Mavisbank has been saved for the nation after a grant of £5.3 million will pay for its restoration.
The house is 300 years and 50 years the building almost burned to the ground.
Campaigners have laboured for decades to save the architectural gem, Mavisbank in Midlothian, Scotland, from collapse following the catastrophic fire. Its terrible condition and its uncertain ownership have left this ‘Category A’ masterpiece in a derelict and highly perilous state.
The National Heritage Memorial Fund has awarded the major grant to the Landmark Trust towards the rescue and stabilisation of Mavisbank.
This grant will enable Landmark to safeguard the house.
Kelly Parry, Midlothian Council Leader Councillor said: “We have long supported the opportunity to restore Mavisbank House, so this is wonderful news. Once the full funding package is in place, we will use our compulsory purchase powers to help secure a future for this important building.”
The Landmark Trust and Midlothian Council will pursue the Compulsory Purchase of Mavisbank, before Landmark embarks on the complete preservation of the standing remains. A second phase is planned to involve the restoration of the house with extensive opportunities for people to learn traditional skills and follow the work in progress. The end use is expected to be a mixture of accommodation for short residential stays and public access, including regular free open days.
Dr Anna Keay OBE, Director of the Landmark Trust said: “This is a once-in-a-lifetime moment. Mavisbank has hung by little more than a thread for so long, with demolition seriously contemplated on more than one occasion. The Landmark Trust is absolutely thrilled that through this grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund, and the support and expertise of many others, we can start the process of saving it.”
Anna Eavis, Chair of the National Heritage Memorial Fund panel added: “Mavisbank House is a building of outstanding importance to Scottish and UK national heritage and the National Heritage Memorial Fund is delighted to make this award to save it from being lost forever. This funding will enable the Landmark Trust to acquire Mavisbank House and safeguard the historic fabric of the Category A building, laying the foundations for a sustainable and brighter future.”
Mavisbank House, just outside Edinburgh, was built by celebrated Scottish architect William Adam in 1723. The house was a summer residence for John Clerk of Penicuik, a leading figure of the Scottish Enlightenment, and signatory of the Act of Union (1707), whose European travels provided the inspiration for its design. Mavisbank was a pioneering example of a neo-Classical style which William Adam’s son Robert Adam and others would develop for Edinburgh’s New Town a generation later. Mavisbank was built by a workforce of outstanding Scottish craftspeople whose names and individual contributions are recorded in remarkable detail in the surviving archive.
To donate or to find out more, including to read a detailed history of Mavisbank House, visit Landmark’s website:
https://www.landmarktrust.org.uk/support-us/projects-and-appeals/saving-mavisbank-house
All images © Stewart Attwood Photography 2024.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
