Inveresk Lodge Garden

Property Statements

2012 The National Trust for Scotland for Places of Historic Interest and Natural Beauty is a

charity registered in Scotland, Charity Number SC 007410

PROPERTY STATEMENT INVERESK LODGE GARDEN

What are Property Statements?

Property Statements provide a summary of the guidelines for the strategic management of each National Trust for Scotland (Trust) property – in place of a full management plan. The Trust’s approach to Conservation Management Planning for properties is set out in a separate guidance note which is available on request.

As a summary of strategic management guidance, Property Statements do not (like full management plans) provide a detailed description and evaluation of each property and are written from the basis of current knowledge and understanding. However, it is expected that properties have not been significantly misunderstood and that gaps in knowledge should be highlighted.

Property Statements are developed through a rigorous process, with full involvement from property, and other specialist staff within the Trust; and – when applicable – involvement from local or expert stakeholders and from members of the Trust’s Governance. A list of consultees is included on the final page of this document.

Property Statements consist of:

Introduction: A thumbnail description of the property giving basic details of size, location, component parts and acquisition details.

Statement of Significance:

An evaluation of the significance of the property, both in terms of its conservation values (e.g. natural heritage, cultural heritage or landscape) and in terms of the visitor experience and the social and economic context.

Vision Statement: Sets out the long-term vision the Trust has for the property and Guiding Principles that set the parameters for long-term management.

Action Plan: While the Vision sets out the Trust’s long-term goals for the property, the Action Plan sets out the steps towards those goals which can be achieved over a 5 year period, bearing in mind available resources and other constraints. It sets out agreed Actions, with a clear articulation of the desired outcomes and the underlying rationale.

Maps: Digital maps showing Trust ownership or management property boundary, designations, etc.

PROPERTY STATEMENT INVERESK LODGE GARDEN

SUMMARY TABLE

NTS GROUP TOTAL AREA

Buildings & Gardens Group –

Edinburgh & East

5.3 hectares

GRID REFERENCE DATE(S) ACQUIRED

NT 348 716 1959

LOCAL AUTHORITY INALIENABLE?

East Lothian Council Yes

PROPERTY MANAGER DESIGNATIONS

Louise Arnot

A Listed: ‘24 Inveresk Village, Inveresk Lodge with Sundial, Former Outbuilding,

Retaining and Terrace Walls’

Inveresk Conservation Area

Inventory of Historic Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland

Inventory of Historic Battlefields

ADDRESS PLAN PREPARED BY

24 Inveresk Village

Musselburgh

East Lothian

EH21 7TE

Nicholas Meny, Property Planning Coordinator & Louise Arnot, Property

Manager

TELEPHONE NUMBER DATE APPROVED

0844 493 2126

PROPERTY STATEMENT INVERESK LODGE GARDEN

Inveresk Lodge Garden

PROPERTY STATEMENT

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Introduction 5

2. Statement of Significance 6

3. Vision Statement 9

4. Action Plan 11

5. Consultees 12

Figure 1 Map showing property location in Scotland

Figure 2 Map showing the property boundary

Figure 3 Detailed vector map showing property boundary

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1. INTRODUCTION

This Property Statement has been prepared as a holistic, strategic document to guide the conservation and management of Inveresk Lodge Garden. It considers what is significant about the property and seeks to place it in its wider context, assessing any associations with it as well as its place in the local area. The Vision Statement sets out the National Trust for Scotland’s (the Trust’s) long-term aspirations for the property. The accompanying Action Plan sets out actions that will be implemented in order to meet this vision over the next 5 years. A Garden Conservation Plan was prepared in 2010 by the Gardens & Designed Landscapes Adviser and the Property Manager/Head Gardener, this deals primarily with the garden and sets out an assessment of and plan for that aspect of the property.

Inveresk Lodge Garden is set at the eastern edge of Inveresk Village. The village is situated on the southern edge of Musselburgh, which is on the eastern outskirts of Edinburgh (see Figures 1 and 2). The Trust was gifted the property in 1959 when Helen Brunton donated it along with an endowment. It was declared inalienable the same year. In Trust ownership are the house called Inveresk Lodge, the garden and a field to the south. This roughly rectangular area covers 5.3 ha (13 acres). There is no car park at the property; the only provision for visitor parking is the wide pavement along the road north of the garden.

Inveresk Lodge is a grade A listed building. The north and east garden walls lining Inveresk Village road and Wedderburn Terrace are included within this designation. The property sits within the Inveresk Conservation Area and is included in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland and the Inventory of Historic Battlefields (both non-statutory designations).

The garden is open all year with entry via an honesty box and it is estimated that approximately 2,000 people visit per annum.

Inveresk Lodge is let on a long term lease, which allows public access for 1% of each year.

Currently the property makes a small deficit before management charges.1

1 Immediately after closure threat of 2009 East Lothian Council provided phased financial support 2009-12,

some addition financial and physical support came from Inveresk Village Society and the Scottish Agricultural College, these may be a future sources of help

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2. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

Cultural Heritage

Inveresk Lodge and Garden

The property has two key features; Inveresk Lodge and its Garden.

