Kingsburgh House
Date 1 June 1990
Event ID 891735
Category Management
Type Site Management
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/891735
2 storey and attic, 3 bay house; piended slate roof with paired ridge stacks. Later 19th century additions; large projecting centre 3 gabled wing containing central entrance, crowstepped with ball finial at apex. Flanking tripartites inserted in old house outer ground floors bays. Flanking single storey pavilions with piended roofs and single ridge chimney, each linked to old house by quadrant. All harled. Some 12-pane glazing survives. Walled garden to north. (Historic Scotland)
Former laird's house, the piended-roofed box was built to replace an earlier house which stood closer to the shore. In the early 19th century it acquired quadrant links to the flanking single storey pavilions and a crowstep-gabled stair block on the front. The details of this are suggestive of the work of Gillespie Graham.
The site was home to Flora Macdonald, the wife of Macdonald of Kingsburgh, and played host to a number of distinguished guests including Dr Johnson and Boswell, who stayed here in 1773. The fugitive Prince Charles Edward Stuart (disguised as Flora's maid Betty Burk) was given refuge here when he and Flora landed from Benbecula on 29 June 1746 and journeyed to Monkstadt House. The occupation of Monkstadt by Redcoats at the time forced them to hide in grounds nearby, until they were rescued by Flora's husband and taken to Kingsburgh House.(M Miers)
