Caroline Park is a 17th-century mansion in the Granton area of

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

. It was constructed between 1683 and 1696 for

Sir George Mackenzie Sir George Mackenzie of Rosehaugh (1636 – May 8, 1691) was a Scottish lawyer, Lord Advocate, essayist and legal writer. Early life Mackenzie, who was born in Dundee, was the son of Sir Simon Mackenzie of Lochslin (died c. 1666) and Elizabe ...

, 1st

Viscount Tarbat A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicial ...

, and his wife Anna. It is protected as a

category A listed building Category, plural categories, may refer to: Philosophy and general uses *Categorization, categories in cognitive science, information science and generally *Category of being * ''Categories'' (Aristotle) *Category (Kant) * Categories (Peirce) * ...

for its "sophisticated French-influenced principal (south) elevation and some very fine intact internal features".

History

Jacobite broadside - Iscription about North Door of Royston House

Around 1585, Andrew Logan built a mansion on the site, known as Royston House, it was an L-plan building. Between 1683 and 1696 the house was completely rebuilt by Sir George Mackenzie on a quadrangular plan. In 1739

John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll Field Marshal John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll, 1st Duke of Greenwich, (10 October 1680 – 4 October 1743), styled Lord Lorne from 1680 to 1703, was a Scottish nobleman and senior commander in the British Army. He served on the contine ...

, purchased the house and renamed it Caroline Park after his daughter. He commissioned William Adam to design an extension, which was built in 1740–1741. By 1793 it had been inherited by

Henry Scott, 3rd Duke of Buccleuch Henry Scott, 3rd Duke of Buccleuch and 5th Duke of Queensberry KG FRSE (2 September 174611 January 1812) was a Scottish nobleman and long-time friend of Sir Walter Scott. He is the paternal 3rd great-grandfather of Princess Alice, Duchess of G ...

. In the 19th century it was leased to tenants including Henry Cockburn and Alicia Scott, composer of the tune ''

Annie Laurie "Annie Laurie" is an old Scottish song based on a poem said to have been written by William Douglas (1682?–1748) of Dumfriesshire, about his romance with Annie Laurie (1682–1764). The words were modified and the tune was added by Alicia Sco ...

''. After undergoing various changes throughout the centuries, during the 1980s the building fell into a state of disrepair having been surrounded by developments since the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

. After years of independent renovation work, the house and its modest grounds have been returned to close to their former state, and are once again in domestic use. The privately owned house features Italian plaster-work and painted ceilings, intricate wrought iron balustrades, wooden panels and carvings.

References

External links

Caroline Park
Gazetteer for Scotland Granton, Edinburgh Houses in Edinburgh Houses completed in 1696 Category A listed buildings in Edinburgh 1696 establishments in Scotland {{edinburgh-stub