Menu
Home
People
Places
Arts
History
Plants & Animals
Science
Life & Culture
Technology
Reference.org
Preston Hall, Midlothian
open-in-new
<h2 id="history">History</h2> <p>A house was built here in 1700 for <a href="/facts/Roderick_Mackenzie%2c_Lord_Prestonhall/5HLwACy5">Roderick Mackenzie</a>, brother of the <a href="/facts/George_Mackenzie%2c_1st_Earl_of_Cromartie/7oxBvBKI">Earl of Cromartie</a>, who became a <a href="/facts/Senator_of_the_College_of_Justice/dopzlNpa">law lord</a> as Lord Prestonhall in 1703.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:1" href="#fn:1"><sup>1</sup></a> In 1738 the estate was bought by Henrietta, the widow of <a href="/facts/Alexander_Gordon%2c_2nd_Duke_of_Gordon/k7SAkTeA">Alexander Gordon, 2nd Duke of Gordon</a>, and additions were made to the house in 1740 by <a href="/facts/William_Adam_(architect)/qWKMeVsj">William Adam</a>. Lady Gordon laid out the extensive parkland around the house before her death in 1760, after which work on the estate was continued by her son <a href="/facts/Lord_Adam_Gordon_(British_Army_officer)/SJD6scCj">Lord Adam Gordon</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a> </p><p>In 1789, Preston Hall was purchased by Alexander Callander.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a> Callander had made his fortune in <a href="/facts/British_India/qdbjMfvI">India</a>, and had already purchased the nearby estates of <a href="/facts/Crichton%2c_Midlothian/DLFUksdN">Crichton</a> and <a href="/facts/Elphinstone%2c_East_Lothian/MRrG2X4P">Elphinstone</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> He found the house to be in poor condition, and it was demolished shortly after. Callander hired London-based architect Robert Mitchell to design a replacement house, and the foundation stone was laid on 18 March 1791.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> Alexander Callander died the following year, and the house was completed by his brother John (later Sir John Callander, Bt.) in 1800.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> </p><p>In 1812 the house passed to John Callander's nephew John Alexander Higgins, who left it to his nephew William Burn-Callander <a href="/facts/FRSE/6T9ftn3H">FRSE</a> (1792–1854)<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a> in 1828. Alterations made to the house in the early 19th century included the reversal of the front and rear elevations, and further development of the grounds. A porch was added by <a href="/facts/David_Bryce/9r1okzts">David Bryce</a> in around 1850.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a> The Callander family continue to own Prestonhall.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="architecture">Architecture</h2> <p>The house is considered to be Robert Mitchell's most important architectural work.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a> Mitchell was born in <a href="/facts/Aberdeen/yoH7QeAK">Aberdeen</a> but practised in London from 1782. Moore Place, Hertfordshire, and <a href="/facts/Nelson%2527s_Column%2c_Montreal/yJ0wJIDH">Nelson's Column, Montreal</a>, are among his few other surviving works.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12"><sup>12</sup></a> </p><p>The front facade of Preston Hall has been compared to an illustration in the 1728 <i>Essay in the Defence of Ancient Architecture</i> by Robert Morris, and was considered somewhat dated at the time of its construction.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13"><sup>13</sup></a> The rear is more <a href="/facts/Neoclassical_architecture/tKdIuJwx">neoclassical</a> in style, comprising a large central block flanked by pavilions. The pavilions may predate the main building, possibly being part of William Adam's scheme, albeit remodelled by Mitchell.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14"><sup>14</sup></a> Significant features of the interior include four life-size female figures in the stairway, which are made from <a href="/facts/Coade_stone/9hW7xEcz">Coade stone</a>, a type of ceramic used as an artificial stone.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:15" href="#fn:15"><sup>15</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="estate">Estate</h2> <p>The North Gate into the grounds also survives from the earlier phase, and dates from around 1740.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:16" href="#fn:16"><sup>16</sup></a> The remainder of the estate buildings were designed by Robert Mitchell and built in the 1790s. At the end of a tree-lined vista to the north of the house is the octagonal-plan Temple, originally intended as Alexander Callander's <a href="/facts/Mausoleum/LMhcom0y">mausoleum</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:17" href="#fn:17"><sup>17</sup></a> The south entrance to the grounds is known as the Lion Gate, as the gate piers are topped by lion statues made from Coade stone.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:18" href="#fn:18"><sup>18</sup></a> The <a href="/facts/Walled_garden/mSjeBR7Q">walled garden</a> includes two brick <a href="/facts/Gazebo/m6a0XAnb">gazebos</a>, which served as viewing platforms. In 1842, 40 varieties of <a href="/facts/Ficus/70M2tmEB">fig</a> were being cultivated in the garden and adjacent hot houses.