| Carberry Tower | |
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| Carberry Tower(2).jpg West front of Carberry Tower |
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Location within Scotland East Lothian
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| General information | |
| Location | Carberry, East Lothian GB grid reference NT365697 |
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| Website | |
| http://www.carberrytower.com/ | |
Carberry Tower is an historic house in East Lothian, Scotland. The house is situated off the A6124 road, 2 miles (3.2 km) south-east of Musselburgh. Carberry, like Musselburgh is in the parish of Inveresk. It now is in use as a Hotel/Christian conference centre, and is protected as a category A listed building.
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The lands on which Carberry Tower stands were first mentioned in the 11th century when King David I of Scotland granted "Caerbairin" (Carberry) to the monks of Dunfermline Abbey.[1] The first landowner or lessee was John de Crebarrie,[2] but it was the Johnstone family who were the first owners of Carberry Tower.[3] The original building was a simple square tower house, built more for strength than ornament. In 1541, Hugh Rigg, the King's Advocate, leased the lands from the abbey. It appeared Hugh Rigg had an agreement with the Abbot of Dunfermline to lease until 1585.[1]
In June 1567, on Carberry Hill, part of the Carberry Estate, Mary, Queen of Scots, faced an army assembled by a confederation of her lords. She quickly surrendered herself to the lords, and was then imprisoned. A monument, the Queen's Mount, still stands in the grounds commemorating the incident.[4]
In 1587, after the Scottish Reformation, the lands and tower of Carberry were annexed by the Crown and new superiors, the Maitlands of Lauderdale, were appointed. On 1 April 1600, the Riggs received a charter from Queen Anne, wife of James VI of Scotland for a further stay at 'Carberrie'. The estate later, in 1659, passed to Sir Adam Blair of Lochwood, but that family only lived there for 30 years before transferring the property to Sir Robert Dickson of Inveresk, whose son, also Robert, was the Chief Baillie of Musselburgh in 1745, when the rebel Jacobite troops passed between Carberry and Musselburgh on their way to the Battle of Prestonpans on the 21 September of that year. In 1760, John Fullerton moved in to Carberry Tower and it was he who began the alterations and enlargement of the tower. It seemed, over the years, as if the extensions were being built, piece by piece, in an anti-clockwise direction.[5] John's niece, Elizabeth, married the Hon. William Elphinstone in 1774 and the house passed in to the Elphinstone family in 1801. More alterations on the old tower commenced in 1830.
William Elphinstone, 15th Lord Elphinstone, succeeded to the estate in 1861 and it was he who was largely responsible for the complete redesign of the estate. The arboretum, for cultivating plants, was started during his tenure. His son, Sydney Herbert, 16th Lord Elphinstone, married Lady Mary Bowes-Lyon, sister of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. The couple made great improvements to both house and estate, particularly the laying-out of the formal garden in 1911. Specimen trees and many other varieties of plants were planted in the park. Sydney Elphinstone died in 1955 and his wife, Lady Mary, died six years later in 1961. Lady Mary bequeathed the tower to the Church of Scotland. The church used the tower as a conference centre where they built an annexe and a chapel in the park. Much of the estate was sold in small parcels, though most of it is in the ownership of the Buccleuch Estate.[1][2]
In 2004, the tower was sold to the Gartmore House charitable trust, and in 2008 it underwent major refurbishment. It is now used as a hotel and conference centre.[6]
In April 2011 Amazing Retreats (a Clarenco Company) acquired the property and intend further refurbishments adding facilities such as a New bar & lounge (end 2011), Dining room (early 2012), Snooker Room (early 2012), Whisky Bar (early 2012), Courtyard (early 2012), Ceilidh Hall (early 2012) [7]
Carberry Festival was a former Christian arts festival held at Carberry Tower from 1986 for 22 years running until 2008. It brought together a small gathering of like minded people to join in worship and activities.
Over the years, hundreds of Christian artists such as Fischy Music, Suzanne Adam, Vangel, Albert Bogle, Riding Lights Theatre Company, Yvonne Lyon, Acquitted and many, many more have entertained and challenged festival-goers in a multiplicity of ways on a variety of themes, some crystal clear, others obtusely obscure
After Carberry Tower's new owners (Gartmore House) (at that time) took over management they have chosen not to continue with this truly unique festival.