Archaeology Notes

Event ID 844908

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/844908

A medium sized house with a deceptively plain exterior. The centre block was built by James Smith, architect, as his own residence. At that time it was named Whitehill. In 1709 it was bought by Sir David Dalrymple and renamed after his East Lothian estate of Hailes. A partial internal refit was carried out by William Adam from c.1720, but no significant addition was made to the exterior till c.1750, the new work continuing the stone-dressed harling of the original. The flanking blocks and more interiors were completed by 1760.

C McWilliam 1978

NT 3269 7250 A major programme of monitoring, evaluation and architectural recording was undertaken at the mansion house and within its surrounding policies during conservation works between June 2000 and August 2001. The principal findings include:

Mansion house (NMRS NT37SW 168). Numerous features were recorded during reservicing throughout the mansion interiors. Some refinement of the original layout of the James Smith villa of c 1690 was achieved, particularly at basement level. A 'secret passage' was revealed that provided private access to a suite of panelled rooms at first-floor level; this had subsequently been blocked off during the installation of a dumb waiter. General analysis of the Smith period masonry fabric confirmed that it did not incorporate earlier structural remains. A detailed record was made of part of the exterior before repair and reharling works; this recorded details of the original pressed-back harl and its scheme of regular ruling-out to imitate coursed ashlar, and a number of subsequent repairs that generally employed cementitious mixes. Evidence for the original principal entrance arrangement on the NE facade was recorded beneath the existing stair; the original stair had been narrower, and had had a vaulted chamber below that led to a basement entrance, subsequently blocked.

Mansion forecourt. An extensive series of trenches were excavated within the area of the mansion forecourt in order to determine its original details, layout and metalling materials, datable to the second quarter of the 18th century. The edges of the original central lawn area - defined by stone bollards - were identified, many original bollard pads remaining in situ. The make-up of the cambered metalling of the carriage circle was recorded, grading successively to an upper surface of fine pea gravel. The limits of the surrounding verge and details of the construction of the base of the mansion stair were also recorded.

Trenching beneath the gravelled surface revealed substantial remains of what were interpreted as earlier garden bedding trenches. These seem to have been laid in groups that suggest a formal parterre in this area, presumably of the Smith period in the late 17th century.

N side of mansion. Services trenching along the NE side of the mansion revealed details of the early 18th-century garden surfaces in that area. These overlay deposits that include two discrete midden dumpings that contained bottle glass and ceramics (including parts of a blue Nevers-type Lambeth tin-glaze vessel) of the late 17th/early 18th century, i.e. the Smith period. Evaluation and services trenches at the NE wall foot revealed the profile of a sunken area that permitted light to the basement windows.

Ha-ha. Two evaluation trenches examined the details of construction of the ha-ha that encloses the lawned area on the NE side of the mansion. Both trenches revealed a roughly faced rubblework front some 2m in height, with a sandstone cope. This had been constructed against a vertical cut into the natural. The cut extended in front to form a broad ditch that gently sloped down to the foot of the wall; 0.5m+ of redeposition was identified behind. One trench was located on the central NE-SW axis of the mansion in the hope that an earlier axial drive might also be identified, but without success.

Canal. Services trenching just beyond the N corner of the stables revealed parts of a brick-built retaining wall that defined the SW limit of a long ornamental canal, otherwise earth-banked and subsequently infilled. A NE return section of this wall had been constructed with an ornamental curving profile.

Water and drainage systems. General monitoring of services installation trenches exposed the well-preserved remains of an extensive network of stone-lined drains and water channels associated with the use of both the mansion house and stable block from the late 17th to the early 19th century.

Miscellaneous. Amongst a number of miscellaneous finds, the most significant include:

Fragments of carved sandstone, some in store in the mansion basement, others recovered from the mansion forecourt area, forming two sections of a sculpted frieze. The carving takes the form of a well-developed acanthus scroll interspersed with twin-tailed mermaids, one of which displays a mask carved on her belly. The carving, which has not been completed, is typical of baroque architecture of the later 17th/early 18th century, one of the leading exponents of which was James Smith of Whitehill (Newhailes).

An Egyptian schist or serpentine seal matrix was recovered from an evaluation trench within the stables, from a level of hard-core just below the existing concrete courtyard paving (i.e. with no secure provenance). This object displays a royal cartouche on its base that has been tentatively translated as that of Tuthmosis III, datable to c 1400 BCE

Sponsor: National Trust for Scotland

T Addyman 2001

NT 325 727 The NTS volunteer Thistle Camp in June 2002 involved a number of problem-oriented evaluations and investigative exercises focusing on specific structures and areas within the Newhailes policies. A principal focus of the work was the Shell House and its immediate surroundings, where the original evaluation and recording completed in 2000/2001 was considerably extended. Substantial works were also undertaken at the Tea House, at the downstream end of the Newhailes water gardens - this included clearance, excavation, building recording and architectural analysis. A further small architectural recording and evaluation exercise was undertaken at the entrance gate piers at the SW end of Lady's Walk.

Another major aspect of the Thistle Camp programme was the investigation of the network of historic paths that formerly ran through the woodland shelter belt, particularly in the area of the water gardens. A series of evaluation trenches were located at key points along the ha-ha, to further investigate its phasing and details of its construction. Two topographic survey exercises were also carried out, one in the cabinet garden and the other in the area of the Shell House.

