Although this building sits away through in Renfrew, it is worth mentioning here given the Blantyre connections. In 1703, Alexander Stewart, 5th Lord Blantyre purchased the barony of Erskine. Robert Walter Stewart, the 11th Lord Blantyre demolished the old mansion on Eriskine Estate and constructed the present Erskine House between 1828 and 1845.
Sir Robert Smirke, the architect of the British Museum, designed it. During the early 18th century the estate and old Erskine House came into the ownership of the Lords Blantyre. In 1828 Major General Robert W Stuart, the 11th Lord Blantyre and a distinguished veteran of the Wellington’s peninsular campaigns during the Napoleonic Wars, commissioned the present house. His architect, Sir Robert Smirke (1781-1867) was still engaged in designing the British Museum. That, however, is a very classical design whereas Erskine House is more Gothic with touches of Tudor. The stone was quarried locally. Sir Charles Barry produced designs for the gardens. Sadly Lord Blantyre never saw his house as he was killed in Brussels during the 1830 uprising that led to the birth of Belgium. The house was completed only in 1845. The final cost was £50,000, about £2.5m today.
When the Blantyre line became extinct in 1900 the house was left derelict but in 1916 it re-opened as the Princess Louise Scottish Hospital of Limbless Sailors and Soldiers.
As obelisk still stands nearby, which is 20m high, erected in the memory of Robert Walter Stewart, paid for by the people of Erskine.
From “Blantyre Explained” by Paul Veverka (c) 2016
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17.3&lat=55.92026&lon=-4.47867&layers=168&b=ESRIWorld&o=100
Does this map help? You can see Erskine House/buildings here.
Many thanks
A lot has changed for sure!
Any links to the history or plans of the remaining formal gardens on the south terrace of the main house. This is the part I am interested in as I have surveyed the entire estate and aware of those elements no longer existing, or within the new estate boundaries.
Is there any evidence that Sir Charles Barry designed the formal gardens around the main house?
W
Hi
Very interesting page on the history of Mar Hall / Erskine House.
I am a landscape designer and involved with the complete renovation of the landscape and gardens of the estate. I would very much like to see the original plans for the gardens by Sir Charles Barry if they exist somewhere. I have contacted RIBA and the records office, but if you have any leads on this or any other records you think mught be useful, I would be most grateful.
Many thanks
Wayne Page
By gardens do you mean the old walled garden and Victorian water tower which was demolished to make way for the new Erskine hospital building ?
Hi..thanks for your reply. If there are any pictures or plans of the walled garden and tower before demoloshing, I would love to see them. The estate boundaries were broken up a bit as the old piggery / clock tower is not within the Mar Hall estate now. However, the original formal gardens (fountain and rose garden) on the south terrace of the house still remain, although nature has consumed a lot of it. This is the layout I refer to, although I have found no official records that Charles Barry had anything to do with it unless someone can provide more info? I contacted RIBA archives but nothing turned up.
Many thanks
Wayne
The walled garden was a grade a listed building along with its Victorian water tower. The gardeners cottage was built at ten same time around 1857. The only remaining building is the cottage. Erskine hospital knocked down the walled garden and water tower and built the new hospital building where it once stood. The walled garden would have provided food for erskine house. There was also a laundry building where the furniture workshops are now standing. The original furniture shop which had horse and cart access has long been demolished also where the fancy houses are built at mar hall. If you use old maps app you can see the walled garden laundry and stable buildings on an ordanance survey style map it must have been printed around 1890.