A recent assessment2 of the eastern attic revealed that this roof of the Lodge is complete in its form with some later additions. The earliest date for construction is 1590s. This is of significance to the Trust as it makes the building one of the few in its care to date from the Renaissance period.

The Lodge is one of the more prominent and attractive villas in Inveresk, the village itself being an early focus for Edinburgh villadom. It represents one of the first examples of villa construction on a metropolitan periphery; a type of building that became increasingly popular as feature of the Edinburgh area as the 18th and 19th centuries progressed. The microclimate and topography of Inveresk led to it developing into an extraordinary holiday village, gaining it the moniker ‘the Montpelier of Scotland’. Inveresk Lodge therefore provides us with a well conserved example of this kind of suburban home.

The most noteworthy feature within the house is the bedroom suite, which appears to be decorated in the Arts and Crafts style. Its fitted furniture, a feature of Arts and Crafts interiors, which has since been painted white, is of particular interest. This style of furnishing is now quite rarely found to complete or still in situ, as it was often ripped out at a later date despite its practical advantages.

Historic Scotland lists the Lodge in Category A: Buildings of national or international importance, either architectural or historic, or fine little-altered examples of some particular period, style or building type.

(Approximately 8% of the total).

The house and garden are intrinsically linked and cannot be considered in isolation. Perhaps more so now that when the building was first constructed, the garden is considered by many to be an extension of the home. Land had been added, its use changed but some things remain constant, he enjoyment it gives to owners and visitors through all five senses. As urban sprawl increases around properties such as the Lodge, this type of setting in its original state becomes increasing rarer.

The garden has some horticultural value arising from the interesting collection of plants that has been established within it. Some plants hold the Royal Horticultural Society’s “Award of Garden Merit” and there is also a Provisional Status national collection of Tropaeolum species. The current bed/border arrangement is a Trust creation, having been redesigned by Eric Robson (Head of Gardens) between 1959 and 1961.

The garden was the first ‘demonstration’ garden set up by the Trust, a trend that was subsequently followed at Suntrap and Greenbank. Although this was short lived (briefly rekindled in the 1990s), it is an important part of the Trust’s history.

The glasshouse is a good example of a MacKenzie and Moncur structure and is one of the largest remaining original glasshouses

2 Addyman Archaeology, Inveresk Lodge Historic Building Survey and Analytical Assessment of the eastern

roof structures, May 2010, revised June 2011

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Associations

within the Trust’s garden portfolio.

The sundial, which was introduced from Pitreavie Castle in 1968 after an appeal initiated by Eric Robson for garden ornaments, is notable as a focal point in the garden.

John Dixon Brunton and his wife Helen bought the property in 1909 and were the last private owners of the Lodge. John D. Brunton was the son of the founder of the Brunton Wireworks. As a metallurgist, he built, from modest beginnings, the company into a major international player. The development work carried out John Brunton led the company to pioneering the use of their wire in the construction of the early biplanes and airships, this work continued and become increasing important with the outbreak of the Second World War. Closer to home, wire and its fixing from Brunton would form the main components of the Forth Road Bridge opened in 1964.

The name Brunton is well known within Musselburgh as the wireworks were a major employer locally and Bruntons Aero Products continues today at Inveresk Industrial Estate. John Brunton was a major benefactor to Musselburgh, stipulating in his will that the residue of his estate, upon the death of his wife and himself be used in building a hall in Musselburgh suitable for entertainment and other uses, to be known as the Brunton Hall. The bequest amounted to £700,00, this combined with money from the Town Council who wished some place to house their administrative offices saw the completed building housing a fully equipped theatre, the needed admin offices and several other halls and room that can be used by interested parties.

The Brunton Hall was opened by Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother in 1971. Designed by Rowand Anderson, Kinimouth and Paul, the building is an example of late 1960’s civic architecture.

The Wedderburn family owned Inveresk Lodge almost continuously between 1774 and 1900, the only family to have lived there for more than 2 generations. Jacobite sympathisers who exiled themselves to Jamaica, James Wedderburn money was made there, allowing him to purchase Inveresk Lodge.

Inveresk Village has a rich Roman heritage. The area was first settled in the years following the Roman’s invasion of Scotland in AD80, capitalising on the topography of the site. A great deal of archaeological evidence has been unearthed and provides a good record of this period of Inveresk’s history. The bridging of the Esk, first done by the Romans, was to be strategically important to the Battle of Pinkie, last major battle between Scotland and England. Inveresk Lodge Garden sits within the Battlefield area designated in the Inventory of Historic Battlefields, which recognises the importance of this clash.

Natural Heritage

The site comprises a number of habitats which are uncommon in the area, a large wildlife-rich pond, a mix of woodland/scrub-type habitats. Combined with the flower-rich areas within the formal garden, the property is a haven for local wildlife. 3 species of bat have been recorded on site, including one bat roost, over 35 species of birds and numerous invertebrate species also noted. The property is of high local importance to nature conservation.

