Dalmeny, South Queensferry
Edinburgh
Scotland
Historic County: West LothianStart Date: 1814
Completion Date: 1817
Pronunciation: DAL-MEN-EE
Status: Fully Extant
House Open to Public: Yes
Country House: Yes
The Entrance Facade
The Garden Facade
The Library
The Dining Room
Hallway stained glass window
The Staircase Hall
The French Room
The Napoleon Room
The Napoleon Room
The Napoleon Room
The Napoleon Room
East Barsham Manor House from a circa 1912 postcard. Dalmeny House, Edinburgh, was modeled on East Barsham.
Earlier Houses: Dalmeny replaced Barnbougle Castle, a 13th century tower house, which still stands nearby.
House & Family History: The Estate was acquired in 1662 by Sir Archibald Primrose, whose son was created 1st Earl of Rosebery in 1703. In 1774 Neil Primrose, 3rd Earl of Rosebery, commissioned Robert Adam to design a new house to replace Barnbougle Castle; however, these plans were never carried out. It was left to the 3rd Earl's son, Archibald Primrose, the 4th Earl, to build the new house. The 4th Earl employed his Cambridge classmate, William Wilkins (most famous today as the architect of the National Gallery, London), to build his new house. Completed in 1817, Dalmeny was based on the 16th century East Barsham Manor in Norfolk (see photo of in "Images" section) and was the first house in Scotland to be built in the Tudor Revival style. Surprisingly, considering its exterior, the interiors of the Dalmeny are in the Regency style and boasts an exceptional collection of art.
Collections: The collection at Dalmeny includes paintings by Gainsborough, Raeburn, Reynolds, Lawrence, and the Rothschild collection of 18th century French furniture and porcelain formerly at Mentmore Towers. The Mentmore collection came to Dalmeny as a result of the famous May 1977 sale of the contents of that house; the collection came into the family through the 5th Earl's 1878 marriage to Hannah, daughter and heir of Mayer de Rothschild. Formed by the 5th Earl, Dalmeny also holds one of Britain's largest collections of Napoleonic memorabilia, today housed in the Napoleon Room.
Architect: William Wilkins Jr.
Date: 1814-17
Title: Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600-1840, A - SOFTBACK
Author: Colvin, Howard
Year Published: 1995
Reference: pg. 1058
Publisher: New Haven: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300072074
Book Type: Softback
House Listed: Category A
Park Listed: Listed as a Garden & Designed Landscape
Current Seat / Home of: Neil Archibald Primrose, 7th Earl of Rosebery and 3rd Earl of Midlothian; Primrose family here for over 300 years.
Past Seat / Home of: SEATED AT EARLIER HOUSE: Mowbray family, 13th century until 1662. Sir Archibald Primrose, 17th century.
Current Ownership Type: Individual / Family Trust
Primary Current Ownership Use: Private Home
House Open to Public: Yes
Phone: 01313-311-888
Fax: 01313-311-788
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.dalmeny.co.uk
Historic Houses Member: Yes