Balcarres

The following is from the Historic Environment Scotland Gardens and Designed Landscapes Inventory. For the most up-to-date Inventory entry, please visit the Historic Environment Scotland website:

http://portal.historic-scotland.gov.uk/hes/web/f?p=PORTAL:DESIGNATIONS:0

Type of Site

A mid 18th century formal landscape made 'informal' in character by early 19th century work. The terraced gardens were constructed by Robert Adamson, builder, to designs by the architect David Bryce (1803-76).

Location and Setting

Balcarres is situated in the East Neuk of Fife, some 5km (3 miles) north of Elie and 4km (2.5 miles) inland from the Forth shore. It is one of a series of designed landscapes set out on the Methil-Elie coastal terrace, cut by a series of lowland dens. The east and north sides of the Balcarres landscape are bounded by the steep-sided, wooded Den Burn. The B942 Colinsburgh road runs along the southern boundary of the site, immediately to the south of Balcarres. Shelterbelts and minor roads form the western boundary, lying contiguous to the Charleton House policies. The designed landscape is highly visible from the surrounding roads, creating a distinctive local landscape character. The folly tower on Balcarres Craig is a landmark.

The underlying rocks are Carboniferous. Balcarres Craig is a dominant feature in the landscape, a 'lofty precipitous rock' (Maxwell 1911, pp.151), rising to 90m (300') from the surrounding plain. Extensive views are obtained from the top of the Craig to north, west and south. From Balcarres House itself there are panoramic views over the surrounding countryside and southwards across the Firth of Forth. The Lothians, the Bass Rock, the Lammermuir Hills and the Edinburgh hills form this southern panorama. Balcarres commands 'the enjoyment of pure and fresh air, of proximity to the sea, and a prospect embracing rock and meadow, island and lake, river and ocean, well-nigh boundless'' (Lindsay 1840, p.130 ).

Roy's Survey (1747'55) indicates a designed landscape structured around a formal avenue, aligned north-south and focussing on the house. Another, longer avenue oriented north-west / south-east lay further east. Despite the later enlargement of the designed landscape, the basic grid structure existing by the 18th century, dictated later landscape changes. The boundary of the easternmost enclosure, to the north of Balcarres Mill, was curved in form, extant to the current day in the form of the Pitcorthie boundary at 'Grassy Strip.'

During the early 19th century the landscape was made informal in character, with many parkland trees planted to the north and south of the house. The 18th century formal avenue and main drive, focussing on the house, were removed. A walled garden was built to the north-west of the house and an area of parkland was laid out to its south-west (1853, OS 6"). By c.1900 the parkland had been extended further southwards to meet a new entrance at South Lodge on the Colinsburgh Road (1893, OS 6"). By the mid 19th century the parkland at Pitcorthie had been planted with perimeter belts with serpentine lines, closely planted clumps and roundels, much in the style of Lahill. Today the designed landscape extends to 323ha (799 acres).

Landscape Components

Architectural Features

The earliest part of Balcarres House is a section of the west wall, dating to Stirling's early 16th century house. This was extended in 1595 by an addition to the south and a rectangular stair-tower to the east. William Burn made major extensions to the house, on the south-west side, in 1838-43 in the Scots Jacobean style. The north-east section, incorporating two storeys with an attic floor, was added by David Bryce in 1863-7 and heightened the family wing of 1838-43. An east wing to the house, consisting of a 4-storey L-plan block started in the 1690s, was not completed and now survives as a Dower House, a detached building. Bryce designed the courtyard screen walls with 17th century style, Italian entrance gates.

The Chapel, in the east garden, was built for David, 1st Lord Balcarres in 1635. A square Doocot, to the west of the house, was built by William Wilkie. Craig Tower, a gothic folly on top of Balcarres Craig was built by James Fisher in 1813. It is a round, four-storey, castellated, whinstone tower with a Gothic window and crosslet loophole in its west façade. The Terraced Gardens have buttressed retaining walls and are decorated variously with a German Fountain of c1550, a Japanese Fountain and a large, faceted 17th century sundial, brought from Leuchars Castle in 1873 and erected on a new base designed by Lorimer 1896-7. Pitcorthie House, built in 1967 and designed by Trevor Dannatt has stone walls and shallow metal roofs. On its south a fully glazed projecting gallery links the main rooms.

The East Lodge, near the house, with semi-octagonal ends and a rustic porch, is probably by Wilkie in 1794. The West Lodge, in similar style, dates to 1904. The South Lodge was probably designed by J. Caslake of London in 1870, with gate piers by Jesse Hall. The Gates, of fine wrought-iron were called 'The Golden Gates', date to c 1700 and are from Cremona.

The North Lodge and Gates, on the B491, were designed by Lorimer in 1896-8, and have heavy rusticated gate-piers topped by lions rampant with gates decorated with the Crawford arms. The Estate Office, 1903, is also by Lorimer.

Drives and Approaches

The West Drive now forms the main approach to Balcarres House. It curves through parkland to lead to the north front of the house. Laid out by 1853 (1st ed. OS), although not furnished with the West Lodge until c 1900, this complemented the South Drive. The latter leads in, off the (B942) Colinsburgh Road, and through the South Lodge, to continue northwards through parkland.

