Interior. Detail of east part of library ceiling. Digital image of C 54075.

Description Interior. Detail of east part of library ceiling. Digital image of C 54075.

Date 5/1995

Catalogue Number SC 772381

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of C 54075

Scope and Content East part of library ceiling, Newbattle Abbey House, Midlothian This shows the early 17th-century plaster ceiling in the library. The smooth plaster surface is divided up into panels of various sizes and shapes by bands of moulding with central motifs. These include fruit and flowers, foliage, stars, cherubs, angels, and heraldic lions and dragons. Most country houses hold a fine collection of expensive leather-bound books within a richly-decorated library. These rooms would be used by the gentlemen of the house for reading and for dealing with correspondence or business. They would also be used by guests staying at the house, and thus served as reminders of the host's wealth and taste. Newbattle Abbey was founded by Cistercian monks in 1140, and its church dedicated to St Mary in 1233-4. It became a private residence in 1587 when the last abbot, Mark Kerr, converted to Protestantism and was able to retain his lands. His son became Lord Newbattle in 1596. The remains of the abbey are built into the surviving house, which was modified and rebuilt by the architects John Mylne (1650), William Burn (1836) and David Bryce (1858). The house was gifted to the nation in 1937 to be used as a further education college. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/772381

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap