Malleny House and Garden facts for kids
The Malleny House and Garden is a historic house and garden. It is owned by the National Trust for Scotland. You can find it in Balerno, about 6 miles (10 km) southwest of Edinburgh, Scotland.
The gardens are famous for their very old, large yew trees. They also have one of the biggest collections of roses in Scotland. Experts say Malleny is very important for its old buildings and amazing plants. It has a special collection of old shrub roses. The house, gardens, and other buildings nearby are all protected as important historic sites.
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Malleny House: A Look Inside Its History
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Building the House
Malleny House as we see it today was mostly built between 1635 and the late 1600s. People think a famous architect, Sir James Murray of Kilbaberton, designed the main part of the house. The house also includes parts of an even older building from 1589.
The house has two floors. Over time, it was made bigger. Around 1820, a round, dome-shaped extension was added for General Thomas Scott. There's also an old dovecote (a building for doves or pigeons) from the early 1700s. It had space for 915 nests!
Who Owned Malleny House?
Malleny House has had many owners over the years. The Knychtsounes family lived there first. Then, Sir William Scott and his son, Sir John Scott, took over. The Scott family owned the estate for many generations. This included General Thomas Scott.
In 1882, the house and gardens were bought by the 5th Earl of Rosebery. After that, different people rented the house. One tenant was Thomas Gibson-Carmichael, 1st Baron Carmichael. He added a lot of beautiful ironwork to the garden.
Later, in 1960, Commander and Mrs. Gore-Browne Henderson bought the house. During their time, some of the old yew trees were removed. However, they added many more roses to the garden. In 1968, the house, gardens, and other buildings were given to the National Trust for Scotland. The Trust now looks after this special place for everyone to enjoy.
Exploring Malleny Garden
What You Can See in the Garden
The garden at Malleny is open to visitors. It's a 3-acre (1.2 hectare) walled garden. This garden is surrounded by about nine acres of woodland.
A special feature of the garden is four very old yew trees. They are over 100 years old and are known as the "Four Apostles." The garden also has more than 150 different types of roses. This includes a national collection of 19th-century shrub roses. This means it's a very important place for these types of roses!
The way the garden looks today was mostly created in the mid to late 1800s. You can also see two old Victorian glasshouses in the garden. These were used to grow plants that needed extra warmth.
Is the House Open to Visitors?
While the garden is open to the public, the house itself is not. You can explore the beautiful outdoor spaces, but you cannot go inside Malleny House.
How to Visit Malleny Garden
To get to the gardens, you cross a stone bridge over the Bavelaw burn. This is on the edge of Balerno. There is only a very small car park at the site. However, you can find lots of free parking in Balerno village itself.
