Phantassie is an agricultural

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

near

East Linton East Linton is a village and former police burgh in East Lothian, Scotland, situated on the River Tyne and A199 road (former A1 road) five miles east of Haddington, with an estimated population of in . During the 19th century the population ...

, East Lothian, Scotland. It is close to the River Tyne,

Preston Mill Preston Mill is a watermill on the River Tyne at the eastern edge of East Linton on the B1407 Preston Road, in East Lothian, Scotland, UK. It is situated close to Prestonkirk Parish Church, the Smeaton Hepburn Estate, Smeaton Lake, and Ph ...

, and

Prestonkirk Parish Church Prestonkirk Parish Church is a Church of Scotland parish church at East Linton, in the parish of Traprain, East Lothian, Scotland, UK, close to Preston Mill, Smeaton, Phantassie, and the River Tyne. Building The original church is said to ha ...

. The Phantassie Farm and Workshop, presently owned by Hamilton Farmers, is the birthplace and childhood home of the civil engineer John Rennie the Elder (1761–1821), and his brother George Rennie (1749–1828). John Rennie is commemorated at Phantassie by balusters taken from

Waterloo Bridge Waterloo Bridge () is a road and foot traffic bridge crossing the River Thames in London, between Blackfriars Bridge and Hungerford Bridge and Golden Jubilee Bridges. Its name commemorates the victory of the British, Dutch and Prussians at t ...

in London, which he designed. The estate was formerly the property of the Countess of Aberdeen, until purchased by the Rennie family in the 18th century. The 18th century main house is a category A

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

, while the farmstead is category B listed.

Phantassie Doocot

Phantassie Doocot is a "beehive" doocot, or

dovecote A dovecote or dovecot , doocot ( Scots) or columbarium is a structure intended to house pigeons or doves. Dovecotes may be free-standing structures in a variety of shapes, or built into the end of a house or barn. They generally contain pige ...

, and is a

National Trust for Scotland The National Trust for Scotland for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, commonly known as the National Trust for Scotland ( gd, Urras Nàiseanta na h-Alba), is a Scottish conservation organisation. It is the largest membership organi ...

property, along with the nearby

. It was built in the 16th century, and has an unusual parapet in the shape of a horseshoe. Behind the thick walls, there are 544 nestboxes which, in years gone by, would have given good shelter to the birds. The building was given to the National Trust for Scotland in 1961 by William Hamilton of Phantassie Farm, and is a category A listed building. Phantassie walled garden has been used for over 150 years and is dedicated to the rearing of Gloucester and Berkshire pigs, as well as Black Rock hens and organic produce.

Photo gallery

Image:Phantassie Doocot and field.jpg, The doocot and field Image:Phantassie Doocot close.jpg, The beehive doocot at Phantassie Image:Phantassie Doocot 04.jpg, The doocot Image:Doocot closeup.jpg, Horseshoe-shaped parapet of the doocot

References

External links

National Trust for Scotland webpage for Phantassie DoocotFamily life at Phantassie in the mid-1870sAerial photos of Phantassie from RCAHMS
Villages in East Lothian Tourist attractions in East Lothian History of East Lothian Category A listed buildings in East Lothian Dovecotes {{EastLothian-geo-stub