Newhailes House

Musselburgh EH21 6RY

Newhailes House

Musselburgh EH21 6RY

Why We Should Visit

The grand rooms of this magnificent house, home for many generations to the Dalrymple family, are filled with artworks and fine furniture. Built in 1686 and remodelled in the 18th century, category A-listed Newhailes is a monument to grandeur and power and, as coal mines were sunk beyond its walls and the railway reached almost to its gates, it became a witness to the social upheavels of the industrial age. Today the house is in sparkling condition but the magnificent landscape that once surrounded it is like a ghost, glimpsed only in shadows and faint outlines, yet still a powerful presence on this historic site.

Story of the Garden

Surrounding Newhailes House is a rare surviving example of an 18th century rococo landscape, a style defined by exuberant decoration and an abundance of curves. It was a form of design that drew heavily on natural forms and romantic allusions and at Newhailes this included creating vistas towards Arthur’s Seat and North Berwick Law.

The garden was laid out by James Smith, a leading horticulturalist and garden designer of the day and he packed it with dazzling features. Today archaeologists have spent time rediscovering these and piecing together the elements that have led to the gardens being considered a work of art.

Highlights

The ha-ha that separates the gardens from the surrounding parkland is a classic 18th century device, allowing the formal areas to blend seamlessly with the wider estate without risk of livestock invading the flowerbeds. The now-empty kitchen garden, with bee boles set into the walls, once provided produce for the house while the obelisk, erected in 1746 and dedicated to the 2nd Earl of Stair, stands today as an anti-Jacobite symbol that is a reminder of the divisions within Scotland at that time.

Elsewhere the remains of both a fruit store and an ice house demonstrate the measures that were needed to preserve food before refrigeration was available.

Don’t Miss

The small, square building with rough stonework that lies tucked away amongst the trees may not look like much today but once this was the glory of Newhailes, a sparkling grotto, encrusted with shells and coral sent home from Canton by William Dalrymple. Excavations of the area directly in front of the grotto have uncovered the remains of a water cascade inlaid with quartz and semi-precious stones.

Anything Else To Look Out For

The ruined tea house is a rare piece of Palladian design. It is a miniature version of the acclaimed bridge at Wilton House in Wiltshire while the Ladies’ Walk, which runs between high banks of earth, would have allowed female residents and visitors to take the air of Musselburgh unseen by estate workers.

Best Time To Visit

Newhailes is not a flower garden and it has none of the Asian or North American conifers and rhododendrons that feature in most estates of a similar age, so in winter it becomes stripped of foliage and it is now that the bones of the design are at their most visible.

Any Recommendations in the Area?

Nearby Inveresk Lodge is surrounded by tranquil gardens that are open year-round. Set on a hillside, the sloping lawns give way to ponds and woodland that are a magnet for wildlife. The 17th century lodge is set around a courtyard and the huge conservatory can be hired for events.

Directions

Newhailes House & Gardens is on Newhailes Road (A6095) on the outskirts of Musselburgh.

Details

Open daily, dawn-dusk. Tickets: £12/£10/£6. Tel: 0131 653 5599

Www.nts.org

Malleny

Ballerno EH14 7AF

Www.nts.org.uk

Tucked away behind high walls in Balerno lies Malleny Garden. This tranquil spot is an attractive mix of formal and informal elements and at its centre stand the ‘Four Apostles’, the only remaining examples of the 12 yew trees that were planted when17th century Malleny House had just been built.

Malleny sits on the banks of the River of Leith, 500ft up in the foothills of the Pentlands and a rare example of a doo-cot with a hog’s back roof stands just outside its gate.

The garden is entered through a wrought iron gate, with an honesty box where visitors can drop the £3 entry fee. Once inside there are

organic vegetable and herb beds as well as heritage greenhouses and in summer the garden is perfumed by a collection of 19th century shrub roses. In winter shrubs with colourful stems and stone benches provide structure.

Malleny is a charming example of the small estates that once clustered around Edinburgh, many of which have been swallowed up as the city grew rapidly from the 19th century onwards.

The garden is open daily and the woodland surrounding it is popular with walkers.

In association with Discover Scottish Gardens. See discoverscottishgardens.org