Penicuik House Preservation Trust

CASE FOR

SUPPORT

RESTORE • ENHANCE • INSPIRE

Of his little Summer House at Hurley Pond, Sir John Clerk wrote in 1749:

“MY DESIGN FOR MAKING THIS HOUSE WAS TO ENTICE MY FRIENDS

AND OTHERS ABOUT MY HOUSE TO WALK FOR THEIR DIVERSION,

AND IN THIS I MYSELF HAVE FOUND GREAT ADVANTAGE. THE NATURAL

BEAUTY OF THE PLACE, AND THE SOLITUDE WHICH ONE FINDS

THERE, ARE A GREAT HELP TO STUDIES AND MEDITATION.”

Memoirs of the Life of Sir John Clerk of Penicuik, Baronet, Baron of the Exchequer.

Extracted by himself from his own journals.

A LANDSCAPEOF IDEAS

Penicuik House and Designed LandscapeSituated on the western outskirts of the small town of Penicuik, just 15km south of Edinburgh, Penicuik House and its Designed Landscape nestle within a valley

formed by the North Esk River on the eastern edge of the Pentland Hills.

Designed by Sir James Clerk, 3rd Baronet of Penicuik, and built between 1761 and 1769, Penicuik House embodies the ideals of a Palladian house and is set

in a romantic yet classically inspired landscape.

While the Grade A Listed house is unquestionably one of finest examples of Palladian architecture in Britain, the Designed Landscape, begun in the early

1700s by Sir John Clerk, 2nd Baronet, is of outstanding importance too, as one of the great achievements of the Scottish Enlightenment. From the Roman Bridge to Knight’s Law Tower, and from the Ramsay Monument to the Hurley Tunnel and Ponds, numerous fascinating built structures provide focal points within a

magical wooded setting, originally conceived as a place of peaceful enjoyment.

Water Willie Chinese Bridge The Curling Hut, Low Pond

AN AMBITIOUS

UNDERTAKINGPenicuik House Preservation Trust

Following a devastating fire in 1899, the once magnificent Penicuik House was reduced to a roofless shell and remained in a state of ruin for over a century. In 1985, in response

to a threat of demolition, the Penicuik House Preservation Trust (PHPT) was founded with a stated remit to restore and protect Penicuik House and the built structures within thePenicuik Designed Landscape for the benefit of the public. Today, the Trust dedicates

its efforts to opening up opportunities for a diverse range of visitors to connect with the Designed Landscape and its magnificent built heritage through a series of restoration projects.

The Penicuik House Project 2006-2014

In September 2014, we completed a phased eight-year, £7.4m consolidation of Penicuik House delivering, at the same time, a wealth of educational and training benefits in partnership with

the Scottish Lime Centre Trust.

• More than 5,000 people attended courses in the use of traditional building materials

in the dedicated Training Centre on site.

• 9 apprentices were employed by the main contractors during the course

of the Penicuik House Project.

• 5 of those apprentices completed their training on the project,

becoming time served stone masons.

Today, the house exists in a state of conserved ruination, with a new Visitor Centre and Ranger Service in place to welcome visitors and provide meaningful interpretation

of this significant symbol of Scottish heritage.

The Designed Landscape Project 2015-2035Now, the built structures within this most important 18th century

Designed Landscape are the focus of our attention, with a 20 year plan to:

• Consolidate and repair these unique buildings, creating a place of inspiring

heritage and natural bio-diversity.

• Revive the ideals of the Scottish Enlightenment – discovery, invention

and exploration – for a 21st century audience.

• Deliver tangible benefits via PHPT and Penicuik Estate to the local community

through the creation of educational, training and employment opportunities, during the restoration project and beyond.

Inviting your supportOur ambitious undertaking will only succeed with the support of a variety of partners – from

funders and donors to volunteers and conservationists – all of whom share our desire to restore this unique place of great intellectual and natural importance with visitors and supporters who

will find value in a landscape of significant heritage, inspiring ideas and great natural beauty.

We invite you to join us on our ambitious undertaking.

