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 really old and important house in East Lothian, Scotland. It's found in the woodlands near Haddington. The house 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.
Lennoxlove House is a special building, protected by law as a "category A listed building." Historic Scotland calls it "one of Scotland's most ancient and notable houses." The beautiful wooded area around the house is also listed as an important garden. Today, Lennoxlove House is the home of the Duke of Hamilton and Brandon.
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History of Lennoxlove House
The land where Lennoxlove House stands was bought by the Maitland family in 1345. This family built the very first part of the house, which was a tower house. It was shaped like the letter 'L'.
In 1548, Mary of Guise, who was the mother of Mary, Queen of Scots, visited Lethington. The next year, English soldiers burned parts of the house.
Important people from the Maitland family lived here. These included the poet Richard Maitland and his son William Maitland of Lethington. William was a very important person, serving as Secretary of State to Mary, Queen of Scots. Later, the house was owned by William's uncle, John Maitland, 1st Lord Maitland of Thirlestane.
In 1593, James VI of Scotland visited John Maitland at Lethington. John was the Chancellor of Scotland, a very high position in the government.
Around 1674, Lennoxlove was one of the first places in Scotland to divide its land into neat, rectangular fields. This was a new way to manage farms. The coach house, where horse-drawn carriages were kept, was built around 1676. It was designed by a famous architect, Sir William Bruce.
The Maitland family owned Lethington until after John Maitland, 1st Duke of Lauderdale died in 1682. He was born at the house. His second wife, Elizabeth Maitland, Duchess of Lauderdale, had very fancy rooms. In 1674, her bedroom had curtains made of Indian satin and an Indian screen.
How Lennoxlove Got its Name
After the Duke of Lauderdale died, the property was bought in 1702. It was bought by the people looking after the money of Frances Teresa Stuart, Duchess of Richmond and Lennox. She wanted the house to go to her relative, Walter Stuart.
The Duchess said the house should be called "Lennox's Love to Blantyre." This was later made shorter to just Lennoxlove. The house stayed with the Blantyre-Stewarts family for almost 200 years.
In 1900, the last Lord Blantyre died without any sons. So, the house went to his daughter, Ellen Stewart, and her husband. In 1912, their son, Major William Baird, hired a famous architect, Sir Robert Lorimer, to make many improvements to the house.
Today, Lennoxlove is the home of the Dukes of Hamilton. The 14th Duke bought it in 1946. You can visit the house during the summer. It also hosts special events like weddings.
Lennoxlove Book Festival
A book festival started at Lennoxlove in November 2009. It has continued in later years, bringing authors and readers together.
Amazing Collections at Lennoxlove
Lennoxlove House has one of Scotland's most important collections of art. You can see portraits by famous artists like Anthony van Dyck, Canaletto, and Sir Henry Raeburn.
The house also holds many valuable pieces of furniture, fancy dishes, and other beautiful items. Many of these came from the grand Hamilton Palace, which is no longer standing.
Some of the most interesting items include:
- A special cabinet given to the Duchess by King Charles II.
- A silver jewellery box that belonged to Mary, Queen of Scots. People say it held important letters that were used against her.
- The map and compass carried by Rudolf Hess. He was a high-ranking official under Adolf Hitler. Hess flew to Scotland in 1941, hoping to get the 14th Duke of Hamilton to help make peace between Britain and Germany.
A very rare and important 17-piece silver set, called the Lennoxlove toilet service, is now at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. This set was found in its special travel case in a tower room of the house around 1900. It was made in Paris around 1672, likely for Frances Teresa Stuart, Duchess of Richmond and Lennox.
Lennoxlove in Poems
Lennoxlove House has even been written about in poems! A poem called Lethington was written by Marie Maitland in the 1500s. She might have been living at the castle when her brother faced serious accusations. The poem seems to be about her feelings during that time.
Marie's brother, Thomas Maitland, also wrote a poem in Latin praising Lethington. It was called Domus Ledintona.
Images for kids
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South side of Lennoxlove House
