Callendar House
Encyclopedia
Callendar House is a mansion set within the grounds of Callendar Park in Falkirk
, central Scotland
. Its present form, in the style of a French Renaissance
château
, dates from the 19th century, although at its core is a 14th-century tower house. During its 600-year history, Callendar House has played host to many prominent historical figures, including Mary, Queen of Scots, Oliver Cromwell
, Bonnie Prince Charlie and Queen Victoria. The current building is by far the most substantial historical building in the area, with a 300 ft (91.4 m) frontage. It is protected as a category A listed building, and the grounds are included in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland
, the national listing of significant gardens.
, built by the Romans from the Firth of Clyde
to the Firth of Forth
. In the 12th century Thanes Hall or Thane House, located to the east of the present house, was one of the seats of the Callander family who were Thane
s of Callander. In the fourteenth century the 5th Thane Sir Patrick Callander, supported the claim of Edward Balliol
to the throne of Scotland. Sir Patrick Callander was later attainted and his estates were forfeited.
to Sir William Livingston, who was married to Christian Callander, daughter of Sir Patrick. Sir William Livingston had fought with David II at the Battle of Durham
in 1346. The Livingston fmaily became prominent in Scottish affairs over the following centuries. Sir Alexander Livingston was Regent of Scotland during the minority of James II
in the 1440s. Alexander, 5th Lord Livingston
(c. 1500–1553) was guardian of Mary, Queen of Scots, during her childhood. The marriage agreement between Mary and the French Dauphin
was signed at Callendar House. Lord Livingston's daughter Mary was maid of honour to Queen Mary. Alexander, 7th Lord Livingston and 1st Earl of Linlithgow
(d. 1623) and his wife Lady Eleanor, daughter of Andrew Hay, 8th Earl of Erroll
, were entrusted by King James VI & I
with the upbringing and education of his daughter Princess Elizabeth, who spent her early childhood at Callendar House before moving to England. Elizabeth later became Queen of Bohemia and Electress Palatine
.
Members of the Livingston family were raised to the peerage as Earl of Linlithgow
(1600), Earl of Callendar
(1641), and Earl of Newburgh
(1660). They played an important part in the history of the area, but their hold on the lands came to an abrupt end in the 18th century when James Livingston, 5th Earl of Linlithgow and 4th Earl of Callander, was forced into exile abroad because he had sided with the "Old Pretender", son of King James II of England
(James VII of Scotland) in the Jacobite Rising
of 1715. The Callendar estates were forfeited and purchased by the York Buildings Company
, who leased the house back to the earl's daughter, Lady Anne Livingston, from 1724. Lady Anne gave hospitality to Bonnie Prince Charlie
before the Battle of Falkirk
in 1746, but after his defeat at Culloden
, Lady Anne's husband, the Earl of Kilmarnock
, was beheaded for treason
. After Lady Anne's death in 1747, her son James Hay, 15th Earl of Erroll
(1726–1778), remained at Callendar House until his death.
coppersmith William Forbes (1756–1823), a businessman who specialised in contracts to supply the Royal Navy
. William Forbes bought the house and estate for £100,000,though it was rumoured at the time that the timber alone on the estate was worth double that. Forbes made significant alterations to the house, and his son and grandson further altered the building by adding French-château-style roofs. James Craig
prepared drawings in 1785, though it is not certain these were carried out. In 1827 a scheme of internal alterations was undertaken, to designs by David Hamilton
. Forbes' descendants kept the house for almost 200 years, after which it fell into disrepair.
In 1963 Callendar House was purchased along with some of the parkland by Falkirk Burgh Council. The majority of the estate is still owned by the family company Callendar Estate, who are still the largest landowners in Falkirk.
glory, and is being developed as a major heritage centre. It is the principal museum in Falkirk district and has two magnificent reception rooms, the Pink Room (the Drawing Room) and the Green Room (the Morning Room), as well as a fully working Georgian kitchen, dominated by a huge open fire, offering visitors the opportunity to step back into a world that has now gone. Staff in period costumes give insights into working conditions in the house over the centuries and prepare the same food that was enjoyed at the grand social occasions that once took place there. "William Forbes' Falkirk" is the permanent exhibition at the House; another permanent exhibition, "The Antonine Wall", will open in February 2007. The other galleries show around seven different exhibitions a year from all around the world.
