Old Photograph Library Mellerstain House Scotland

Old photograph of the library in Mellerstain House, near Kelso, Scotland. Mellerstain was built between 1725 and 1778. The architect William Adam initially designed the east and west wings for George Baillie, born 1664, died 1738, and his wife Lady Grisell, born 1665, died 1746, daughter of Patrick Hume, Earl of Marchmont. Work ceased after the wings were completed, and it was another 45 years before George Baillie commissioned Robert Adam to design and build the main mansion house. George was the second son of Charles, Lord Binning, born 1697, died 1732, heir to the 6th Earl of Haddington, and he inherited the Mellerstain estate when his aunt Grisell, Lady Murray, died in 1759. He had changed his name from Hamilton to Baillie as a mark of respect. The mansion house is possibly the only remaining complete building designed by Robert Adam, as most of his other works were additions to existing buildings. The Adelphi Building, in London, England, was a speculative neoclassical terraced housing development by the Adam brothers but is now largely demolished, leaving Mellerstain House as an important record of Robert Adam's work. The interior is a masterpiece of delicate and colourful plasterwork, comprising a small sitting room, originally a breakfast room, a beautiful library, a music room, originally the dining room, the main drawing room, with original silk brocade wall coverings, a small drawing room, originally a bed chamber, and a small library, originally two dressing rooms. The main entrance hall leads to a long corridor with a staircase to the bedroom floor, from which there is a small back staircase leading to a large gallery room running north to south.



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

View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.