BAL ANCING BEAUT Y WITH UTILIT Y

THE TANGIBLE BENEFITS OF RESTORATION

The Roman Bridge Project (2014-2015) GRADE B LISTED BUILT STRUCTUREPositioned on the axis of the south-east avenue, which leads from Penicuik House to

the Ramsay Monument on Cauldshoulders Ridge, the Roman Bridge was the first of the built structures to be commissioned by Sir John Clerk, 2nd Baronet of Penicuik, in 1738.

OUR AIM: Restoring the first built structure

Inspired by Sir John’s three-year Grand Tour of Germany, Austria, Italy and France, the Bridge’s design was carefully contrived to give an impression of antiquity, evoking the possibility that it

might just have been built by the Romans. Extensive work is required to reinstate it, and the key crossing of the North Esk River which it provides, in the system of walks enjoyed by the public

within the Designed Landscape.

The cost of rebuilding the Roman Bridge is £695,735 and, thanks to £255,899 received infunding from Historic Scotland as well as a major commitment from the Penicuik HousePreservation Trust, restoration work was able to commence in summer 2014. However,

we still need to close the funding gap to help us restore the first built structure within this magnificent landscape.

The Roman Bridge is a stone humpbacked bridge with one main arch over the River Esk andtwo smaller arches, partly enclosed to form small chambers, one of which contains a fireplace

and flue. The date 1738 is incised on the north keystone and a passage under the east abutmentfeatures low parapets which carry sockets that may have supported standards or torches.

Restoration cost

Building works & fees VAT (20%) Total to be raised

£579,779 £115,956 £695,735

The Knight’s Law Tower Project (2016-2018) GRADE B LISTED BUILT STRUCTURELocated on a hilltop to the north-east of Penicuik House, Knight’s Law Tower is now in a dangerous state of disrepair and is permanently closed to visitors.

OUR AIM: Conserving a key ‘eye-catcher’ in the Designed Landscape

Designed by Sir John Clerk and built between 1748 and 1750, the tower was conceived both as a belvedere (a structure designed to provide a beautiful view) as well as a working

dovecot – a fine example of beauty meeting utility.

The view from the top of the tower over the Designed Landscape and rural Midlothianis magnificent and it is our ambition to return it to visitors by 2018.

Rising to a height of some 16m, the circular stone tower comprises inner and outer drums,spanned by a flat roof of overlapping stone. The inner drum houses a stair giving access to widecircular passageways with the upper chamber providing 1,356 brick nesting holes for pigeons.

Restoration cost


£587,500 £117,500 £705,000

The Ramsay Monument Project (2019-2020) GRADE B LISTED BUILT STRUCTUREThe Ramsay Monument is set on top of the Cauldshoulders Ridge, marking the endof the vista from Penicuik House as you look down the south-east avenue. An ashlarstone obelisk, pierced by three oval apertures on an arched base, it was built in 1759

by Sir James Clerk, 3rd Baronet, in commemoration of the poet Allan Ramsay, afrequent visitor to Penicuik House.

OUR AIM: Preserving a monument to poetry

Restoring the monument will not only preserve this impressive feature but will also provideimpetus for a programme involving visitors and school groups in the poetry of Allan Ramsayand the Scottish Enlightenment, revealing the inspiration behind pastoral verse. This projectwill provide an opportunity to contribute to the delivery of the Curriculum for Excellence.

Allan Ramsay (1686-1758) was perhaps the most important literary figure of this era, oftendescribed as leading a ‘vernacular revival’ through his writing. He laid the foundations of a

reawakening interest in older Scottish literature, publishing The Ever Green in 1724 – a collectionincluding major poetic works from the Stewart period. He led the trend for pastoral poetry,

developing the ‘Habbie Stanza’, which was subsequently adopted by Robert Burns.

Restoration cost


£77,550 £15,510 £93,060

The Hurley Tunnel and Ponds Project (2021-2035) GRADE B LISTED BUILT STRUCTUREThe Hurley Tunnel and Ponds represent the 2nd Baronet, Sir John Clerk’s, most remarkable

undertaking, enhancing an already unusual topographical formation occurring naturally within the landscape with the spirit and philosophy of the Enlightenment.

