Newbattle Abbey

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

Type of Site

Multi-period. An important early monastic site developed as a country house at the Reformation, set within a formal landscape from the mid 16th century. This formed the basis of an 18th century landscape park, extended further in the 19th century. And developed with formal gardens, an extensive circuit of picturesque walks and rides. The designed and estate landscape is a major influence on the rural landscape and its settlement character.

Location and Setting

Newbattle Abbey lies 1km south from the centre of Dalkeith. The A7 (Dalkeith-Galashiels) adjoins the south-west boundary of the site and to the north, the housing at Eskbank (Newbattle Road, Abbey Road and Lothian Road) and Lothian Glen forms the boundaries. To the east, perimeter parkland belts enclose areas of park with Easthouses immediately adjacent. The southern extent of the site extends to The Beeches and ochre Burn that delimit fields immediately to the north of Lothianburn.

Newbattle Abbey sits on the west bank of the River South Esk, on the valley floor and at the confluence of numerous of the Esk's tributaries that flow through the parkland; the Queen Margaret's Burn, Pittendreich Burn and the Benbught Burn. The parkland is gently undulating, rising up to the east beyond the Esk and to the north-east and north-west. The south-west façade of the mansion is the main entrance front, with views leading directly down a tree-lined vista. To the north and east the formal gardens extend up to the river. The rolling landscape precludes any extended views out from the house except that to the south-west along the Great Avenue.

The extent of the 19th century park (238ha/588 acres) and policies at Newbattle are now reduced to 20th century housing development and urban expansion. The extensive policies have considerably influenced modern landscape development with shelterbelts, parkland trees and neat stone walls which define the farmland slopes. The Great Avenue leading south-west from the mansion is a strong feature which has persisted in the formation of Newbattle Abbey Crescent, the main axis of housing development in The Kings Park. Picturesque walks and rides along the heavily wooded banks of the Esk, in particular Lady Lothian's Walk, and walks to the south-east of the mansion within the west perimeter belt of Talbot Park.

Landscape Components

Architectural Features

Newbattle Abbey: The present building, incorporating the remains of the medieval monastic buildings, was extended in the 17th century and remodelled in a castellated style in the late 18th century. Alterations by William Burn in 1836 were followed in 1858, by the addition of a small two-storey wing on the north-east front by David Bryce, and a further castellated addition in 1886. The Stableyard, 19th century, is two-storey, rubble built to a courtyard plan with a clocktower on the north-west wing.

The Port Lodges (on the B703) form the principal entrance to the mansion. The two early 18th century, rubble-built pavilions have balustraded parapets, corner finials with urns between. Rusticated gate piers surmounted by large fluted urns with floral swag decoration are linked to the lodges by a short colonnade surmount by couchant lions. Eskbank Lodge, (at the junction of B703, Newbattle Road and Abbey Road) has flanking pedestrian gateways and dates to post-1894 (OS, 1894). The panelled gate piers with hand gates and outer piers are surmounted by armorial unicorns with heraldic shields bearing the Lothian sun motif and initials WL (William, Marquess of Lothian). Piers terminate the sandstone quadrant walls. Now unused, the grounds are part of St David's Roman Catholic High School grounds. Dalkeith Lodge, a sandstone baronial lodge with an asymmetric gothic gateway, was built sometime after 1853, and said to be 'a direct copy of a gateway in Rome (Carrick, 1907). A second lodge stood to the south-east of the Dalkeith Lodge but has been demolished and its site has been incorporated into the grounds of St David's school.

The King's Gate, a tripartite entrance gateway of ashlar blocks with a large central arch and smaller flanking hand gates, was erected in 1822 for George IV's visit to Newbattle Abbey. It originally stood within the south-east park as an eyecatcher, but was repositioned as a result of A7 roadworks. It now sits at the end of the south drive. The Gateway to Lady Lothian's Walk (off the A7) is a 19th century hand-gate entrance, stone-built with a rounded archway over. Further to north-west is a carriageway gateway entrance with 19th century simple stone piers with pyramidal finial stones and a matching post for a hand-gate to the side. The Gateway Entrance marking the east entrance to Lady Lothian's Walk has stone gate piers and a pedestrian side entrance.

A pair of Sundials each dated 1635, with octagonal dials, gnomons and armorial panels, stand on the chimeras, on 19th century tiered bases. The Conservatory, perhaps an Orangery or Camellia House, is a mid-18th century, classical, rectangular seven-bay building, converted into a Fernery, with rockwork in 'grottoesque' style. A supposed hermit's cell lies on its north wall. The building now lacks glass in the roof and window arcades. To the north-west are the remains of a flued brick wall that supported a range of glass. The Estate Wall includes part of the original abbey wall, known as the Monlkand Wall, to the south-west. The rest of the estate was enclosed in the 19th century by a stone wall with a convex stone cope.

The Walled Garden (Lamb's Nursery) dates to the mid 19th century (1854, OS 6"). Enclosed on three sides with sandstone rubble walls, the brick-lined front has an ashlar coping with 3 curvilinear gableheads and intermittent doorways. The gableheads emulate the curvilinear gables on Newbattle Abbey.

Drives and Approaches

The principal entrance to the mansion still lies from the south-west, through the 18th century Port Lodges. On the approach to the mansion the drive is lined with an avenue of common yew (Taxus baccata). Some mature sweet chestnuts (remnants of 18th century planting?) stand outside the yew avenue. On the north-west side of the avenue is a more recent planting of common lime. This formal approach existed by the mid 18th century (Roy's Survey, 1747-55).

