Ascreavie
Encyclopedia
Ascreavie is a country house in Angus
, Scotland
. It is located 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) north of Kirkton of Kingoldrum
, and 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) north-west of Kirriemuir
. The farms of Over Ascreavie and Nether Ascreavie lie close by. The gardens at Ascreavie are listed on the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland
for its important horticultural collection, gathered by the plant-hunter George Sherriff.
to James Ogilvy of Cookston and his wife Marjory Durie. In 1699 John Ogilvy of Balfour sold the Ascreavies to James Ogilvy, third son of Donald Ogilvy who formerly had been the tenant farmer of Nether Ascreavie. The Ogilvy of Ascreavie family continued until the death of James Catherine Ogilvy in 1871. Her son William Baird Young then inherited the title of Ascreavie. Author J. M. Barrie
’s grandfather, Alexander Ogilvy, was born at Over Ascreavie in 1788.
A new house was built on the estate in the 1850s, to designs by the Dundee
architect William Scott. The Youngs lived there until the 1940s when it was purchased by the circus-owning family of Bertram Mills
. The house was then sold on in 1949 to Major George Sherriff (1898–1967). Major Sherriff had undertaken a number of plant collecting
expeditions with Frank Ludlow
in the Himalayas in the 1930s. At Ascreavie he and his wife began to develop the gardens using plants which he had gathered on these expeditions, including many rare rhododendron
s. Since Sherriff's death, the plant collection has been maintained, and a number of specimens have been donated to botanic gardens in Dundee and Edinburgh
.
Angus
Angus is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland, a registration county and a lieutenancy area. The council area borders Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross and Dundee City...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It is located 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) north of Kirkton of Kingoldrum
Kirkton of Kingoldrum
Kirkton of Kingoldrum is a village in Angus, Scotland. It lies in approximately four miles west of Kirriemuir on the B951 road....
, and 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) north-west of Kirriemuir
Kirriemuir
Kirriemuir, sometimes called Kirrie, is a burgh in Angus, Scotland.-History:The history of Kirriemuir extends to the early historical period and it appears to have been a centre of some ecclesiastical importance...
. The farms of Over Ascreavie and Nether Ascreavie lie close by. The gardens at Ascreavie are listed on the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland
Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland
The Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland is a listing of gardens and designed landscapes of national artistic and/or historical significance, in Scotland. The Inventory was originally compiled in 1987, although it is a continually evolving list...
for its important horticultural collection, gathered by the plant-hunter George Sherriff.
History
In 1540 the lands of Ascreavie were sold, along with Balfour and Kirkton of Kingoldrum, by Arbroath AbbeyArbroath Abbey
Arbroath Abbey, in the Scottish town of Arbroath, was founded in 1178 by King William the Lion for a group of Tironensian Benedictine monks from Kelso Abbey. It was consecrated in 1197 with a dedication to the deceased Saint Thomas Becket, whom the king had met at the English court...
to James Ogilvy of Cookston and his wife Marjory Durie. In 1699 John Ogilvy of Balfour sold the Ascreavies to James Ogilvy, third son of Donald Ogilvy who formerly had been the tenant farmer of Nether Ascreavie. The Ogilvy of Ascreavie family continued until the death of James Catherine Ogilvy in 1871. Her son William Baird Young then inherited the title of Ascreavie. Author J. M. Barrie
J. M. Barrie
Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, OM was a Scottish author and dramatist, best remembered today as the creator of Peter Pan. The child of a family of small-town weavers, he was educated in Scotland. He moved to London, where he developed a career as a novelist and playwright...
’s grandfather, Alexander Ogilvy, was born at Over Ascreavie in 1788.
A new house was built on the estate in the 1850s, to designs by the Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
architect William Scott. The Youngs lived there until the 1940s when it was purchased by the circus-owning family of Bertram Mills
Bertram Mills
Bertram Wagstaff Mills was a British circus owner who ran the Bertram Mills Circus. Originally from Paddington, London, his circus became famous in the UK for its Christmas shows at Olympia in West London...
. The house was then sold on in 1949 to Major George Sherriff (1898–1967). Major Sherriff had undertaken a number of plant collecting
Plant collecting
Plant collecting involves procuring live or dried plant specimens, for the purposes of research, cultivation or as a hobby.-Collection of live specimens:...
expeditions with Frank Ludlow
Frank Ludlow
Frank Ludlow OBE was an English officer stationed in the British Mission at Lhasa and a naturalist. He was born in Chelsea, London and studied at West Somerset County School and Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge....
in the Himalayas in the 1930s. At Ascreavie he and his wife began to develop the gardens using plants which he had gathered on these expeditions, including many rare rhododendron
Rhododendron
Rhododendron is a genus of over 1 000 species of woody plants in the heath family, most with showy flowers...
s. Since Sherriff's death, the plant collection has been maintained, and a number of specimens have been donated to botanic gardens in Dundee and Edinburgh
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is a scientific centre for the study of plants, their diversity and conservation, as well as a popular tourist attraction. Originally founded in 1670 as a physic garden to grow medicinal plants, today it occupies four sites across Scotland — Edinburgh,...
.