Visitors Inveresk Lodge Garden, with its aesthetic appeal provides an attraction for visitors all year round. It offers a tranquil visit to a green space and an opportunity to enjoy its wildlife. Work carried out in recent years to create a new pond and wild flower meadow has enhanced this aspect. Inveresk has become a good education

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resource. The Trust’s Lothian’s Ranger can utilise the as a wildlife/environmental asset while still being very close to an urban centre (it is readily accessible by public transport). It is one of the few such Trust properties and provides an excellent opportunity to engage with new audiences.

Social and Economic

Being a property open to the public throughout the year. It is opportune to the local community, as a useful amenity space suitable for a variety of activities and events. The village lacks any central gathering/community space and Inveresk Lodge Garden has the potential to take on this role.

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3. VISION STATEMENT

Inveresk Lodge Garden will seek to provide, using various means, inspiration, education, contemplation and exploration, through using all of our senses, to those who visit with purpose or on a whim. In doing so, the garden will continue to provide the very quality that makes it special to those who visit, that intangible something which enables visitor to leave feeling rested, recharged and filled with a sense of wonder.

The means of doing this must include the use of well laid out and presented interpretive material, by using, fixed, flexible and portable means, that appeals to all, from the very young to the very old.

Resources must be put in place and made available in future that will allow staff the means of trying out new ideas to increase ease of maintenance for staff and their and visitor enjoyment to the garden, be it new plants and plantings, garden ornamentation or cultivated areas as dictated by the variances of the site.

The Trust recognises that in order to ensure the long-term conservation and sustainability of this locally significant property, the status-quo cannot continue. Instead, the property will now be considered in its wider context and managed in a way that recognises it links with the wider area. The property will become a lynchpin connected to the River Esk, the Roman heritage of the area, the history of the Battle of Pinkie and families such as the Wedderburns and Bruntons. Marketing and interpretation of the property will link all of these elements together and greater efforts will be made to tie in with all relevant research.

As part of this fresh approach, an options appraisal will be undertaken to assess whether the whole visitor journey could be transformed. Options include moving the entrance to the property, introducing a small car park and reception kiosk, reassessing and investing in new orientation and interpretation and introducing a major feature to the lower garden. This overhaul of the interpretation will ensure that visitors can appreciate and understand the significance of the relationship between the garden and the villa and also see how it relates to the history of Inveresk village and the local area. This new widened scope will encompass the history and purpose of villas and how it compares with other Trust properties such as Newhailes, Malleny, Gladstone’s Land and The Georgian House.

Financial sustainability will be achieved, with new revenue generating opportunities being explored such as a seasonally manned pay point with membership recruitment, retail area, drinks machine and plant sales. Income streams such as those from the Lodge shall be maximised through ensuring they are in line with the local market.

Additional staff resources will be provided to ensure that conservation and management of the garden is at an acceptable standard. Through a continued process of embellishment and development the garden will remain relevant to the Lodge and be a high quality garden. Changes or embellishments will keep in mind the significant elements of the garden, retaining its Genus Loci, interesting plant collection, and also reflect other changes and developments in gardens and gardening. This can include environmental aspects, modern challenges and interests in gardening, community gardening, in its widest sense, and wildlife gardening or gardening for life, in all its connotations. The garden inspires as it exhibits a variety of garden ornaments as well as a number of ‘living’ garden pieces, such as the willow weaving and carved wooden benches. Such garden adornments will continue to be added and the garden will be a place to inspire further works of garden art, with spaces to exhibit and further inspire; thus the garden will be developed as a centre for garden related arts and crafts.

The garden will continue to increase educational opportunities across all levels and areas of interest at the property, becoming a recognized resource for learning. Student placements could be important to the garden and new volunteers will be attracted to the garden. Opportunities to use art and sculpture in the garden for interpretation, particularly of the aviary and the history of the Bruntons will be explored.

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Crucial to the success of the property are successful partnerships with partners, interest groups and local stakeholders. These must be based on clear terms of reference and a common understanding. Clear communication with ensure that all interested parties will are kept informed. Efforts will be made to engage with new audiences, particularly those in the wider community that have not previously been engaged with, including Musselburgh, Wallyford and Whitecraig.

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4. ACTION PLAN

Specific Actions, including rationales, are given in the Action Plan. It is divided under the five headings of the Trust’s Five-year Strategy. The post-holder with lead responsibility is recorded - they will usually be expected to work with a range of Trust colleagues to implement each action.

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5. CONSULTEES

The following members of staff were consulted during the production of the Inveresk Lodge Garden Property Statement and Action Plan: Louise Arnot, Property Manager Nicola Cameron, National Estate Manager Ian Gow, Head of Collections, Archives and Libraries Services Robert Grant, Head of Gardens and Designed Landscapes Services Tom Ingrey-Counter, Interpretation Project Manager Terry Levinthal, Director of Conservation Services and Projects Lindsay Mackinlay, Nature Conservation Adviser David McAllister, Group Manager Mandy Murray, Curator Daniel Rhodes, Archaeologist Melissa Simpson, Gardens and Designed Landscapes Adviser Tim Thurston, Buildings Surveyor

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