Arniston House facts for kids
Arniston House is a beautiful historic house in Midlothian, Scotland. It is located near the village of Temple. This grand Georgian mansion was designed by the famous architect William Adam in 1726. He built it for Robert Dundas, of Arniston, the elder, who was a very important judge called the Lord President of the Court of Session. The western part of the house was added later, in 1753. This addition was designed by John Adam, who was William's son.
The Story of Arniston House
The land around Arniston Estate has a long history. In the Middle Ages, it was a special hunting park for kings and queens. Later, a group called the Knights Templar owned the land. They are the reason the nearby village is named Temple!
The Dundas family bought the estate in 1571. George Dundas of Dundas Castle purchased it. He then left the land to his younger son, James. Around 1620, James built a house and a walled garden on the estate. The family continued to expand the estate over the years.
Robert Dundas (who lived from 1685 to 1753) was a lawyer and politician. He held important jobs like Solicitor General for Scotland and Lord Advocate. He was also a Member of Parliament. In 1726, he asked William Adam to design a new house at Arniston. William Adam was also working on another house nearby called Mavisbank. Arniston was planned to be even bigger.
The new house was built on top of the old 17th-century house's foundations. However, Robert Dundas ran out of money during the building. The house was finally finished after 1753. By then, William Adam had passed away. His oldest son, John Adam (1721–1792), designed the western part of the house. This was for Robert Dundas' son, Robert Dundas, of Arniston, the younger (1713–1787).
In 1872, a new entrance hall was added to the front of the house. This was designed by architects Wardrop and Brown. Today, members of the Dundas family still live in Arniston House. In the summer, they open their home to the public and give guided tours.
How the House Looks
Arniston House has three main floors, plus a basement level. The front of the house, where you enter, faces north. It has nine sections, called "bays." The middle sections have tall, grand Ionic columns that reach up two floors. These columns are topped with a triangular part called a pediment. The two sections at each end of the house stick out a little bit.
There are also two smaller buildings, called pavilions, on either side of a front courtyard. These are connected to the main house by diagonal hallways. The 19th-century entrance hall sticks out into this courtyard. The back of the house, which faces the garden, is simpler. It has a pediment but no columns. The Royal coat of arms of Scotland in the pediment might have come from Parliament House in Edinburgh. This building was updated around the same time.
Inside, one of the most impressive rooms is William Adam's two-story saloon. It has a gallery and beautiful plasterwork by Joseph Enzer. The dining room and drawing room are decorated in a fancy style called Rococo, designed by the Adam brothers. You can also see family portraits painted by famous artists like Sir Henry Raeburn and Allan Ramsay.
The Gardens and Park
William Adam also designed a semi-formal park around Arniston House. This design built upon the older, more formal gardens from the late 1600s. Over the 18th century, the park slowly changed to a more natural, informal style.
In 1791, a landscape gardener named Thomas White (1736–1811) planned a new park. He designed it in the informal style of another famous gardener, Capability Brown. Planting continued into the 1800s. Today, a formal garden from the 19th century sits where an 18th-century "wilderness" garden used to be.
See Also
- List of William Adam works