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:19" href="#fn:19"><sup>19</sup></a> </p><p>The house is protected as a Category A <a href="/facts/Listed_building/PPx6CnfU">listed building</a>,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:20" href="#fn:20"><sup>20</sup></a> as are the North Gate,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:21" href="#fn:21"><sup>21</sup></a> Lion Gate,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:22" href="#fn:22"><sup>22</sup></a> walled garden,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:23" href="#fn:23"><sup>23</sup></a> stables,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:24" href="#fn:24"><sup>24</sup></a> and the Temple.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:25" href="#fn:25"><sup>25</sup></a> The grounds of the house are listed on the <a href="/facts/Inventory_of_Gardens_and_Designed_Landscapes_in_Scotland/Wa51q9Vk">Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland</a>, the national listing of historic gardens in Scotland, and is considered to have "outstanding" architectural and scenic value.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:26" href="#fn:26"><sup>26</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Historic Environment Scotland. "PRESTONHALL (GDL00320)". Retrieved 1 March 2019. <a href="/wiki/Historic_Environment_Scotland" target="_blank">/wiki/Historic_Environment_Scotland</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Historic Environment Scotland. "PRESTONHALL (GDL00320)". Retrieved 1 March 2019. <a href="/wiki/Historic_Environment_Scotland" target="_blank">/wiki/Historic_Environment_Scotland</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>McWilliam, Colin (1978). Lothian, except Edinburgh. The Buildings of Scotland. Penguin. pp. 395–398. ISBN 0-14-071066-3. <a href="0-14-071066-3" target="_blank">0-14-071066-3</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>Historic Environment Scotland. "PRESTONHALL (GDL00320)". Retrieved 1 March 2019. <a href="/wiki/Historic_Environment_Scotland" target="_blank">/wiki/Historic_Environment_Scotland</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>Historic Environment Scotland. "PRESTON HALL (Category A Listed Building) (LB775)". Retrieved 1 March 2019. <a href="https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/apex/f?p=1505:300:::::VIEWTYPE,VIEWREF:designation,LB775" target="_blank">https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/apex/f?p=1505:300:::::VIEWTYPE,VIEWREF:designation,LB775</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>Historic Environment Scotland. "PRESTON HALL (Category A Listed Building) (LB775)". Retrieved 1 March 2019. <a href="https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/apex/f?p=1505:300:::::VIEWTYPE,VIEWREF:designation,LB775" target="_blank">https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/apex/f?p=1505:300:::::VIEWTYPE,VIEWREF:designation,LB775</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>"Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 September 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150919152306/https://www.royalsoced.org.uk/cms/files/fellows/biographical_index/fells_indexp1.pdf" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20150919152306/https://www.royalsoced.org.uk/cms/files/fellows/biographical_index/fells_indexp1.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>"Preston Hall". CANMORE. RCAHMS. Retrieved 16 June 2010. <a href="http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/site/53386/details/preston+hall/" target="_blank">http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/site/53386/details/preston+hall/</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>"Prestonhall". Wolsey Lodges. Archived from the original on 9 May 2008. Retrieved 15 June 2010. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080509184354/http://www.europetraditions.com/england/int/164.html" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20080509184354/http://www.europetraditions.com/england/int/164.html</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:10"><p>McWilliam, Colin (1978). Lothian, except Edinburgh. The Buildings of Scotland. Penguin. pp. 395–398. ISBN 0-14-071066-3. <a href="0-14-071066-3" target="_blank">0-14-071066-3</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:11"><p>Historic Environment Scotland. "PRESTON HALL (Category A Listed Building) (LB775)". Retrieved 1 March 2019. <a href="https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/apex/f?p=1505:300:::::VIEWTYPE,VIEWREF:designation,LB775" target="_blank">https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/apex/f?p=1505:300:::::VIEWTYPE,VIEWREF:designation,LB775</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:12"><p>Colvin, Howard. A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1600–1840. <a href="/wiki/Howard_Colvin" target="_blank">/wiki/Howard_Colvin</a> <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:13"><p>Historic Environment Scotland. "PRESTON HALL (Category A Listed Building) (LB775)". Retrieved 1 March 2019. <a href="https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/apex/f?p=1505:300:::::VIEWTYPE,VIEWREF:designation,LB775" target="_blank">https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/apex/f?p=1505:300:::::VIEWTYPE,VIEWREF:designation,LB775</a> <a href="#fnref:13" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:14"><p>McWilliam, Colin (1978). Lothian, except Edinburgh. The Buildings of Scotland. Penguin. pp. 395–398. ISBN 0-14-071066-3. <a href="0-14-071066-3" target="_blank">0-14-071066-3</a> <a