Tag Archives: James Dickson

Historic Houses: Sarah’s Serendipitous Stopover at Ednam House

Dreaming blond retro woman with a book sitting on a meadow

Bigstock/50228168

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.

Charles Edward Stuart Bonnie prince Charlie. Cosmo Alexander, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Charles Edward Stuart. Cosmo Alexander, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

 

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 →

Chelsea and its Flower Show

Mary Poppins arriving with open umbrella and Gladstone bag constructed of dark blue flower heads, with a bush of pale orange and cream flowers filling the bag and almost the same size.Chelsea in Bloom 2023

Mary Poppins, Royal Avenue, Chelsea

Last week was the Chelsea Flower Show. I aIways beam at the enthusiastic visitors who pour down the King’s Road on their way to the Show. (Love a good enthusiast!) But somehow this year the excitement has seemed a bit muted.

Normally the Flower Show People — you can tell them by the floral outfits, exciting hats and sensible shoes for hours of walking — are a pretty cheery bunch, even in the pouring rain. This time, the worst excess of the weather has been no more than overcast. But too many of the visitors have looked harassed.

It made me really grateful for the display at the end of Royal Avenue: a Mary Poppins of indigo flowers, Gladstone bag in hand, flying in to save the Mr Banks in all of us. Her author, P L Travers (her blue plaque currently obscured by builder’s fencing), lived two streets away in Smith Street,

Chelsea in Bloom

Carousel ponies among flowers in the Mary Poppins floral display, Chelsea 2023Mary Poppins, together with her accompanying carousel ponies, are entries in a floral street art competition, supported by the Cadogan Estate, in conjunction with the Royal Horticultural Society. Since 2006, it has become a traditional companion celebration to the Chelsea Flower Show itself. Continue reading →