Around 28,000 visitors came to Callendar House in 2006, up over 50% on the previous year. This may be in connection with the recent local attraction, The Falkirk Wheel
, whose visitor numbers doubled during the same period.
There is also a history research centre, where all of Falkirk's historical archives are kept, housed in the Victorian oak-panelled library.
The grounds of the house contain a pitch and putt course, crazy golf, a children's adventure playground (with the largest slide in Scotland), a boating lake and the Antonine Wall
. There is also a contemporary art gallery, the Park Gallery. Callendar Estate extends to 500 acres (2 km²) and is open for walks through the woodland and also home to the Forbes family mausoleum, a large domed circular Grecian-Doric building which contains the remains of many of the Forbeses.
Various events are held in the grounds throughout the year, including the annual firework display, which is regularly attended by over 70,000 people, as well as the national street arts festival, Big in Falkirk
and the Scottish National Cross Country Championships. Behind the house lies Callander Wood, which contains a number of pre-determined paths popular with ramblers and dog walkers.
Callendar House was voted Favourite Visitor Attraction by Forth2.
Falkirk
Falkirk is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies in the Forth Valley, almost midway between the two most populous cities of Scotland; north-west of Edinburgh and north-east of Glasgow....
, central 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...
. Its present form, in the style of a French Renaissance
French Renaissance architecture
French Renaissance architecture is the style of architecture which was imported to France from Italy during the early 16th century and developed in the light of local architectural traditions....
château
Château
A château is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor or a country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally—and still most frequently—in French-speaking regions...
, dates from the 19th century, although at its core is a 14th-century tower house. During its 600-year history, Callendar House has played host to many prominent historical figures, including Mary, Queen of Scots, Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
, Bonnie Prince Charlie and Queen Victoria. The current building is by far the most substantial historical building in the area, with a 300 ft (91.4 m) frontage. It is protected as a category A listed building, and the grounds are included in 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...
, the national listing of significant gardens.
History
The house lies on the line of the 2nd-century Antonine WallAntonine Wall
The Antonine Wall is a stone and turf fortification built by the Romans across what is now the Central Belt of Scotland, between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde. Representing the northernmost frontier barrier of the Roman Empire, it spanned approximately 39 miles and was about ten feet ...
, built by the Romans from the Firth of Clyde
Firth of Clyde
The Firth of Clyde forms a large area of coastal water, sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by the Kintyre peninsula which encloses the outer firth in Argyll and Ayrshire, Scotland. The Kilbrannan Sound is a large arm of the Firth of Clyde, separating the Kintyre Peninsula from the Isle of Arran.At...
to the Firth of Forth
Firth of Forth
The Firth of Forth is the estuary or firth of Scotland's River Forth, where it flows into the North Sea, between Fife to the north, and West Lothian, the City of Edinburgh and East Lothian to the south...
. In the 12th century Thanes Hall or Thane House, located to the east of the present house, was one of the seats of the Callander family who were Thane
Thane (Scotland)
Thane was the title given to a local royal official in medieval eastern Scotland, equivalent to a count, who was at the head of an administrative and socio-economic unit known as a shires or thanages....
s of Callander. In the fourteenth century the 5th Thane Sir Patrick Callander, supported the claim of Edward Balliol
Edward Balliol
Edward Balliol was a claimant to the Scottish throne . With English help, he briefly ruled the country from 1332 to 1336.-Life:...
to the throne of Scotland. Sir Patrick Callander was later attainted and his estates were forfeited.
Livingston family
In 1345 the Callendar lands were granted by King David IIDavid II of Scotland
David II was King of Scots from 7 June 1329 until his death.-Early life:...
to Sir William Livingston, who was married to Christian Callander, daughter of Sir Patrick. Sir William Livingston had fought with David II at the Battle of Durham
Battle of Neville's Cross
The Battle of Neville's Cross took place to the west of Durham, England on 17 October 1346.-Background:In 1346, England was embroiled in the Hundred Years' War with France. In order to divert his enemy Philip VI of France appealed to David II of Scotland to attack the English from the north in...
in 1346. The Livingston fmaily became prominent in Scottish affairs over the following centuries. Sir Alexander Livingston was Regent of Scotland during the minority of James II
James II of Scotland
James II reigned as King of Scots from 1437 to his death.He was the son of James I, King of Scots, and Joan Beaufort...
in the 1440s. Alexander, 5th Lord Livingston
Alexander Livingston, 5th Lord Livingston
Alexander Livingston, 5th Lord Livingston of Callandar was the guardian of Mary, Queen of Scots, during her childhood.Alexander Livingston succeeded his father to the title of Lord Livingston in about 1518. His first wife was Janet Stewart...
