Rescue deal to bring William Adam mansion back from brink

THE future of one of Scotland’s most important listed buildings has been secured under a rescue deal set to trigger a £12 million overhaul for the crumbling 18th-century mansion in the Lothians.

Mavisbank House, a stately home designed by the renowned architect William Adam, will be turned into self-catering holiday accommodation and its grounds transformed into a community park under a new vision for the site.

Campaigners have fought for more than a decade to find a future for the building, which is often cited as one of the finest examples of neo-classical architecture in Scotland.

Midlothian Council has now agreed to pursue a compulsory purchase order (CPO) for the site and to then transfer ownership to a charitable trust once it has the £12m funds in place. It has been uncertain for years who has legal ownership of the site, and the CPO move is planned to end that uncertainty.

The Scottish Government has stumped up a £500,000 grant to kick-start the appeal, which will target public, private and charitable sources. Four years ago, Historic Scotland paid out £2m to allow vital stabilisation work on the building to go ahead.

The government agency, the local authority, the Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust and the Mavisbank Trust, which has campaigned to secure the building’s future for years, have all signed a concordat agreement.

Alex Hammond-Chambers, chairman of the Mavisbank Trust, said: “We are delighted that the concordat will enable the trust to take forward the project, removing previous barriers to progress and demonstrating a firm commitment to its success by Historic Scotland and Midlothian Council.

“Whilst securing the project funding will be a huge challenge in such difficult economic times, the grant from the Scottish Government is an important step towards reaching our goal.”

The rescue deal has been agreed almost a decade after the mansion, which has been virtually a ruin for the past 30 years, featured in the television series Restoration.

The mansion, at Loanhead in Midlothian, dates back to 1723 but was devastated by fire in 1973, although the exterior of the building survived the blaze. It had been commissioned by leading Enlightenment figure Sir John Clerk of Penicuik.

Culture secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “With its architectural beauty, history and international significance, the plans for Mavisbank House will not only enhance Scotland’s rich historic environment but also have the potential to become one of the most beautiful landmarks in the Lothians.”

Under the concordat agreement, a programme of regular open days will be held at the house, while parts of the building will be opened up for community use on a regular basis.

In 2007 the house was also added to a list of the world’s 100 most endangered places compiled by the World Monuments Fund.