Hill of Tarvit facts for kids
The Hill of Tarvit is a beautiful country house and its gardens located in Fife, Scotland. It was designed in the early 1900s by a famous architect named Sir Robert Lorimer. Today, this special place is looked after by the National Trust for Scotland, which is a charity that protects important places in Scotland.
Contents
What is Hill of Tarvit?
Hill of Tarvit is located on a hillside, about 2.4 kilometers (1.5 miles) south of Cupar, a town in Fife. The property includes about 16 hectares (40 acres) of gardens and a much larger area of 113 hectares (279 acres) of open land. This land has woodlands, grassy park areas, farms, and open heathland, offering amazing views all around.
Between 1905 and 1906, the house and gardens were completely updated for the Sharp family. Sir Robert Lorimer, a well-known Scottish architect, led this project. He filled the house with beautiful French and Chippendale-style furniture, delicate porcelain, and many paintings collected by F. B. Sharp.
Today, the National Trust for Scotland manages the house and its large estate. They have kept Lorimer's original designs and furnishings, so visitors can see exactly how it looked over a hundred years ago. You can explore the fancy rooms where the Sharp family lived, and also see the "below-stairs" areas where the servants worked. There's even a 9-hole golf course that has been brought back to life. You can play golf there using old-fashioned wooden clubs and softer golf balls, just like people did in the Edwardian era!
A Look Back in Time: Hill of Tarvit's History
The area where Hill of Tarvit stands has a very long history, going all the way back to the Iron Age. In 1946 and 1947, archaeologists dug up the remains of an ancient home at the top of Tarvit Hill. They found a large circular wooden house, about 17 meters (56 feet) across, surrounded by an oval earth bank. It's believed this house was used between 200 BC and AD 200, and it was rebuilt at least twice during that time.
Scotstarvit Tower: A Stronghold
Around the year 1500, a building called Scotstarvit Tower was built about 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) southwest of Hill of Tarvit. The Inglis family, who owned the land, built this tower as the main building for their estate. In 1611, the tower was sold to Sir John Scott of Scotstarvit. Sir John rebuilt much of the tower in the 1620s. You can still see the date 1627 on a piece of the tower's old fireplace, which is now part of the fireplace in Hill of Tarvit's smoking room.
Wemyss Hall: The First Mansion
After 1696, the estate, then known as Unthank, was changed by John Wemyss of Unthank. He didn't use the old defensive tower anymore and built a new, grand house where Hill of Tarvit stands today. He called this new house "Wemyss House." It's thought that the architect for this house might have been Sir William Bruce. Over the next centuries, the house grew bigger, with extra service wings added to the back, including one in the 1840s. This house was then largely rebuilt in 1907 by Robert Lorimer.
Hill of Tarvit: A Modern Home
In 1904, Frederick Bower Sharp bought Wemyss Hall and its large estate, which was about 495 hectares (1223 acres) at the time. Sharp's family had become very wealthy from the jute industry in Dundee. They owned mills and even sold cloth for sandbags during the American Civil War. Frederick also invested in other businesses, including railways. He wanted a new family home that was easy to reach from Dundee and close to his favorite golf course, The Royal and Ancient Golf Club in St Andrews. He also needed a place to display his huge collection of paintings, tapestries, furniture, and porcelain.
While the location of Wemyss Hall was perfect, the house itself wasn't grand enough for his collection. So, he hired Sir Robert Lorimer, an architect who had recently transformed Kellie Castle, which was only about 16 kilometers (10 miles) away. Over the next two years, the new mansion, named Hill of Tarvit, replaced the main part of the old house. However, the service wings at the back were kept. The new house was built with all the latest features, including electricity, an internal phone system, and central heating. In 1924, Sharp added a 9-hole golf course to the south of the house.
Frederick's wife, Beatrice White, was born in 1864. Her father was also a wealthy trader. Beatrice married Frederick in 1896. Her older brother, J Martin White, was a Member of Parliament. He and his father had installed electricity in their own house in 1881, which might have been the first house in Scotland to have its own electricity! Because of her background, Beatrice was very good at helping Frederick modernize Hill of Tarvit. She was known for her excellent housekeeping and for being a wonderful host.
Hugh Sharp, Frederick and Beatrice's only son, was born in 1897. He inherited the house when his father passed away in 1932. Hugh had served bravely in World War I. He added to the house's collections, especially rare books and interesting plants, many of which you can still see in the gardens today. In 1937, Hugh was traveling by train to meet his fiancée. Sadly, he was one of 35 people who died when his train crashed into another one at Castlecary.
His mother, Beatrice, continued to live at Hill of Tarvit until she passed away in 1946. Two years later, after his sister Elizabeth died, the house and the family's collections were given to the National Trust for Scotland. A large amount of money was also given to help maintain the property. Hugh's collection of books was given to the National Library of Scotland.
Until 1977, only the ground floor of the house was open to the public, and only if you made an appointment. The upper floors were used by the Marie Curie Foundation as a place for people to recover from illness. The fireplace in the billiard room originally came from Scotstarvit Tower. The monument at the top of Tarvit Hill was once a market cross in Cupar. It was apparently won in a game of cards!
Images for kids
-
"Below stairs" – the kitchen
-
The library
-
Scotstarvit Tower
-
The flower garden
-
The golf course