Both of these 19th century drives supplanted the long, straight, 18th century parallel drives leading from the south. The easternmost led into the policies along Double Dyke Strip, from an entrance to the east of the South Lodge, and west of Balcarres Mill Bridge. This drive led through the East Lodge, before arriving at the house. The westernmost led in from Colinsburgh across enclosure fields, to pass the Doocot.

Parkland

Balcarres House stands on high ground above a gentle south facing slope on which the south parks and main drives to Colinsburgh are laid out. An early 20th century account states that 'it would be hard to find a more glorious bit of park scenery ... wych elm and sycamore of great size abound .... also much fine ash timber and well grown modern conifers, not scattered as specimens, but crowded as they should be in close forest'. (Maxwell 1911, pp.151-5). The same species-mix survives in the park, with the addition of beech, plane. The majority of existing parkland trees date to Sir Coutts Lindsay's mid-19th century work, with some earlier oaks surviving.

Woodland

The firs and hollies in the vicinity of the house may date to Lord Menmuir's 17th century plantings (Country Life 1902, p.183). The shelterbelts are a prominent feature of the designed landscape.

Landscaping of Balcarres Craig consists of ornamental plantings within Ancient Woodland, particularly along the walks leading up to Craig Tower. Species include Rhododendrons and Eucryphias. Balcarres Den and Balneil Den consist of mixed broadleaf woodland, predominantly beech and birch, classified as semi-natural and ancient woodland.

The Gardens

The terraced gardens lie south of the house. A mid-19th century plan shows the gardens with an intricate layout of serpentine paths and shrubbery, that may pre-date the setting out of the Upper Terrace, but there is no evidence that this layout was ever executed.

The Upper Terrace, with a balustraded retaining wall was created in 1841. A tall yew hedge runs north to south dividing the east court from the west. The sundial stands in the West Court. This narrow court lies before the library and drawing room, with a small summerhouse at the south-west angle of the terrace walls. A gate leads from here, through to the main entrance courtyard at the north. The East Court is broader and is situated in front of the family wing. At its centre is the German Fountain, placed here in 1873. From the Upper Terrace there are fine views of the Lower Terrace parterre below, beyond which are panoramic views south to the Firth of Forth. The balustrade of the East Court opens at its south-west corner, onto a broad imperial stair leading to the Lower Terrace. There is an arched alcove under the double staircase and, below the West Court, an arbour containing stone seats.

The broad, Lower Terrace is enclosed, on its south side, by a high, clipped, buttressed yew hedge. To its north it is bounded by the retaining wall of the Upper Terrace. Against the retaining wall are buttresses of yew dividing the border and the base of the terrace wall (Jekyll & Hussey 1918, fig.6). These high yew 'buttresses' divide compartments of mixed roses, fuchsias and climbers. South of the buttressed wall the northernmost parterre, part of the 1860s scheme, survives, set out around a central tree-mound. The tree-mound predates the terraces. An east-west walk separates the parterre from a lawn, forming the major part of the Lower Terrace. During the 1860s this area was originally laid out with three rectangular parterres, the easternmost being a box parterre (Country Life 1902, p.182). This broad, flat pattern of knots, where the 'shapes are clearly defined, parts of the design are kept flat and there is a large proportion of plain surfaces' (Jekyll & Hussey 1918, p.179) was considered a good example of parterre design. Immediately to its west and directly south of the imperial stair, stands the Japanese fountain, encircled by clipped hedges and tall, conical yews. It originally stood at the central point of the three parterres. While its complex box-edged parterre has been replaced with lawn, the clipped conical yews, marking the corners of the formal layouts, have been retained.

East of the terraced gardens is the former croquet lawn, enclosed by high clipped hedges (Country Life 1902, p.183 'East Croquet Lawn') now used as a flower garden with some vegetables and fruit. It has been planted in the Arts and Crafts style with beds laid out in apricot, white, blue/pink and yellow to Lady Crawford's design. To its south a wild garden leads to the tennis court. Further east lies the 17th century Chapel, with old yew trees and 19th century conifers, including a Wellingtonia.

Walled Garden

The extensive walled garden was divided into several compartments (1853, lst edition OS). It was 'newly laid out' in 1834, with a kitchen garden, fruit garden and a broad centre grass walk lined with 'georginas' and heartsease:

'The flower garden is a piece of splendid workmanship, independently of the plants with which it is adorned. The upper half is grass, with neatly cut figures, with some large Irish yews judiciously disposed over the surface. The figures in the other half are formed with box, and the spaces are gravelled. The proprietors, and more especially the lady, are most zealous promoters of horticulture and floriculture; consequently every plant that is new or rare soon finds its way hither. There are interspersed over the garden low seats of China ware, chiefly blue, but of various shades and forms, which add greatly to the beauty of the scene. On the north is situated a new substantially built green-house, containing many precious gems, with a small piece of rockwork planted with the finer sorts of rock plants' (Smith 1834, p.531).

The garden is now grassed, with some espalier fruit trees against some of the walls. Most vegetables and fruit are grown in the kitchen garden near the house.