Pinkie House

Pinkie House is a historic house, built around a three-storey tower house located in Musselburgh, in East Lothian, Scotland. The house dates back to the sixteenth century, although it was substantially enlarged in the early 17th century, and has been altered several times since. Its location at grid reference gbmappingsmall|NT353927 is to the east of the town centre, on the south side of the High Street. The building now forms part of Loretto School, an independent boarding school. Pinkie House is not far from the site of the disastrous Battle of Pinkie Cleugh, fought in 1547.

History

Pinkie was formerly the country seat of the abbots of Dunfermline, and the tower house was built some time in the 16th century. In 1597, following the Reformation, it passed to Alexander Seton. He served as James VI's chancellor, and was created Earl of Dunfermline in 1605. The young Prince Charles, later Charles I, lived here as a boy, after his father's move to London at the Union of the Crowns in 1603. He slept in what is still known as "The King's Room". In 1607 Seton married his third wife, Margaret Hay of Yester, and from 1613 set about expanding the house, adding a long wing to the south, and decorating the interior. Seton also altered his northern property Fyvie Castle before his death in 1622.

In 1694 the property passed to the Hays, the Marquess of Tweeddale adding a door to the east front. In 1745, following victory at the battle of Prestonpans, Charles Edward Stuart, the "Young Pretender", stayed here, as well as using the building as a field hospital. In 1778 the Hays sold the building to Archibald Hope of Craighall, who made further alterations, and added a stable block. Extensions were carried out in 1825, designed by William Burn.

In 1951 Pinkie House was bought by Loretto School, and altered again in the 1970s, with the addition of two other buildings in the grounds. The south wing now serves as the headmaster's house.

Description

Pinkie House was originally an L-plan tower house, but extensions were added in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. The oldest part comprises a five-storey tower, to which Seton added bartizans and a crenellated parapet. This was attached to a strong three-storey main block with a pitched roof, again altered by Seton with square turrets. Inside there is a vaulted basement, and a wide turnpike stair up to the second storey. The interior has been modernised.

Seton's main addition was the long three-storey south wing, which includes on its upper floor the 96 foot Painted Gallery. His mason may have been William Wallace, although this attribution is only stylistic. [See McWilliam, p.336] On the south facade is a bay window, a feature new to Scotland in the early 17th century. The east facade is dominated by seven tall chimneys. There is a fine wooden ceiling, with classically-inspired paintings in tempera, in the long gallery, as well as many 17th century plaster ceilings. Later interiors are by William Burn. A Latin inscription above the door states that "Alexander Seton built this house not to the measure of his desire, but of his fortunes and estate". [Translated in McWilliam, p.336]

A walled garden lies to the east of the house, with a shelter, doocot, and sundial. There is a Renaissance fountain or draw-well in the corner of the L, to the west of the house. This heavily ornamented structure was built around 1610. [ NMRS Site Reference NT37SW 4.01 [http://lmid1.rcahms.gov.uk/pls/portal/newcanmore.details_gis?inumlink=53874] ]

Tradition

The ghost of Alexander Seton's first wife, Lilias Drummond, is said to haunt the house, sometimes accompanied by a child, as a "Green Lady". She is also said to haunt Fyvie Castle.

References

* Coventry, Martin "The Castles of Scotland", Goblinshead, 2001
* Fenwik, Hubert "Scotland's Castles", Robert Hale Ltd, 1976
* Macnie, Donald Lamond "The New Shell Guide to Scotland", Ebury Press, 1977
* McWilliam, Colin "The Buildings of Scotland:Lothian", Penguin, 1978

*Historic Scotland Listed Building Report [http://hsewsf.sedsh.gov.uk/hslive/portal.hsstart?P_HBNUM=38314]
*National Monuments Record of Scotland Site Reference NT37SW.4.0 [http://lmid1.rcahms.gov.uk/pls/portal/newcanmore.details_gis?inumlink=53873]

External links

* [http://www.lorettoschool.co.uk/loretto/default.asp?p=275#p2 Loretto School: History of Pinkie House]
* [http://lmid1.rcahms.gov.uk/pls/portal/newcanmore.newcandig_details_imgsummary?inumlink=53873 RCAHMS Images on-line] , including a photograph of the painted ceiling.
* [http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/scotgaz/features/moregpix1220.html Gazetteer for Scotland: Pinkie House photograph page]