(c. 1500–1553) was guardian of Mary, Queen of Scots, during her childhood. The marriage agreement between Mary and the French Dauphin
Francis II of France
Francis II was aged 15 when he succeeded to the throne of France after the accidental death of his father, King Henry II, in 1559. He reigned for 18 months before he died in December 1560...
was signed at Callendar House. Lord Livingston's daughter Mary was maid of honour to Queen Mary. Alexander, 7th Lord Livingston and 1st Earl of Linlithgow
Earl of Linlithgow
The title Earl of Linlithgow was created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1600 for Alexander Livingston, 7th Lord Livingston, along with the subsidiary title Lord Livingston and Callendar. In 1695 the Earldom merged with the junior Earldom of Callendar, created in 1641 for a younger son of the 1st Earl...
(d. 1623) and his wife Lady Eleanor, daughter of Andrew Hay, 8th Earl of Erroll
Earl of Erroll
The Earl of Erroll is an ancient title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1453 for Sir William Hay.The subsidiary titles held by the Earl of Erroll are Lord Hay and Lord Slains , both in the Peerage of Scotland. The Earls of Erroll also hold the hereditary office of Lord High Constable...
, were entrusted by King James VI & I
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
with the upbringing and education of his daughter Princess Elizabeth, who spent her early childhood at Callendar House before moving to England. Elizabeth later became Queen of Bohemia and Electress Palatine
Elizabeth of Bohemia
Elizabeth of Bohemia was the eldest daughter of King James VI and I, King of Scotland, England, Ireland, and Anne of Denmark. As the wife of Frederick V, Elector Palatine, she was Electress Palatine and briefly Queen of Bohemia...
.
Members of the Livingston family were raised to the peerage as Earl of Linlithgow
Earl of Linlithgow
The title Earl of Linlithgow was created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1600 for Alexander Livingston, 7th Lord Livingston, along with the subsidiary title Lord Livingston and Callendar. In 1695 the Earldom merged with the junior Earldom of Callendar, created in 1641 for a younger son of the 1st Earl...
(1600), Earl of Callendar
Earl of Callendar
The title Earl of Callendar was created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1641 for James Livingston, 1st Lord Livingston of Almond, a younger son of the 1st Earl of Linlithgow, along with the subsidiary title Lord Livingston and Almond. from his uncle, with which title the Earldom of Callendar was...
(1641), and Earl of Newburgh
Earl of Newburgh
The title Earl of Newburgh was created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1660 for James Livingston, 1st Viscount of Newburgh, along with the subsidiary titles Viscount of Kynnaird and Lord Levingston....
(1660). They played an important part in the history of the area, but their hold on the lands came to an abrupt end in the 18th century when James Livingston, 5th Earl of Linlithgow and 4th Earl of Callander, was forced into exile abroad because he had sided with the "Old Pretender", son of King James II of England
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
(James VII of Scotland) in the Jacobite Rising
Jacobite rising
The Jacobite Risings were a series of uprisings, rebellions, and wars in Great Britain and Ireland occurring between 1688 and 1746. The uprisings were aimed at returning James VII of Scotland and II of England, and later his descendants of the House of Stuart, to the throne after he was deposed by...
of 1715. The Callendar estates were forfeited and purchased by the York Buildings Company
York Buildings Company
The York Buildings Company was an English company in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.-Waterworks:The full name of the company was The Governor and Company for raising the Thames Water at York Buildings...
, who leased the house back to the earl's daughter, Lady Anne Livingston, from 1724. Lady Anne gave hospitality to Bonnie Prince Charlie
Charles Edward Stuart
Prince Charles Edward Louis John Casimir Sylvester Severino Maria Stuart commonly known as Bonnie Prince Charlie or The Young Pretender was the second Jacobite pretender to the thrones of Great Britain , and Ireland...
before the Battle of Falkirk
Battle of Falkirk (1746)
During the Second Jacobite Rising, the Battle of Falkirk Muir was the last noteworthy Jacobite success.-Background:...
in 1746, but after his defeat at Culloden
Battle of Culloden
The Battle of Culloden was the final confrontation of the 1745 Jacobite Rising. Taking place on 16 April 1746, the battle pitted the Jacobite forces of Charles Edward Stuart against an army commanded by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, loyal to the British government...
