Living in the Highlands, I do a lot of travelling, usually breaking the journey with an overnight stop somewhere. The latest trip involved staying overnight in an amazing historic house in the Scottish Borders. A surprisingly wonderful experience for someone who spends a lot of her daydreams in the past.
We stopped at Ednam house, a beautiful 18th Century house tucked away in the old market town of Kelso. The house is built on the site of Chatto Lodge, Bonnie Prince Charlie’s residence when his army occupied the town in 1745.
The house was built in 1761 for James Dickson, whose portrait hangs over the fireplace in the entrance hall. He commissioned architect James Nisbet to build the house. It was Nisbet’s first major commission, and before that he had worked as a mason on some of Robert Adam’s designs in Scotland. The celebrated artist Joseph Rose created the elaborate Italian plaster ceilings.
Dickson’s own life was a rags to riches adventure… Continue reading