Bowhill House facts for kids
Bowhill House is a beautiful old house located near Selkirk in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. It's one of the main homes of the Duke of Buccleuch, who is a very important Scottish noble. This amazing house is protected as a special historic building, and its large gardens are also famous. Bowhill House is part of the Historic Houses Association, which helps look after important historic homes.
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What is the History of Bowhill House?
Early Days of Bowhill
The first house at Bowhill was built in 1708. It was made for John Murray, Lord Bowhill, who was a Scottish judge. His brother, William Murray, had bought the land for the house back in 1690. Later, in 1747, Francis Scott, 2nd Duke of Buccleuch, bought Bowhill. He bought it for his son, Lord Charles Scott, who wanted to become a Member of Parliament for the local area.
Growing and Changing the House
In 1767, Henry, the third Duke, started planting many trees around the house, creating beautiful forests. Around 1800, Charles, the fourth Duke, began to change the house a lot. It used to be just a summer house, but he turned it into a grand villa with a special gallery hall. This is when the famous Buccleuch art collection really started to grow. Charles and his wife Elizabeth brought together art from three important family lines: Montagu, Douglas, and Scott.
Walter, the fifth Duke, made even more changes to Bowhill House. In 1831, he moved the main entrance from the south side to the north side. The house was finally finished in 1876, and by then it was 437 feet (133 m) long!
What Art Can You See at Bowhill House?
Bowhill House is home to a huge private art collection. It's one of the most important collections in the world! In the dining room, you can see amazing paintings by famous artists like Canaletto, Gainsborough, and Reynolds.
This incredible collection has been gathered over 600 years. It includes about 1,000 tiny paintings called miniatures, and 500 larger paintings. There are also many beautiful decorative objects known as objets d'art. People say that the Buccleuch collection of miniatures is the second best in the world, after only the Royal Collection owned by the British Royal Family.
The whole collection is displayed in three different places: Bowhill House, Drumlanrig Castle, and Boughton House.
Can You Visit Bowhill House?
Yes, you can! The gardens and the house are open to the public at certain times of the year. When you visit, you can enjoy lovely walks around the grounds. There's even an adventure playground for kids, which makes it a fun day out for families.
See also
- List of places in the Scottish Borders
- Treasure Houses of Britain – a 1985 TV series that featured Bowhill and other Buccleuch properties.
