Skaill House

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-scotlan...

Type of Site

Formal designed landscape associated with a prominent Orkney mansion. Its distinctive landscape character comprises a geometric layout of a series of rectangular lawn platforms, terraces and enclosures. In turn the gardens are surrounded by enclosed parks, associated with mid-18th century agricultural improvement.

Location and Setting

Skaill House is situated in the north-west of Orkney mainland, 10km north of Stromness. It lies on the coast, set on a hillside midway between the Bay of Skaill to its north-east and the Loch of Skaill to its south-west. Views from Skaill House extend over Skaill Bay to the north-west and inland down the Skaill Valley. Skaill House is a complex structure, a prominent feature in the landscape. The series of platforms and enclosures, which surround the house, make a striking, sculptural setting, contrasting with the more natural, organic forms of the outer, coastal landscape. The site lies within the intermediate setting of the World Heritage Site (Tyldesley, 2001).

Skara Brae, on the south side of the Bay of Skaill, lies 350m to the north-west of Skaill House. Now lying on the shore, but originally set further inland, its natural defences and some of the prehistoric settlement itself have been eroded over the centuries. To its east, about 420m away, stood a 18th century water-mill, on the burn flowing from the Loch of Skaill into the Bay of Skaill. It was finally lost through coastal erosion in 1979. To the south of the burn and 90m north-east of the house are the remains of a small tumulus. The land surrounding Skaill House is generally low-lying, prone to flooding and, on this west coastal area, prone to erosion and brackish marshy ground.

Skaill House and Gardens are compact and comprise 1.75ha (4 acres) defined by the outer boundary walls and terraces. The fields outwith the garden boundary are part of the agricultural enclosure system and are essential to the setting of the House and gardens.

Landscape Components

Architectural Features

Skaill House dates from the 17th century with 18th, 19th and 20th century additions, to form a U-plan house with buildings grouped around a courtyard to the north, and further ranges to the north and east. The building is harled. The west elevation consists of a single-storey screen wall with entrance door. Above it is a weathered, carved lintel with cornice initialled HEG (Henry Graham and wife Euphemia Honeyman); inscribed and dated 'WEAK THINGS GROW STRONG [B]Y UNITIE AND LOVE. BY DISCORD STRONG THINGS WEAK AND WEAKER PROVE. ANNO 1676'. To the north of the House is a stable yard with a brewhouse and harness room linked to the House by a screen wall enclosing a courtyard.

Against the south-east corner of the gardens is an 18th century lectern Doocot. The Walled Garden lies to the north of the main access drive. Its rubble walls are between 3-5m high with concrete crenellations along the north and west sides. Lean-to potting sheds abut the north side of the north wall and there are the remains of a glasshouse in the north-west corner.

Drives and Approaches

The main drive leads in south-westwards from a gateway on the Aith-Birsay public road (B9056) at the north end of Loch of Skaill. After crossing a burn, the drive turns to lead on a straight axis up to the east front. The drive ascends a gentle ramp, which cuts between terraced lawns retained by low stone walls, to terminate at a walled forecourt in front of the east porch.

A second entrance at Grahamsha', 400m north of the main gateway on the public road, approaches the west front from the north. It then leads further west to Skaill Home Farm.

Parkland

Skaill House and gardens are set within a series of rectangular parks to the north and south, probably enclosed by William Watt in the mid-late 18th century. They remain in agricultural use.

The Gardens

Skaill House sits centrally within a complex of rectangular terraced lawns and platforms. These are formed variously by stone retaining walls and low boundary walls.

South-east of the House lies the largest compartment, comprising a three-tiered, sunken, terraced rectangular lawn. The terraces are retained by low stone walls with a series of curved steps positioned at their north-west angle. On the east side of the lawn, a grass ramp leads across the terraces to the upper level. Colonel Scarth laid out these terraces and sunken lawn.

South of the House, placed on an axis with the south façade, is a rectangular sunken flower garden. A low parapet wall to the west and a raised grass platform to the east enclose this. At its north end is a flight of steps giving access to a terrace set against the south façade.

The West Terrace extends across and beyond, the west front. A broad, grass terrace retained by low stone walls, it forms a generous podium for the House. At both its north and south ends it forms two square bays enclosed by parapet walls. A flight of steps lead down centrally from the West Terrace onto the field and west entrance drive.

Walled Garden

The Walled Garden lies north of the main range of Skaill House, its northern wall abutting the gable-end of the 1930s north wing. A north-south cross-wall sub-divides the garden into two compartments.

That to the east was the Kitchen Garden, now disused. The route of a central north-south path can still be discerned, as can a peripheral path. The south-facing north wall was furnished with two glasshouses at its north-west corner; the rest of the wall was used for fruit trees. Early 20th century garden records indicate that the garden was very productive, with cut flowers and sweet peas in one half and a wide variety of seasonal fruit and vegetables in the other. This included carrots, cauliflowers, peas, broad beans, rhubarb, strawberries and blackcurrants. There was also a range of cold frames.

The west compartment was also in productive use in the mid 19th century (1880, OS 6"). In recent years, it was used as a drying green and tennis court. It is now lawn, overlooked by the 1930s north wing.