Houstoun Manor House - A Brief History

John Shairp wrote in 1600 that "The Mansion House, Tower and Fortalice, begun to be built, and God Willing to be finished as soon as possible". This began the belief that Houstoun Manor House was built in 1600. The Manor is shown on the map of 1654, which is based on surveys carried out between 1583 and 1596. The first mention of the house is 1553, which would indicate that the house was built between 1548 and 1553, however due to legal disputes over land which were finally resolved in 1550, it would appear that Houstoun House was actually built in 1551.

The first Shairp of Houstoun, Thomas was advocate to Mary Queen of Scots, and was involved in nearly thirty years of litigation before he firmly established his title. It was only then that the building of the new Mansion on Houstoun Estate begun. Until its completion, the only dwelling on the estate was the little cottage now known as the Woman House. It is believed that when Mary Queen of Scots rode over from Linlithgow Palace, as it as often suggested that she did, it was here that he entertained her!

His new Mansion was an impressive building, "L" shaped with two turrets. The only entrance was from the Courtyard in the angle of the "L" from which a wide staircase led to the first floor of the building (where the present staircase hall now stands) from which access to the second and third floors were by a turret stair. The Woman House was then linked to the main building by a high wall to form a fortified Courtyard, complete with well. Although the well has now been covered, the stone courtyard remains virtually unchanged!

When Mary Queen of Scots was executed in 1587, Thomas Shairp locked the door to the room in which she had slept and it was never used again. Among items kept at Houstoun House was a pair of Hawking Gloves and a beautiful Glass Cabinet, which were said to have been presented by Mary Queen of Scots.
In 1737, the Mansion was extended to the northwest with the "L" being filled in and the present staircase being built to replace the original turnpike and turret staircases. Around 1830, the front entrance to the house was moved to the east side of the Mansion. In the early 17th Century, after a long dispute over money, a local villager who was a gatherer and expert on herbal medicine put a curse onto the Shairp family. She was reported to have told the Shairps' that "a time will come when the Lands of Shairp will be no bigger than a back yard" Although this was thought to be nonsense at the time, events in later years proved her correct, as the Estate of Houstoun was sold off in the 19th and 20th centuries until only the Mansion and its adjoining gardens remained.

There was an ancient belief that there was an underground tunnel which linked Houstoun House and nearby Niddry Castle. This seemed to be a common occurrence all over the country wherever there were two ancient buildings in very close proximity. As with many others, this was proved false when mining works took place between the two buildings. The secret underground passage was never discovered.

The Manor House remained in the Shairp family until 1945, when the trustees of the Shairp family sold off the Estate. After the house was sold, local people wondered if the room, which had been locked and never used after Mary Queen of Scots was executed, would be re-opened!

From 1945 to 1967 the estate had three different owners in succession, before becoming Houstoun House Hotel in 1968.

It was a privately owned Hotel until 1987 when Gleddoch Hotels bought the Estate. In early 1992 it was taken over by Macdonald Hotels Plc. In recent years, the building has been extended to form the present 71-bedroom Hotel, with a number of very sympathetically designed buildings being created to blend in with the character of the original Mansion.

The original stable building behind the main house has been converted into conference and banqueting facilities, now called the Dower House, while the Woman House in which Mary Queen of Scots was entertained is now a Honeymoon Suite, thus answering the question posed all those years ago as to whether the room would ever be re-opened!

A trip around Houstoun Manor House

The under croft

Most large houses of Houstoun's "vintage" were built on stone arches with the partitions added. In this arch was the main kitchen. The fireplace with its unusual asymmetrical arch contained the oven, while beside it was a large store for flour, meal and salt. From the large metal hooks in the ceiling (which still remain) hung large poles laden with meats of all kinds.

This room has now changed use, and serves as the House Bar, although may of the original characteristics remain in place.

The slit facing the door may have been used for the defence of the main staircase, while the pump in the next room was used to draw water from one of four wells, not only for immediate use but also for storage in the lead lined tanks in the roof, which still prove adequate for the whole building.

The "Old Kitchen" is in fact not so old, dating from 1737, the year in which the northwest wing was added to the Mansion, filling in the "L" shape of the building.

Above the fireplace in the kitchen was a fan, which spun heat from the fire and was harnessed to a spit large enough to roast an Ox. The original oven was later replaced with a Victorian one, which is still in place, although not in use, in what is now called the Hunting Room, with Stag's Head and Hunting memorabilia adorning the walls.

The Main Floor

The largest room on this level, originally the Great Hall, had very ornate panelling added in the middle of the 17th century. Sadly, the two pilasters flanking the fireplace are all that remain, however all rooms on this floor still have original cornicing.

An arched doorway led from the hall into the second turret and gave access to the Laird's Room, which later became the Library. Beside the archway is an alcove with a flat arch, which in the pre 1737 design of the mansion was a window. Large double doors matching the fine Georgian panelling link the Drawing Room and Library.

These three rooms on the first floor now serve as the Hotel Restaurant.

Tower Bedrooms

Bedrooms Fourteen to Twenty-One are the original bedrooms of the mansion, spread out over the second and third floors. In the original design of the building, a turret stair accessed these rooms, but after the northwest wing was added in 1737, the main staircase was incorporated to include access to these floors.

Signs of the original turret stair are still visible at each stair landing.

These rooms at least have some of the original wall panelling and also their Garde-Robes, although the ventilation holes are now glazed. From the outside of the building, these tiny holes are only just visible. The Garde-Robes are now used as wardrobes in the guest bedrooms.

The Woman House

Although this little building pre dates the mansion by about a century, it shows a great affinity for Scottish domestic architecture of the 17th and 18th centuries.
The vaulted under croft is now the wine cellar. An external stone stair leads to what were originally the Laird's apartments before his Manor House was completed. Since that time, these rooms have served as offices, bake house, brew house and laundry, acquiring the unusual name of the "Woman House" The window openings on the north side of the building are mostly original, dating from a time when defence was a primary need. The Laird's apartments currently serve as a Honeymoon Suite and guest bedroom.

The Estate Grounds

The Estate of Houstoun was very extensive with many original trees still remaining in the formal gardens. The high Yew hedge which surrounds the garden was planted in 1722, while the huge Copper Beeches came from Newliston soon after. On the main lawn is one of two, grown from a seed, which was brought back to Houstoun Estate from Lebanon in Shairp pocket!
The long Lime avenue which leads up to the house was planted in the 19th century to replace an original Beech avenue, of which there are still a few remaining. At the top of the avenue on the left hand side is the ruin of a Doocot almost as old as the mansion itself. The worn nesting boxes inside bear witness to the practice of rearing Pigeons for the table.

Closer still to the house is what would appear to be a small stone step. This is what was known as a "Lowpin on stane" and was used by ladies to allow them to mount a horse gracefully. Hidden in a bush by the entrance to the formal gardens is a small pyramid of stone that used to top the tower of the Norman Parish Church until its restoration in the 1870's. Outside the main hotel glass foyer are two stone "Pineapples" which are said to be the only surviving relic of nearby Strathbrock Castle, a structure that has totally vanished.