Edinburgh, Morningside, Hermitage Of Braid

187. The Hermitage of Braid.

The estate of Braid, lying between the Blackford and Braid Hills and now enclosed by the S.W. suburbs of Edinburgh, was purchased in 1772 by Charles Gordon of Clunie, who built the mansion of Braid House about 1785. Standing as it does secluded in a bottom, the house became popularly known as Braid Hermitage. Together with its policies it was presented to the city in 1937. In appearance the building has something of the " castle " style used by Robert Adam at Culzean, Ayrshire, and perhaps also at 5B York Place, Edinburgh (No. 126), and its design has consequently been attributed to that architect, but the fabric, taken as a whole, is by no means characteristic of his work. It may, however, be the case that Adam supplied general sketch-plans which were executed by someone else. The building, which has a basement, two upper floors and an attic, is oblong on plan but for two projections situated respectively at the centre of each end; the W.one, which is the shallower, contains the entrance, while the one to the E. contains the staircase. Apart from the front, which is entirely of ashlar, the elevations are of rubble with ashlar dressings. Front and back are battlemented and have a corbel-table which is continued on the sides as an eaves course. From the four corners of the building rise mock turrets.

The entrance opens from the W. into a vestibule with a coved frieze, dentilated cornice and enriched ceiling. Beyond this a passage divides the house into two parts, to N. and S., and at its farther end opens to the staircase. On the S. of the passage and vestibule the drawing-room and dining-room lie en suite. The first occupies the S.W. corner and is lit from the W. by a Venetian window flanked by fluted pilasters, and from the S. by two single windows. On the E. is the fireplace; this has a marble slip and a carved pine mantelpiece of Adam type. The walls have a modelled frieze and an enriched cornice. The dining-room, at the S.E. corner, is lit from the E. by a Venetian window and from the S. by two single windows, the heads of which are enriched with festoons. On the W.is the fireplace which has a black marble slip and a particularly good mantelpiece of carved pine, typical of the period. The walls have dado panelling and a moulded cornice. On the N. side of the passage the library occupies the N.W. corner; it has a Venetian window on the W., but the side-lights are closed to form book-cupboards. On the N. is a single blank light. On the E. is the fireplace, which has a marble slip and a good mantelpiece of carved pine. The morning-room, at the N.E. corner, corresponds generally with the library, but the fireplace is enclosed only by a marble slip and a wood moulding; the side-lights of the Venetian window are permanently closed and plastered over, and the walls have dado panelling. Between the two rooms area cloakroom, a telephone room and a butler's pantry.

The staircase, lit by a Venetian window, contains a scale-and-platt stair; the steps are of stone on the lower flights and of wood on the top one. The stair is continuous from basement to attic and has a mahogany hand-rail and a cast-iron balustrade. On the basement floor it opens into a central hall, which in its turn gives access on the S. to the kitchen, the servants' hall, and the back lobby and backdoor, and on the N. to a bedroom, a larder, a wine cellar, a pantry and the coal-cellars. Of these apartments the kitchen at the S.W. corner is of some interest, as in the E. wall there remains the original triple-arched fireplace; the central opening, which contained the fire, is surmounted by a smoke-jack and is flanked on the left by the bread-oven and on the right by the equivalent of a hot-plate. On the first floor the central passage is repeated and gives access at its farther end to a dressing-room situated over the vestibule, on the S. to two bedrooms and a dressing-room, and on the N. to two bedrooms with their respective dressing-rooms, which have been made into bathrooms. The bedroom at the S.W. corner has a bed-recess, and its fireplace has a good mantelpiece of carved pine; the ceiling is coved, like that of the bedrooms at the N.E. and N.W. corners. The adjoining bedroom on the E. has a Carron hob-grate. The attic rooms are entirely in the roof and are extensively camp-ceiled. They are lit by skylights, but a modern dormer has replaced the skylight in the S.W. room.

RCAHMS 1951, visited c.1941

The Public Monuments and Sculpture Association (http://www.pmsa.org.uk/) set up a National Recording Project in 1997 with the aim of making a survey of public monuments and sculpture in Britain ranging from medieval monuments to the most contemporary works. Information from the Edinburgh project was added to the RCAHMS database in October 2010 and again in 2012.

The PMSA (Public Monuments and Sculpture Association) Edinburgh Sculpture Project has been supported by Eastern Photocolour, Edinburgh College of Art, the Edinburgh World Heritage Trust, Historic Scotland, the Hope Scott Trust, The Old Edinburgh Club, the Pilgrim Trust, the RCAHMS, and the Scottish Archive Network.

A square pedestal surmounted by a bronze mounting plate for an armillary sphere assembly (removed).

An armillary sphere is an ancient instrument consisting of an arrangement of rings, all of which are circles of the same sphere, used to show the relative positions of the celestial equator, ecliptic, and other circles on the celestial sphere.

Inscriptions : On the west face of the pedestal, applied bronze lettering, centred alignment:

HERMITAGE / OF / BRAID

On the south face of the pedestal, applied bronze lettering, justified alignment:

THE HOUSE AND GROUNDS / WERE GIFTED TO THE / CITY OF EDINBURGH BY / JOHN McDOUGAL ESQ. / AND OPENED ON 10TH JUNE / 1938 BY THE RT. HON. / SIR LOUIS S. GUMLEY / LORD PROVOST.

Signatures : None

Information from Public Monuments and Sculpture Association (PMSA Work Ref : EDIN0087)

Five individual carvings of creatures: mole, badger, fox, fish and clam. Each has been carved from a single piece of wood (tree trunks), laid horizontally to facilitate and encourage children to sit astride the creature. All works, with the exception of the clam are located in a feature garden adjacent to the nature trail. The clam is sited adjacent to the south elevation of Hermitage of Braid House.

Commissioned as part of a project with musician-in-residence, the sculptures were intended to function as drums as well as play seats.

Inspected By : D. Lee

Inscriptions : None

Signatures : None

Design period : c. c.1991

Year of unveiling : c.1991

Information from Public Monuments and Sculpture Association (PMSA Work Ref : EDIN0463)