completed in 1801. As part of a redesign in 1832, the entrance was placed on the north side. Preston Hall is still owned by the Callander family to this day.

Outbuildings

North Gate

The north gate marks the north approach to Preston Hall grounds. It is isolated in a forest, set back from a back road to Pathhead, and has no function today. North Gate was built around 1740 and is one of the oldest surviving structures on the site. Two gate pillars flank the entrance. Its masonry is made of quarry stone and is covered with sandstone slabs. The pillars are designed with alternating ribbons made of slabs ornamented with reeds and polished smooth. They close with seated urns decorated with leaf motifs. The backs of the pillars are simpler. The wrought iron , two-winged gate is more recent. North Gate is classified as a Category A Monument.

stables

The stables, located around 200 m northeast of the main building, are classified as category A monuments. They were designed by Robert Mitchell as part of the new Preston Hall building in 1795. A separate access road starting at the Keeper's Lodge ends there when coming from the east. The classically designed stables consist of four elongated buildings that are arranged in a square and encompass an inner courtyard. The approach road from Preston Hall reaches the west side. The masonry on this consists of ashlar, while quarry stone was used on the remaining sides. On the west side, a triangular gable supported by Tuscan columns with an unadorned tympanum crowns the gateway leading to the inner courtyard. This is blocked by a curved, cast-iron gate.

Lion's Gate

Lion's Gate

The main driveway coming from the south, which leads through a forest along the Tynes to Preston Hall, is flanked by the Lion's Gate. It was built by Robert Mitchell around 1795. Lion's Gate consists of two classicist, identical lodges with a square floor plan and a pyramid roof . The blind arched windows on the south side crown triangular gables. Blind walls with balustrades go off to the outside . The gate is between the buildings. It consists of a main driveway flanked by two pedestrian gateways. The driveway is blocked by a richly ornamented cast-iron double-winged gate, while only single-winged gates were built on the pedestrian paths. These are designed with Tuscan columns that support an architrave . On this rest there are lion sculptures made of Coade stone , from which the name of the gate is derived. Lion's Gate is classified both independently as a Category A monument and as part of the Category A ensemble. In 2012 the structure was entered on the Scotland List of Listed Buildings at Risk. His condition is classified as poor.

The Temple

The Temple

"The Temple" is an octagonal structure classified as a Category A building on the grounds of Preston Hall around 700 m north of the main house. It was also built around 1795 according to a plan by Robert Mitchell. The Temple was originally planned as the mausoleum of Alexander Callendar, but he died before it was completed, so that it never fulfilled its intended purpose. The facades consist of sandstone blocks , which are heavily embossed on the base cornice , while sandstone and brick roughly cut into blocks were used in the interior . The east-facing entrance is designed with a round arch and a simple wrought-iron gate. A lantern with eight Tuscan sandstone pillars sits on the roof .

Gardens

Preston Hall Gardens, designed by Mitchell in 1795, are also classified as a Category A Monument. A brick wall surrounds the almost square area. From the main house located around 200 m to the southeast, a path leads through a gateway on the south side to the gardens. As was customary at that time, the complex was designed with two towers that rise opposite the entrance on the north side. One of the towers housed rooms that were used as tea rooms or a library. The gardens are divided into four equally large areas by two crossing main paths. Formerly existing glass houses are no longer preserved today. Another enclosed area adjoins the gardens on the north side. The gardener's former home is located there. The areas were partially equipped with glass houses and were used for growing plants. Today the gardens are unused and overgrown.

Preston Dene House

It is a one to two story villa with a roughly L-shaped floor plan around one kilometer east of Preston Hall. Preston Dene House was built as the property manager's residence in 1891 to a design by Scottish architect John Kinross . The masonry of the Arts and Crafts style villa consists of sandstone blocks of irregular size. The building has been classified as a Category B monument since 1979.

Preston Cottage

Preston Cottage is located at the intersection of the B6367 and a back road approximately 600 meters southeast of Preston Hall. A previous building from the first half of the 18th century existed at the same location. From the plans of the 1790s it can be seen that in the course of the redesign, originally flanking cottages were planned according to those at Lion's Gate. Obviously these were not carried out. Preston Cottage dates from the mid 19th century. It is a one-story building with an L-shaped floor plan. A layered masonry made of cut quarry stone was chosen. The entrance area on the southeast side is designed with pilasters . The building closes with a slate hipped roof . Two square posts with pyramidal ends flank the access road to the building. Preston Cottage has been a Category C Monument since 2003.

Keeper's Lodge

Access road to the stables. Parts of the Keeper's Lodge can be seen on the right.

The Keeper's Lodge is also a Category C monument. It is located on the B6367 approximately 600 east of Preston Hall. The one-story building was built in the middle of the 19th century. It closes with two parallel hip roofs covered with slate. On the east side, chimneys protrude from the center of the hips. There is a short extension to the rear. While the masonry on the south-facing front side is clad with ashlar stones, the quarry stone masonry comes to light on the remaining sides. The entrance area is designed with a wooden canopy. The access road to the stables runs south of the lodge. This is flanked by massive goal posts made of stone blocks. A pedestrian path leads to the left of the access road. There is a wrought-iron, single-leaf gate.

Icehouse

It is an ice house isolated about halfway between Preston Hall and the Tyne. The building dates from the late 18th century and has the characteristics of such a building typical of that period. The largely unadorned house is located on a slight hill to support the drainage of water. Food was stored on a layer of straw that covered an ice store. Once filled with ice, one assumes a cooling period of three years. The masonry consists of rubble from sandstone and is partially plastered.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  2. ↑ a b Garden and Designed Landscape - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  3. ↑ Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  4. ↑ Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  5. ↑ Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  6. ↑ Entry on buildingsatrisk.org.uk
  7. ↑ Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  8. ↑ Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  9. ↑ Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  10. ↑ Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  11. ↑ Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  12. ↑ Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .

Web links

Coordinates: 55 ° 52'52.1 "  N , 2 ° 58'11.1"  W.