Battleby

Battleby
Coordinates 56°26′44″N 3°29′05″W / 56.4456°N 3.4848°WCoordinates: 56°26′44″N 3°29′05″W / 56.4456°N 3.4848°W
Listed Building – Category B
Designated 5 October 1971
Reference no. 17905
Designated 1987
Location in Perth and Kinross

Battleby is a country house in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It is located in the parish of Redgorton, 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) west of Luncarty and 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) north of Perth. The 19th-century house is occupied by Scottish Natural Heritage, and is protected as a category B listed building.[1] The grounds are listed on the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland, the national listing of significant gardens, for their important plant collection.[2]

History

The estate is named after the Battle of Luncarty Clan Hay,[3] recorded by Hector Boece as a battle between Scots and Danes in 990, although a later historian has doubted whether such a battle occurred.[4]

The Battleby estate was acquired in the 19th century by the Maxtone-Graham family. The house was built around 1862, to designs by the Perth-based architect David Smart. The design of the house shows the influence of Alexander Thomson.[1] The Grahams also laid out the grounds of the house, and planted many of the trees which still remain.[3]

Later in the 19th century the house was leased, and served as a hospital during the First World War.[3] Battleby was bought in 1947 by Sir Alexander Cross, who built up an important plant collection in the grounds. In 1970 the house was purchased by the Countryside Commission for Scotland, a public body with responsibility for natural heritage, and was converted for use as their national headquarters,[3] with a visitor centre designed by Morris and Steedman.[5] In 1992, the Countryside Commission for Scotland was replaced with a new body, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). SNH later moved their main headquarters to Inverness, and Battleby now serves as a local office within the Tayside and Grampian Area Management Unit.[6]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Battleby House". Historic Scotland. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
  2. ↑ "Battleby". Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland. Historic Scotland. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Battleby: Site History". Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland. Historic Scotland. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
  4. ↑ Burton, John Hill (1867). The History of Scotland from Agricola's Invasion to the Revolution of 1688. William Blackwood and Sons. pp. 364–365.
  5. ↑ "Countryside Commission visitor centre". Dictionary of Scottish Architects. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
  6. ↑ "Tayside and Grampian: Contact us". Scottish Natural Heritage. Retrieved 29 August 2011.