Up above

I was fortunate to visit Penicuik House for work, and even more fortunate to find myself swinging over it in a basket suspended from a tower crane. And even more fortunate yet to have my camera with me.

Penicuik is one of Scotland's greatest Palladian houses, and is currently being restored, though only as a stabilised ruin (see below).

It was designed by Sir James Clerk, the third baronet, and work started in 1761. He had been on the classic tour of Italy to inspect Roman ruins; a must for any aspiring 18th century architect. It is believed he took some advice on the house's design from William Adam, then the greatest Palladian, before his son Robert assumed that role.

In the picture you can see the original Clerk mansion in the foreground, with one of the two oval stairwells. Beyond it, and slightly elevated is one of the two symmetrical wings added in 1857 by David Bryce.

In 1899, a fire broke out on the upper floor, and it is understood that the local fire engine could not raise enough pressure to get water up to that level, so the fire spread, completely gutting the house. The occupants managed to save much of the house's contents, but its grand interiors were completely lost, along with the roof. Some problem with insurance meant it could not be restored, and it stood as a splendid but sorry empty ruin for over a century.

The current project, well under way, is to stabilise the ruin; not to do a prohibitively expensive full restoration. Wallheads are being capped either in lead or turf and some new steel has been inserted to stabilise the structure. The restoration project has revealed that the original Clerk mansion was constructed to a very high standard, with massive masonry walls. In contrast, Bryce's extensions are more economically and less robustly built. You can see the different thickness of the walls in the photograph.

The aerial view that I had from the crane also revealed the wonderful planned landscape at Penicuik, whose layout was initiated by the second baronet.