href="#fnref:14" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:15"><p>McWilliam, Colin (1978). Lothian, except Edinburgh. The Buildings of Scotland. Penguin. pp. 395–398. ISBN 0-14-071066-3. <a href="0-14-071066-3" target="_blank">0-14-071066-3</a> <a href="#fnref:15" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:16"><p>Historic Environment Scotland. "PRESTON HALL POLICIES, NORTH GATE (Category A Listed Building) (LB745)". Retrieved 1 March 2019. <a href="https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/apex/f?p=1505:300:::::VIEWTYPE,VIEWREF:designation,LB745" target="_blank">https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/apex/f?p=1505:300:::::VIEWTYPE,VIEWREF:designation,LB745</a> <a href="#fnref:16" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:17"><p>Historic Environment Scotland. "PRESTON HALL POLICIES, THE TEMPLE (Category A Listed Building) (LB779)". Retrieved 1 March 2019. <a href="https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/apex/f?p=1505:300:::::VIEWTYPE,VIEWREF:designation,LB779" target="_blank">https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/apex/f?p=1505:300:::::VIEWTYPE,VIEWREF:designation,LB779</a> <a href="#fnref:17" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:18"><p>Historic Environment Scotland. "PRESTON HALL POLICIES, THE LIONS GATE (Category A Listed Building) (LB746)". Retrieved 1 March 2019. <a href="https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/apex/f?p=1505:300:::::VIEWTYPE,VIEWREF:designation,LB746" target="_blank">https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/apex/f?p=1505:300:::::VIEWTYPE,VIEWREF:designation,LB746</a> <a href="#fnref:18" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:19"><p>Historic Environment Scotland. "PRESTON HALL POLICIES, WALLED GARDEN INCLUDING SHEDS, GAZEBOS, GLASS HOUSES, SUNDIAL AND GARDENER'S HOUSE (Category A Listed Building) (LB777)". Retrieved 1 March 2019. <a href="https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/apex/f?p=1505:300:::::VIEWTYPE,VIEWREF:designation,LB777" target="_blank">https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/apex/f?p=1505:300:::::VIEWTYPE,VIEWREF:designation,LB777</a> <a href="#fnref:19" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:20"><p>Historic Environment Scotland. "PRESTON HALL (Category A Listed Building) (LB775)". Retrieved 1 March 2019. <a href="https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/apex/f?p=1505:300:::::VIEWTYPE,VIEWREF:designation,LB775" target="_blank">https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/apex/f?p=1505:300:::::VIEWTYPE,VIEWREF:designation,LB775</a> <a href="#fnref:20" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:21"><p>Historic Environment Scotland. "PRESTON HALL POLICIES, NORTH GATE (Category A Listed Building) (LB745)". Retrieved 1 March 2019. <a href="https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/apex/f?p=1505:300:::::VIEWTYPE,VIEWREF:designation,LB745" target="_blank">https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/apex/f?p=1505:300:::::VIEWTYPE,VIEWREF:designation,LB745</a> <a href="#fnref:21" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:22"><p>Historic Environment Scotland. "PRESTON HALL POLICIES, THE LIONS GATE (Category A Listed Building) (LB746)". Retrieved 1 March 2019. <a href="https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/apex/f?p=1505:300:::::VIEWTYPE,VIEWREF:designation,LB746" target="_blank">https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/apex/f?p=1505:300:::::VIEWTYPE,VIEWREF:designation,LB746</a> <a href="#fnref:22" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:23"><p>Historic Environment Scotland. "PRESTON HALL POLICIES, WALLED GARDEN INCLUDING SHEDS, GAZEBOS, GLASS HOUSES, SUNDIAL AND GARDENER'S HOUSE (Category A Listed Building) (LB777)". Retrieved 1 March 2019. <a href="https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/apex/f?p=1505:300:::::VIEWTYPE,VIEWREF:designation,LB777" target="_blank">https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/apex/f?p=1505:300:::::VIEWTYPE,VIEWREF:designation,LB777</a> <a href="#fnref:23" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:24"><p>Historic Environment Scotland. "PRESTON HALL POLICIES, STABLES INCLUDING KENNELS, PIGGERY, PHEASANTRY AND COTTAGES (Category A Listed Building) (LB113)". Retrieved 1 March 2019. <a href="https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/apex/f?p=1505:300:::::VIEWTYPE,VIEWREF:designation,LB113" target="_blank">https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/apex/f?p=1505:300:::::VIEWTYPE,VIEWREF:designation,LB113</a> <a href="#fnref:24" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:25"><p>Historic Environment Scotland. "PRESTON HALL POLICIES, THE TEMPLE (Category A Listed Building) (LB779)". Retrieved 1 March 2019. <a href="https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/apex/f?p=1505:300:::::VIEWTYPE,VIEWREF:designation,LB779" target="_blank">https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/apex/f?p=1505:300:::::VIEWTYPE,VIEWREF:designation,LB779</a> <a href="#fnref:25" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:26"><p>Historic Environment Scotland. "PRESTONHALL (GDL00320)". Retrieved 1 March 2019. <a href="/wiki/Historic_Environment_Scotland" target="_blank">/wiki/Historic_Environment_Scotland</a> <a href="#fnref:26" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>