Shell House (NT37SW 168.4)

Three new trenches were excavated. The previous Trench 50 at the rear of the structure was considerably extended in order to fully expose the remains of the oven pit serving the intramural flue system that had been previously located. Trench 84 involved the excavation of a substantial area against the S wall of the structure in the hope of revealing details of the collapsed window within the rubble pile at that point; this produced a significant quantity of window glass but little other material, suggesting that the window had been wooden. Trench 85 was located at the lower W exterior wall foot of the Shell House to the N of the entrance. A further major sample of the midden of fallen decorative materials (such as exotic shells, minerals, glass and industrial waste) from the interior was recovered. New types of decorative materials include mirror fragments and pieces of carved mother of pearl (perhaps abalone shell) deriving from the decoration of an ornamental box or piece of furniture. A fragment was found of an aqua glass intaglio impression depicting a classical archer. This was most probably manufactured by the antiquarian James Tassie of Edinburgh in the later 18th century, and may have come from a collection of such objects at Newhailes House.

Cascade

Further investigation was made of the masonry remains exposed in 2001 just below and to the W of the Shell House. The S half of the feature was excavated, revealing it to have been a water cascade flowing down to the edge of a large, shaped pool (now infilled). Water emerged from a brick-vaulted culvert and fell down three semi-circular stone cascades (now largely robbed) before falling into the pool itself. Each tier was lead-lined and bounded by ashlar flanking walls that stepped out at each level. The latter were capped with 'rockwork', consisting of fragments of industrial (possibly smelting) waste to match the facade of the Shell House behind. Probable fittings for statuary were identified within the rear walls of the upper tier, and a large piece of sponge - artificial coral-form rockwork - was found loose within the feature, apparently part of its decoration. A small sondage revealed the continuation of the brick culvert vault to the E of its mouth, but its route beyond this remains uncertain.

The principal question that remains about the feature is its dating - is it coeval with the Shell House (thus 1770s), or does it relate to the laying out of the water gardens in the 1740s? It is possible that the rockwork is a secondary intervention. The feature had been infilled by the early 1790s. The cascade is paralleled by similar water garden features in association with grotto structures.

Tea House (NT37SW 168.5)

The project included the full exposure by excavation of the western wing wall flanking the Tea House, the recovery and record of fallen architectural stones revealed in that area, and the measured survey of the S elevation of the structure itself. The Tea House is a close copy of one of the pavilions flanking the Palladian bridge at Wilton (1736), by Roger Morris and the Earl of Pembroke, or its later copy at Stowe (1739). Historical research revealed that Roger Morris had most likely stayed in the vicinity of Newhailes, at neighbouring Brunstane House, in the entourage of the Duke of Argyll in 1744, and may well have had a direct influence in the design of the Newhailes Tea House (perhaps in collaboration with William Adam).

Paths

A series of small exploratory trenches, c 300mm square, were excavated to a depth that either confirmed no evidence of a path or showed the underlying make-up. This begins the mapping and phasing of the extensive network of paths within the wooded shelter belt in the area of the water gardens at Newhailes.

Lady's Walk

A concise recording exercise, limited archaeological evaluation and analytical assessment were undertaken of the stone gate piers at the SE entrance to Lady's Walk. Evidence for two phases of gates was discovered, the earlier, in association with the stone piers, coeval with the construction of Lady's Walk in the second quarter of the 18th century. In the entrance area if not beyond, the original ground surface was originally considerably lower than at present, with a lower threshold still in situ. The entrance appears originally to have contained wooden gates set to the rear of the columns.

The secondary reconditioning included the stabilisation of the stonework with braces and iron cramps and the installation of wrought iron gates with a threshold at a higher level. This seems to have occurred in the 19th century.

Ha-Ha

The relationship was examined between the ha-ha walls of the central area at their junction with those running out on either side. It was uncertain whether these walls were all coeval or laid out at different times. The ha-ha arrangement appears on Roy's map of c 1750 in more or less its present form, and it is clear from later maps that it has seen little subsequent modification. Four new trenches were excavated, confirming that the major elements of the ha-ha are coeval.

Archive to be deposited in the NMRS.

Sponsor: NTS.

D Connolly 2002

NT 326 725 Archaeological investigations were conducted on the water gardens dating from the 18th century, where pools, banks, cascades, paths and landscaping were explored. This work demonstrated that there are good levels of preservation in many areas and that several aspects of the gardens had silted up or been filled in, rather than destroyed. Key features located include a curling pond, cascade and pond. Investigations showed that large amounts of earth and stone boulders had been used to create a series of cascades and waterfalls, while renders had been used to create surface effects over bricks.

Three main evaluations were conducted elsewhere on the estate [see NT37SW 168.01 and NT37SW 168.07 also]:

Cabinet garden. The decorative scheme of two plinths was revealed leading down into the garden and demonstrated that the slope and garden were turfed.

A number of watching briefs were also conducted.

Archive to be deposited in East Lothian SMR and the NMRS.

Sponsor: NTS.

A Daly 2003