Mavisbank is one of the country's earliest neo-classic houses as well as the very first Palladian villa to be built in Scotland, but was gutted by fire in 1973. Described as the best small country home in Scotland, the category A listed building now looks eerily abandoned after decades of neglect.
Formerly the home of the Clerk family, Undiscovered Scotland calls it “in many ways THE key building of the early Georgian period in this country.” But the stunning building is now a roofless shell and grounds are now only home to wildlife after being rescued by the council.
In the 1870s, the Clerk family sold the building which would become known as New Saughton Hall, a place for wealthy patients with mental illness to recover in a picturesque setting.
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Despite the surroundings, however, the staff were clear about the new purpose of the building - one advert called for a “Lady (thoroughly domesticated) required as a nurse for the insane: previous experience not necessary.”
The infamous Dr Joseph Bell, long considered the model for Sherlock Holmes, was involved in the project, and the doctors published papers in medical journals discussing particular cases, from alcoholics to suicidal patients. Even money, it seems, wasn’t a barrier against mental illness.
The hospital closed after WW2 and was sold to Archie Stevenson who used it to park cars he was selling or turning to scrap. A fire in the 1970s demolished most of the building, and it risked demolition before the Secretary of State for Scotland stepped in and Mavisbank - or what was left of it - was listed as a category A building.
Historic Environment Scotland in collaboration with the Landmark Trust are currently seeking lottery funding to restore the building and landscape. Simpson & Brown have developed proposals to create a 5 bedroom holiday let within the main house, with a café and HES training facility located within the pavilions. The application is currently being considered with an outcome expected in the summer of 2021.
