Seton House (also known as Seton Palace)

http://portal.historic-scotland.gov.uk/designations

Location and Setting

Seton House is set on the site of the former Seton Castle. It lies 0.5 miles (1km) south of the shore of the Firth of Forth at Cockenzie and Port Seton. Prestonpans is 2 miles (3km) to the west. The surrounding landscape is relatively flat, with a gentle slope northwards to the coast. There are three burns flowing northwards through the policies, which converge at Seton Mill. The A198 forms the southern boundary of the site and the policies of Seton House are enclosed by woodlands to the north-west and east, and by the original screen walls of Seton Castle to the south. The walls and woods are visible from the surrounding roads, but they tend to screen the house and chapel from view. There are views of the Forth from the house and North Garden.

The extent of the designed landscape remains the same today as that shown on the 1st edition OS map of 1853 and on survey plans of c.1807 drawn up by John Ainslie for the Wemyss Estate. It is enclosed by the former castle walls and by the woodlands. The estate map shows the North Garden of 5.39 acres (2.18ha) divided into compartments and the South Garden of 2.84 acres (1.15ha) also planted in this style. Later maps represent the walled gardens as orchards. An avenue to the kirk from the east is also shown on the early plans. The surrounding lands appear to have been cropped rather than grazed as designed parkland, although the field north-east of the chapel is described as the Kirk Park. There are approximately 30 acres (12.1ha) in the designed landscape, of which 8 acres (3.2ha) are walled gardens.

Landscape Components

Architectural Features

Seton House, listed A, was built in 1790 by Robert Adam in his 'castle style' and is one of the few large houses in Scotland that Robert Adam designed and also supervised the building of both exterior and interior. The main block of the house is joined by thick screen walls to the wings, and an entrance court is enclosed by a further fortified screen wall linking the two wings. It has classical interior details, and is accorded high value.

Seton Palace Garden Walls date from the 16th or 17th century and have circular lookouts at their southern angles; they are statutorily listed. Seton Collegiate Kirk is a 15th century church in ruins and is a Scheduled Ancient Monument. It probably existed as early as 1390 and was altered and restored in the 15th and 16th centuries. It has a distinctive shaped spire, and is listed A.

Woodland

The woodlands to the east of the policies contain a mixed age range of deciduous species, dating from around 1790 onwards. There are a lot of old elm trees on the eastern boundary of the North Garden and the woodland here has been left to natural regeneration. To the south, in the area east of the Kirk, there are old yew, lime, horse chestnut and elm, recently planted with sycamore and elder.

The Gardens

The drive approaches Seton House along the west side of the South Garden and enters the outer courtyard which is laid out with lawns and gravel paths. To the east, on the opposite side of the burn, is the Collegiate Kirk. Rosebeds embellish the front of the house and an area of the east lawn has been made into a rock-garden planted with small conifers and hardy shrubs which will resist the attentions of the peacocks which roam in the gardens.

The gravel drive leads through the massive screen walls which are draped with climbing ivies and clematis, into the inner courtyard which centres on a large urn. The inner faces of the screen walls are decorated with niches and share the profuse covering of climbing plants, including roses.

To the north of the house is an area of lawn and a grass bank. It is not thought that a more elaborate garden treatment ever existed. A track leads across a bridge to the north of the Castle and above the Dell to the north garden. The Dell is a fairly steep- sided gorge and is bridged over the canalised section of one of the burns which flows through the policies. This area was planted up before World War II as an ornamental garden with flowering trees and shrubs including Magnolia and Davidia leading down to the water's edge. It is now rather overgrown although patches of bamboo can be distinguished and maples and Rhododendrons continue to grow there.

The North Garden, once a formal garden, is a relatively large walled garden, and views can be obtained from it across to the Firth. It has recently been planted as an orchard. A woodland walk leads along its boundary into the shelter woodlands to the east.

The South Garden lies adjacent to the main A198 and is enclosed by the original walls built at the time the Palace was in use. Before World War II it was the main kitchen garden for the house and has been in use as a market garden for many years. There used to be a large glasshouse range, and the garden still contains early features such as the apple-house.