Lennoxlove House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lennoxlove House |
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Lennoxlove, with the original tower house of Lethington in the foreground
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Listed Building – Category A
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| Official name: Lennoxlove House or Lethington | |
| Designated | 5 February 1971 |
| Reference no. | LB10814 |
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Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland
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| Official name: Lennoxlove (Lethington) | |
| Criteria | Historical Architectural |
| Designated | 1 July 1987 |
| Reference no. | GDL00259 |
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Lennoxlove House is a beautiful old house located in woodlands near Haddington, Scotland. It started as a 15th-century tower, once called Lethington Castle. Over the years, it has been made bigger many times, especially in the 1600s, 1800s, and 1900s.
This house is very important and is protected as a special historic building. Experts at Historic Scotland call it "one of Scotland's most ancient and notable houses." The surrounding woodlands are also special, listed as important gardens and landscapes in Scotland. Today, Lennoxlove House is the home of the Duke of Hamilton and Brandon.
Contents
The History of Lennoxlove House
Early Owners: The Maitland Family
The land where Lennoxlove House stands was bought by Robert Maitland of Thirlestane in 1345. The Maitland family built the very first part of the house. This was a strong tower house, shaped like the letter 'L', located at the southwest side of the building.
Many important members of the Maitland family lived here. These included the poet Richard Maitland and his son William Maitland of Lethington. William was a very important person who worked as the Secretary of State for Mary, Queen of Scots.
In 1548, Mary of Guise, who was Mary, Queen of Scots' mother, visited Lethington. The next year, English soldiers burned parts of the house. Later, William's uncle, John Maitland, 1st Lord Maitland of Thirlestane, became the owner. He was a powerful person who served as the Chancellor of Scotland.
Changes and New Ideas
In 1674, Lennoxlove was one of the first places in Scotland to try a new way of farming called "enclosure." This meant dividing the land into neat, rectangular fields. Around 1676, a coach house was built at Lennoxlove, designed by a famous architect named Sir William Bruce.
The Maitland family owned the house until after the death of John Maitland, 1st Duke of Lauderdale in 1682. He was born at Lennoxlove. His second wife, Elizabeth Maitland, Duchess of Lauderdale, had special rooms furnished for her. Her bedroom had fancy Indian satin curtains and an Indian cabinet.
How Lennoxlove Got Its Name
The house was bought in 1702 by the people managing the money for Frances Teresa Stuart, Duchess of Richmond and Lennox. She wanted the house to go to her relative, Walter Stuart. She said the property should be called "Lennox's Love to Blantyre." This long name was later shortened to Lennoxlove.
The Blantyre-Stewarts family owned Lennoxlove for almost 200 years. When the last Lord Blantyre died in 1900 without sons, the house went to his daughter, Ellen Stewart. Her husband, Sir David Baird, 3rd Baronet, then owned it. In 1912, their son, Major William Baird, asked the architect Sir Robert Lorimer to do a lot of work to fix up the house.
Since 1946, Lennoxlove has been the home of the Dukes of Hamilton. The 14th Duke bought it then. Today, you can visit Lennoxlove House during the summer. It also hosts special events like weddings and can be rented for private groups.
Lennoxlove Book Festival
A book festival started at Lennoxlove in November 2009. It continued in November 2010, bringing authors and readers together at the historic house.
Amazing Art and Collections
Lennoxlove House holds one of Scotland's most important collections of portraits. These include paintings by famous artists like Anthony van Dyck, Canaletto, and Henry Raeburn. The house also has beautiful furniture, delicate porcelain, and other valuable items. Many of these treasures came from the grand Hamilton Palace, which is no longer standing.
Some of the special items you can find there include:
- A fancy cabinet made by André Charles Boulle, which was a gift to the Duchess from King Charles II.
- A silver jewelry box that supposedly belonged to Mary, Queen of Scots.
- The map and compass carried by Rudolf Hess, who was a high-ranking official in Nazi Germany. He flew to Scotland in 1941 on a secret mission to talk with the 14th Duke of Hamilton about peace between Britain and Germany.
A very rare and important 17-piece silver-gilt set for washing and grooming, called a "toilet service," was found at Lennoxlove in 1900. It was made in Paris around 1672, likely for Frances Teresa Stuart, Duchess of Richmond and Lennox. This beautiful set can now be seen at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.
Lennoxlove in Literature
Lennoxlove House has even inspired poems! A poem called Lethington was written by Marie Maitland (around 1550-1596). She was one of the younger children of Sir Richard Maitland. It's thought she might have still been living at Lethington Castle when it was taken away from her family in 1571. The poem seems to be about how she felt during that time.
Marie's brother, Thomas Maitland, also wrote a poem in Latin praising Lethington. It was called Domus Ledintona and was published in 1637.
Images for kids
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South side of Lennoxlove House
