Old Photograph Interior Gean House Alloa Scotland

Old photograph of the interior of Gean House on Tullibody Road in Alloa, Clackmannanshire, Scotland. In November 1911, Alexander Forrester Paton, of Inglewood House, Alloa, purchased 30 acres of land from the Earl of Mar and Kellie. Alexander was the managing director of the Alloa based firm of Patons, the family business founded by his grandfather to manufacture woollen yarn. Some 16 years earlier, Alexander had purchased land from the Earl to build his own family home at nearby Inglewood. Alexander also owned large estates in Clackmannanshire, and built several other buildings, such as Cowdenpark, where he lived. Gean House was to be built as a wedding gift for Alexander’s eldest son, also named Alexander, who worked in the family business. Plans were commissioned from William Kerr, born 1866, died 1940, partner in the local firm of John Melvin & Sons, an architect previously engaged to design Patons' headquarters at Kilncraigs in Alloa. Completed in 1912, the design for Gean was greatly influenced by the work of English architect, Edwin Lutyens, born 1869, died 1944. Lutyen’s early work marked the transition from the authoritative and imposing Victorian country house style to the softer, Arts and Crafts style of the Edwardian era, that sought to integrate houses and gardens into the landscape. History Blog post of interest to folks with ancestry, genealogy or Scottish Family Roots in Scotland who may wish to travel and visit one day.



All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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