Dunmore Pineapple
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The Dunmore Pineapple is a remarkable folly situated in Dunmore Park, approximately 1 kilometre northwest of Airth in the Falkirk council area, Scotland.
One of the architectural wonders of Scotland, the building was built in the grounds of Dunmore House as a garden retreat and hothouse in 1761 by the 4th Earl of Dunmore, John Murray. Murray later left Scotland and went on to become Colonial Governor of Virginia in America. The reason for the design of the main summer house is not altogether clear, but it is known that pineapples were grown at Dunmore, assisted by the furnace-driven heating system that circulated hot air through cavities in the wall construction of the adjoining hothouse buildings.
After discovery by Christopher Columbus on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe in 1493, the pineapple became a rare delicacy in Europe, and was symbolic of power, wealth, and hospitality. The pineapple was adopted as a motif by architects, artisans and craftsmen, being sculpted into gateposts, railings, weather vanes and door lintels. The motif also featured prominently in interior decoration, fabrics and furniture. The Dunmore Pineapple is perhaps the most spectacular architectural use of the motif.
The ground floor of the building is of classical Palladian form, and the intricately carved stone pineapple adorns the top of a hexagonal cupola, providing light to a central garden apartment below. The pineapple and cupola are around 14 metres high and constitute a stunning example of the stonemason's craft, being a remarkably accurate depiction of a pineapple. Each of the curving stone leaves is separately drained to prevent frost damage to the delicate structure. Above the south entrance are designs from the Douglas-Hamilton coat of arms, adorned with the motto Fidelis in Adversis. This commemorates the marriage, in 1803, of George Murray, the 5th Earl of Dunmore, to Lady Susan Douglas-Hamilton, daughter of the Duke of Hamilton.
The identity of the designer of the folly is uncertain, but it is often attributed to Sir William Chambers who designed similar fanciful structures at Kew Gardens.
The building was gifted to the National Trust for Scotland in 1974 by the Countess of Perth, and is now leased to the Landmark Trust, who restored the building and use it to provide holiday accommodation. The 6.5 hectacres of gardens, including woodland, pond and crab-apple orchard, are open to the public year-round.
