Train Ride and History

With half the family now located in Roslin we joined them at the Rangers' Fun afternoon, where the Flumlet immediately homed in on the train ride. While in the queue we bumped into TrikinDave, passing a pleasant few minutes on the subjects of cycling, beekeeping and Blip.

Afterwards, with Miss Flum, we elders set off to investigate Mavisbank House (see extras: main house and detail of intricate carvings above the windows). This is a location we have often spoken of but had not researched access until Miss Flum checked out nearby footpaths. Rather than walk from Roslin, we found a convenient carpark by the Springfield Mill walk and proceeded downstream by the river North Esk.

Mavisbank was designed by the architect William Adam in collaboration with his client, Sir John Clerk of Penicuik, (he of Penicuik House) and was constructed between 1723 and 1727, the first Palladian villa in Scotland and as such of historical importance. As have many C17/18 mansions, there have been several alterations but, over recent decades it has been neglected; a fire in the 1970's and mining subsidence have rendered the entire structure unstable and it is now supported by major scaffolding work. 

The Mavisbank Trust was established to save the house, which is in such a sad state of repair that it seems impossible to imagine it being restored.