Interior. General view of first floor library from west. Digital image of C 54071 CN.

Description Interior. General view of first floor library from west. Digital image of C 54071 CN.

Date 5/1995

Catalogue Number SC 772387

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of C 54071 CN

Scope and Content Library from west, Newbattle Abbey House, Midlothian This shows the library with its early 17th-century moulded plasterwork ceiling, 18th century marble fireplaces, and carved oak shelves and overmantels made in 1876 by W E Nesfield. The portrait above the fireplace is by Van Dyck, and within the fireplace are tiled panels by William Morris & Co depicting Pre-Raphaelite maidens. This room is now the college library, furnished with 1960s chairs and tables with built-in lighting. The decoration of this room reflects the fashions of four different centuries. Most old country houses include a variety of decorative schemes as each generation adds its own personality to the house, and some older features are replaced by more modern designs. 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/772387

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap