Paxton House, Berwickshire facts for kids
Paxton House is a beautiful old country house in the Scottish Borders. It's located near Berwick-upon-Tweed, right by the River Tweed. This amazing house is now open for everyone to visit!
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Paxton House: A Grand Scottish Home
Paxton House was built a long, long time ago, between 1758 and 1766. A man named Patrick Home of Billie had it built. He hoped it would impress a princess from Prussia! Sadly, it didn't work, but he still ended up with a magnificent home.
Building a Dream Home
Famous architects like James Adam and John Adam helped design the house. Later, Robert Adam added many beautiful details inside. Even the furniture was special, made by the famous Thomas Chippendale.
Much later, in 1812-1813, an architect named Robert Reid added the East Wing. This new part of the house was built to hold a large library and an art gallery.
Who Lived Here?
Over the years, many different families lived at Paxton House. After Patrick Home, people like Alexander Home and his son George Home lived there.
In 1852, a woman who inherited the house was married to David Milne. He then changed his name to David Milne-Home. The house stayed in the same family for a very long time. The family names changed from Paxton to Forman-Home, then Milne-Home, and finally Home-Robertson. This happened because the house was passed down through the female side of the family when there were no direct male heirs.
A Home for Everyone: Today's Paxton House
In 1988, the last owner, John David Home Robertson, decided to make Paxton House a special place for everyone. He put the house and its beautiful grounds into a trust called the Paxton House Historic Building Preservation Trust.
Now, Paxton House is open to the public. You can visit and explore its history and beauty. It's also a special "Partner Gallery" with the National Galleries Scotland.
A Home for Art: The Paxton House Gallery
In 1780, Patrick Home of Wedderburn returned home after traveling around Europe for eight years. He had collected many British and European paintings. Sadly, he passed away before his paintings were even unpacked!
Later, Jean Home inherited the house and the paintings. She hired the architect Robert Reid to build the East Wing. This new wing was designed to hold a library and a large gallery for all the paintings. Today, this gallery is the only room that still holds a collection of paintings.
The Paxton Trust and National Galleries Scotland have worked together to restore the gallery. They made it look just like it did originally. While Patrick Home's original paintings are now in different places, a collection from the National Gallery is displayed there. These paintings are hung in the style of the 19th century, just as they would have been long ago.
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