Touch house

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Touch House is a country house about four kilometers west of Stirling in the Scottish administrative unit of the same name . The house is at the foot of the Touch Hills on the south bank of the Forth . Part of the country house is a 16th century tower house , but its current form dates from the mid-18th century; at that time the south facade was added, which Historic Scotland calls "probably the most beautiful Georgian facade in Stirling".

Historic Scotland has listed the house as a Category A Historic Building and the property has been listed on the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland .

history

The name of the property is derived from the Scottish-Gaelic "Tulach" (German: little hill) and was first mentioned in 1329 as a tulch . The Touch property was owned by the Frasers ; There has been a tower house there since the 14th century. In the middle of the 15th century, Alexander Seton, a member of the powerful Seton clan , bought the property and for 1480 his son Alexander is listed as the 1st Laird of Touch. Elizabeth Seton inherited Touch in 1742 and Bonnie Prince Charlie was her guest in 1745 , a few days before the Battle of Prestonpans on September 21 . Elizabeth married Hugh Smith , who took the name Seton , and the couple had the house expanded. The architect could have been a certain John Steinson , who otherwise does not appear in architectural history. However, the names of William Adam (1689–1748) and his son, John Adam (1721–1792) are associated with the style.

Hugh Seton went into debt for the construction of the country house and he continued to borrow money for agricultural improvements, such as the drainage of the floodplain of the Forth. Eventually he was thrown into the guilty prison at Dover Castle , but left the land to him. His son, Archibald Seton (1758-1818), joined the East India Company in 1779 and later became a member of the Supreme Court of Fort William in Calcutta and Lieutenant Governor of the Prince of Wales Islands . Touch House was administered in his absence by his brother-in-law, Sir Henry Seton-Steuart of Allanton . Sir Henry is responsible for today's park around the house; he had asked Thomas White to do the planning. A million trees are said to have been planted on the property.

In 1866, the Seton-Steuart branch of the family inherited the property and then leased it; the owners lived in Allanton . In 1928 the property was sold by Sir Douglas Seton-Steuart, 5th Baronet , to Mr. CA Buchanan . Sir Robert Lorimer was commissioned to restore the interior. Touch House was used as a rest home for soldiers during World War II , but was taken over by the Buchanans again after the war.

description

The south facade ends with a decorative gable on which the coat of arms of the Setons von Touch is depicted. The rear of the building dates from the 16th and 17th centuries, including the Tower House on the east side. The stables from the 18th century were rebuilt and are now rented out as offices.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  2. ↑ Garden and Designed Landscape - entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  3. ↑ James Johnston: The Place Names of Stirlingshire . RS Shearer & Son. 1904. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
  4. ↑ a b c d Garden and Designed Landscape - entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  5. ↑ a b Touch House . In: Gazetteer for Scotland . Retrieved February 14, 2018.

Sources and web links

Coordinates: 56 ° 6 ′ 40 "  N , 4 ° 0 ′ 22.3"  W.