Tour Scotland photograph of the old stable house and clock in Falkland, Fife, Scotland. Quadrangular in plan, by John Swinton, 1823, and probably altered by William Burn around 1840. The clock tower was designed by Donald A Stewart around 1901. Ownership of the Falkland estate changed hands a couple of times at the turn of the 19th century, before being purchased by Professor John Bruce, born 1745, died 1826, in 1821. Bruce, descended from the Bruces of Earlshall, made his fortune working for the East India Company in the 1770s and, subsequently, was appointed Professor of Logic at Edinburgh. A former M.P., he was a friend of Pitt, the Prime Minister as well as one of his Majesty's printers for Scotland. He embarked on a series of land purchases, acquiring neighbouring farms and estates, eventually establishing an estate extending northwards from the Lomonds to the River Eden, including Myres Castle. He purchased the former Palace, royal hunting park and Wood of Falkland from General George Moncrieff and thereby acquired the Keepership of the Palace. Between 1821 and 1826, he established a series of improving leases, held by tenants for 19 years, built farm steadings, roads and bridges, enclosed land and undertook drainage works on a truly extensive scale.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.
No comments:
Post a Comment