Novar House
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Novar House is an ancient building located 0.7 miles north of the village of Evanton in Ross, Scotland.
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[edit] History
The lands of the Novar Estate were acquired in 1589 from Keith of Delny by Neil Munro of Swordale, whose brother Andrew Munro was the ancestor of the Novar branch of the Clan Munro. These Munros were direct descendants of Hugh Munro of Foulis (d. 1425) and his son John Munro of Miltown who led the Munros at Clachnaharry in 1452. At the time the Novar lands covered a quarter of Fyrish.
There is a datestone of 1634 built into the side of the original Novar House, which is now part of the west side of the inner courtyard. Robert Munro of Novar was named as one of the early Scottish justices of the peace in 1634. The house was enlarged considerably in 1720 with a three storey building facing south.
The current house and estate of Novar are largely the creation of Sir Hector Munro of Novar (1726 -1805) who made his name and fortune as an officer in the British Army who fought in India. Early maps call it 'Tenuer' (Gaelic Tigh 'n fhuamhair, house of the giant).
The building was altered and rebuilt as a classical square by Sir Hector Munro on his return from India in 1765. Sir Hector Munro of Novar provided a ballroom with minstrels' gallery, and the main lines of the present mansion appear on esate plans of 1777 and 1778. Sir Hector Munro also carried out extensive agricultural improvements and afforestation, and the woodlands were renewed on a regular system by successive owners. The eastern lands of Fyrish were added to the Novar estate when they were passed from the Munro of Culrain family to the Munro of Novar family during the 18th century, thus the Novar lands becoming even larger.
Unfortunatly Sir Hector Munro's sons were both killed in India, one by a tiger and one by a shark in the Bay of Bengal. Therefore the estate passed to his daughter Jean Munro who married Ronald Ferguson of Raith. Today Novar is a thriving estate still owned and run by the Munro-Ferguson family.
Today the Novar Estate extends to 20,000 acres between the River Glass and the River Alness and incorporates farming, forestry, open hill, traditional country sports, fishing, over 150 miles of paths and tracks, a hydroelectric scheme and the first wind farm in the Highlands.
[edit] See Also
[edit] External Links
- http://www.novarestate.co.uk/
- http://www.5stardestinations.com/sitepages/property1395.php
- http://www.travelersdigest.com/villas/europe/scotland/novar_estate.htm
