House of the Binns facts for kids
The House of the Binns, often called simply the Binns, is a special old house in West Lothian, Scotland. It has been the home of the Dalyell family for a very long time. The house was first built in the early 1600s. Tam Dalyell, a well-known politician, lived here until he passed away in 2017.
The land around the house covers two hills, which are called bens in an old Scottish language called Gaelic. This is where the name "Binns" comes from, meaning "the house of the hills." The estate has 200 acres (about 80 football fields) of beautiful parkland. From the house, you can see amazing views of central Scotland. To the north, you can see across the River Forth to the Highlands. To the south, you can see the Pentland Hills. Inside the house, there are many old items like porcelain dishes, furniture, and family portraits. These items tell the story of the Dalyell family's life and interests over many centuries.
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History of the Binns Estate
People might have lived on Binns Hill even in ancient times, long before written records. It's thought that a fort belonging to the Picts, an old Scottish people, might have been here.
The first written records about the land, called "Bynnis," are from 1335. By 1478, there was definitely a large house, or manor house, here. Records show that Archibald Meldrum owned it then. In 1599, James Lord Lyndsay owned it before selling it to Sir William Livingston.
In 1612, a rich and important businessman from Edinburgh, Thomas Dalyell, bought the estate. Thomas Dalyell made his money by selling butter. He brought butter from Orkney to Leith (which was used as axle grease for carts). In 1601, he married the daughter of Edward, Lord Kinloss. When the Scottish King, James VI, also became King of England, Lord Kinloss got an important job in London. Thomas Dalyell then got a very good job helping him. He earned enough money to return to Scotland and become a landowner. He bought "the lands of Bynnis and Croceflattis with the manor place." The Dalyell family has lived there ever since.
Between 1621 and 1630, Thomas Dalyell rebuilt the original house. Some parts of the inside still look like they did back then. For example, the front of the house on the north-west side, and the decorations in the High Hall and King's Room. The King's Room was made hoping that King Charles I would visit, but he never did. These rooms still have some of the oldest decorative borders and shapes made from plaster in Scotland. Thomas Dalyell's son, General Sir Tam Dalyell, who was famous for supporting the King, continued to improve the house. He added the first towers and the western part of the building.
Today, the house mostly looks like it did after changes in the mid-1700s and early 1800s. In the 1740s, Robert Dalyell added the dining-room and a morning room. Around 1810, an architect named William Burn changed the building to the Scottish baronial style. This style looks like old Scottish castles, with more towers and fake battlements. Some of the Gothic decorations on the outside were inspired by the writer Walter Scott, who was a friend of the Dalyell family. Now, the main front of the building has three floors, and the side parts have two floors.
In 1944, Eleanor Dalyell gave the house, its parkland, everything inside, and money for its care to the National Trust for Scotland. This organization helps protect important places in Scotland. She wanted the "history, legend and memory of the Dalyell family" to be kept safe for everyone to enjoy. However, the family was still allowed to live in the house. Sir Tam Dalyell (1932–2017), who was a Member of Parliament, lived in the western part of the house. His wife, Kathleen, now helps the National Trust look after the House of the Binns.
General Tam o' the Binns: A Legendary Figure
The most famous person to live at the House of the Binns was General Sir Tam Dalyell (1615–1685). He was a military leader for both King Charles I and King Charles II. During the English Civil War, he was captured and put in the Tower of London. But he escaped and went to Russia, where he fought for the Tsar. This earned him the nickname "Muscovite De'il," meaning "Devil from Moscow."
He came back to Scotland when the king was restored to power. He became known as "Bluidy Tam" (Bloody Tam) because he was very harsh in stopping the Covenanters, a group who wanted to change the church. In 1678, he became the main military commander in Scotland. In 1681, he started a new army group, or regiment, at the Binns and became its first leader. This regiment, the Royal Regiment of Scots Dragoons, later became the famous Royal Scots Greys in 1877.
Many items that belonged to General Dalyell, including his boots, are still at the Binns. Some of these items are linked to fun, but probably not true, stories about him. One story says that the General played cards with the Devil in this house! Today, in the entrance hall, you can still see the table where he supposedly played. The story goes that the Devil usually won, but one night Tam won. The Devil got so angry that he threw a marble table at Tam. It missed and landed in the Sergeants' Pond outside. Amazingly, a marble table was found when the pond dried up 200 years later! The cards, a special cup, and a spoon, supposedly used in the game, are also shown in the house. The General is said to have told the Devil, who threatened to blow down his house, "I will build me a tower at every corner to hold down my walls!"
Exploring the Parkland
The house is surrounded by 200 acres (about 0.8 square kilometers) of parkland. You can reach it by two roads: the current west drive and the main east drive, which hasn't been used since 1913. The Binns Tower, a special building called a "folly," is at the highest point of the park, Binns Hill. A folly is a building made for decoration, not for living in. This tower was designed in 1826, supposedly after a bet with the owner at the time, Sir James Dalyell. On the west side of Binns Hill, there's a woodland garden with paths leading to the tower. Below the steep slope to the south-west of the Tower is General Tam's cave, where he supposedly went to think.
Besides the folly, the park has other interesting features. Near the west drive, there are old stables that are no longer used and a walled garden. The walled garden was used to grow vegetables for the house until World War II. It was also used as a place to grow trees and shrubs. Near the west drive, you can also see the remains of an old quarry, where stone was dug out. Also close to the west drive is the Sergeant's Pond. This pond was built around 1681 by General Dalyell to provide water for the horses of the Royal Scots Greys regiment. The regiment even used the pond again in 1935 when they camped at the Binns.
In a valley in the south-east part of the park, there's a ruined chapel from the mid-1800s that later became a farmer's cottage. A place for caravans was set up in 1978 near a small wooded area, but it has since closed.
See also
- Dalyell baronets
- List of National Trust for Scotland properties