To the south-west of the Port Lodges the Great Avenue continued, overall extending 1km, to lead onto the public road at Hardengreen, now the A7. it terminated in a roundel of trees, probably to screen the public road when driving away from the mansion. The route of the avenue has been developed as Newbattle Abbey Crescent, serving housing development (Hardengreen), and there are scant remains of the original planting.

Immediately to the south of the Port Lodges the road from Eskbank (B703) runs north-south across this axial route, an arrangement which has persisted since the mid 18th century.

A number of drives were laid out as part of the 19th century expansion of the park and policies, mainly in the 1850-60s (1854, OS 6"; Estate plan, 1861). In particular the construction of Newbattle Road, a new turnpike road to the west of the park, meant changes were made to the drive alignments. One led through Dalkeith Lodge, and over the north park, with views across to the Maiden Bridge (Country Life, 1902, p.339). Another further to the west led from Dalkeith through Benbught Wood. The latter drive does not survive and the area is now part of Newbattle Golf Course.

Paths and Walks

Extensive walks and rides were laid out, including a circuit walk with views from the higher parts of Kirk Bank over the valley floor and across to the river. The woodland in Kirk Bank is dominated by common lime and the walks were lined, in part, by yew. The walk passed between the walled garden and the Fernery at Archbishop Leighton's House. In the mid 19th century this walk crossed the public road (Newbattle Road, now the B703) by a metal bridge to continue through the perimeter belt as far as the Harden Green (1854, OS 6"). Many sections of this route are now impassable, and have been lost where the tree-belt has been felled to accommodate the golf course.

Immediately opposite the mansion, the east bank of the river is planted with evergreen shrubs and trees (including cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus), Portuguese laurel (Prunus lusitanica), and Rhododendron species). The walks continue further south through Lord Ancrum's Wood; the planting is more naturalistic with no exotic species. The wood is dominated by common lime.

Lady Lothian's Walk in the south park leads along the east river bank and was opened to the public in 1990 by the 12th Lord Lothian.

Parkland

Analysis of the park's development has still to be researched. The parkland at Newbattle Abbey is extensive, despite 20th century development on the west banks of the Esk, which has significantly diminished its maximum extent. Considerable areas of ornamental parkland were laid out during the 19th century, principally to the north-east of the mansion. Nevertheless, the perimeter belts and woodland planting which delineate the individual parkland enclosures form a distinctive landscape character and style.

Ruchale Park, in the valley to the north-east of the mansion, was the site of a wartime ATS camp and part of it is now within Dalkeith Golf Course. Parkland trees have been felled in both these areas although some 19th century sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) and oak (Quercus robur) do survive. St David's Park, a small park north of the Esk, has been converted into a public park and recreation area serving local housing which has been developed (20th century) within the perimeter parkland belt to the north. Fortescue and D'Arcy Parks, to the south of Waterfall Park, have been combined into one area and for a major part of the Dalkeith Golf Course. A few scattered specimens of oak and sycamore survive in this area.

On the far south-west is The King's Park, where few trees survive, those that do being the remnants of the Great Avenue. Major housing development has been located in The King's Park, where the Pittendreich Burn has been culverted. Talbot Park, further to the south, is still grazed pasture, as is Campbell Park, further south again.

Woodland

In the vicinity of Dalkeith Lodge areas of late 17th-early 18th century woodland survive mainly extensive plantings of lime with yew understorey. The configuration of most of the mid-18th century woodland survives, particularly along the river valley and along Kirk Bank which is oriented north-east to south-west, west of the mansion. On the east side of the River South Esk, the perimeter planting of the deer park retains some early oak stands.

The Gardens

A formal garden, laid out in the mid 19th century, lies on the mansion's north-east front. On its north-east side a yew hedge which has matured to three times its intended height encloses it. When the formal garden was laid out the sundials, originally situated at the wings, were removed and erected on stone platforms which were placed in bays formed in the yew hedges. A central gravel path leads through the yew hedge and curves around the site of a famous great beech tree, no longer extant (Country Life 1902). The area beyond the formal garden to the river was informally planted with trees and shrubs. To the north-west is an extensive shrubbery of Rhododendrons and mixed evergreen shrubs.

Following excavations by the Marquess of Lothian between 1878 and 1895, the foundations of the Abbey Church of St Mary have been laid out in the gravel, following through into the mansion where they are distinguished by patterns in the parquet flooring. Circular flowerbeds planted with roses represent the position of the pillars.

On the south-west front the lawns are planted with specimen trees, some dating from the 19th century.

Walled Garden

The walled garden is situated to the north-west of the mansion, on the north side of Newbattle Road, and lies on the top of Kirk Bank. The walls now enclose a modern (1990s) housing development. The style of the north wall emulates the Dutch gable son the mansion by William Burn. In common with many of the larger walled gardens built at this period, it was a pleasure garden as well as a productive area, and lay on the circuit of walks. Originally furnished with a range of glasshouses ' vineries, peach houses, conservatory, etc. (none of which survive) ' it was constructed by 1892 (1892, OS 25"). The central conservatory included a rockery.

To the north of the main walled garden, a walled extension was built including a further range of glasshouses, in the late 19th century. These survive. To the south of the walled garden there are the remnants of an orchard.