OUR AIM: To return to visitors a unique Enlightenment experience

Restoring the Hurley Tunnel and Ponds will enable visitors to walk in the footsteps of Sir John Clerk and his contemporaries, ascending through the darkness of the Hurley Tunnel into the harmony

and light of the delightful Hurley Ponds.

In 1741, Sir John, employing his own coal miners, dug a vast 40m long tunnel through an embankment between the River Esk and a U shaped valley in which he created a series of artificial ponds – a feature

he had visualised in The Country Seat (1726) as “Lakes from afar will charm the eye and seem huge silver mirrors set in verdant frames”.

Reinstating the broad leafed woodlandThe Penicuik Estate has adopted a programme of planting deciduous trees in the Designed

Landscape to restore and enhance key habitats and reinstate Sir John Clerk’s planting of beech, oak and ash. The vista beyond the Roman Bridge and around the Ramsay Monument has been replanted to enhance the natural topography and recapture the beautiful woodland views created by the 2nd

Baronet who planted continuously and extensively across the Penicuik Estate for over 50 years.

Our Ranger Service welcomes the help of volunteers to plant trees, remove birch saplings, clear paths and undertake conservation projects so that everyone can enjoy the ongoing restoration

of this wonderful Designed Landscape.

Restoration cost


£2,044,500 £408,900 £2,453,400

INVITING YOUR SUPPORT

HELP US PROTECT AND RESTORE THIS L ANDSCAPE OF IDEAS

Your involvement and support can help us enormously as we continue ourambitious journey to reinstate and restore one of Scotland’s greatest trend-setting

Designed Landscapes of the Enlightenment period.

As a charity we rely on donations and, by supporting the Penicuik House Preservation Trust,you will be contributing to one of Scotland’s leading initiatives to restore the structures that

enhance a landscape of significant heritage, inspiring ideas and great natural beauty.

The Penicuik Designed Landscape is designated as ‘outstanding’ in the Historic ScotlandGardens & Designed Landscapes Inventory and your support will:

Contribute towards the preservation of the built structures

Conserve and enhance the scenic value of the landscape

Assist with the ongoing nature conservation

Help us to research and share the stories of this place

of outstanding historical value

Penicuik House and its Designed Landscape are outstanding, trend-setting, poetic and spiritual. Be a part of our ambitious journey and help us to

preserve and restore this remarkable place.

Roman Bridge Project 2014 – 2015 £695,735

Knight’s Law Tower Project 2016 – 2018 £705,000

Ramsay Monument Project 2019 – 2020 £93,060

Hurley Tunnel and Ponds Project 2021-2035 £2,453,400

Annual conservation and public activity programme £100,000

INVITING YOUR SUPPORT

HELP US PROTECT AND RESTORE THIS L ANDSCAPE OF IDEAS

THANKING OUR DONORS

Our work to restore and enhance Penicuik House and the built

structures in the Designed Landscape is made possible by a range

of grants and donations for which we are grateful:

Heritage Lottery Fund, Historic Scotland

and Scottish Natural Heritage

Trusts and Foundations

Individual donors

Penicuik House Preservation Trust Endowment Fund

Donated services and volunteers

PHPT would like to thank George Clerk, Colin McLean LRPS and Simpson & Brown Architects

for the use of inspirational images and drawings in this document to help PHPT secure support

for the Designed Landscape Project.

OUR VISION

Our vision is to secure a vibrant and sustainable future for Penicuik House and the built structures within its Designed Landscape, making them appealing,

accessible and inspiring places for new and existing audiences to visit, support and enjoy, now and for years to come.

Celebrating the ideals of the Scottish Enlightenment in the 18th century – discovery, invention and exploration – we will bring them vividly to life for

our 21st century audiences through inspiring interpretation and activitiesthat create fascinating links between house, landscape and people.

For further information or to offer your support, please contact the Development [email protected] or visit our website www.penicuikhouse.co.uk

Penicuik House Preservation Trust is a charity registered in Scotland (No. SC014118)

and a Company Limited by Guarantee (No. SC313664).

Penicuik House Preservation Trust

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