, Lady Anne's husband, the Earl of Kilmarnock
William Boyd, 4th Earl of Kilmarnock
William Boyd , 4th Earl of Kilmarnock, was a Scottish nobleman.William Boyd was educated at Glasgow. Like his father in the rebellion of 1715, William initially supported the Government side, but in the rebellion of 1745, owing either to a personal affront or to the influence of his wife or to his...
, was beheaded for treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
. After Lady Anne's death in 1747, her son James Hay, 15th Earl of Erroll
James Hay, 15th Earl of Erroll
James Hay, 15th Earl of Erroll was the son of William Boyd, 4th Earl of Kilmarnock.He was born with the name of James Boyd but legally changed it to James Hay in 1758, when he succeeded his great-aunt as Earl of Erroll .In 1749, he married Rebecca Lockhart In 1762,...
(1726–1778), remained at Callendar House until his death.
Forbes family
In 1783 the estate went to auction after the York Buildings Company was forced to sell its assets. Lord Errol bid for the estate, but was outbid by an AberdeenAberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
coppersmith William Forbes (1756–1823), a businessman who specialised in contracts to supply the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
. William Forbes bought the house and estate for £100,000,though it was rumoured at the time that the timber alone on the estate was worth double that. Forbes made significant alterations to the house, and his son and grandson further altered the building by adding French-château-style roofs. James Craig
James Craig (architect)
James Craig was a Scottish architect. His brief career was concentrated almost entirely in Edinburgh, and he is remembered primarily for his layout of the first Edinburgh New Town.-Date of birth:...
prepared drawings in 1785, though it is not certain these were carried out. In 1827 a scheme of internal alterations was undertaken, to designs by David Hamilton
David Hamilton (architect)
David Hamilton was a Scottish architect based in Glasgow. He has been called the "father of the profession" in Glasgow. Notable works include Hutchesons' Hall, Nelson Monument in Glasgow Green and Lennox Castle. The Royal Exchange in Queen Street is David Hamilton's best known building in Glasgow...
. Forbes' descendants kept the house for almost 200 years, after which it fell into disrepair.
In 1963 Callendar House was purchased along with some of the parkland by Falkirk Burgh Council. The majority of the estate is still owned by the family company Callendar Estate, who are still the largest landowners in Falkirk.
Current role
The house has since been restored to its former GeorgianGeorgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
glory, and is being developed as a major heritage centre. It is the principal museum in Falkirk district and has two magnificent reception rooms, the Pink Room (the Drawing Room) and the Green Room (the Morning Room), as well as a fully working Georgian kitchen, dominated by a huge open fire, offering visitors the opportunity to step back into a world that has now gone. Staff in period costumes give insights into working conditions in the house over the centuries and prepare the same food that was enjoyed at the grand social occasions that once took place there. "William Forbes' Falkirk" is the permanent exhibition at the House; another permanent exhibition, "The Antonine Wall", will open in February 2007. The other galleries show around seven different exhibitions a year from all around the world.
Around 28,000 visitors came to Callendar House in 2006, up over 50% on the previous year. This may be in connection with the recent local attraction, The Falkirk Wheel
Falkirk Wheel
The Falkirk Wheel is a rotating boat lift located in Scotland, UK,connecting the Forth and Clyde Canal with the Union Canal, opened in 2002. It is named after the nearby town of Falkirk which is in central Scotland...
, whose visitor numbers doubled during the same period.
There is also a history research centre, where all of Falkirk's historical archives are kept, housed in the Victorian oak-panelled library.
The grounds of the house contain a pitch and putt course, crazy golf, a children's adventure playground (with the largest slide in Scotland), a boating lake and the Antonine Wall
Antonine Wall
The Antonine Wall is a stone and turf fortification built by the Romans across what is now the Central Belt of Scotland, between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde. Representing the northernmost frontier barrier of the Roman Empire, it spanned approximately 39 miles and was about ten feet ...
. There is also a contemporary art gallery, the Park Gallery. Callendar Estate extends to 500 acres (2 km²) and is open for walks through the woodland and also home to the Forbes family mausoleum, a large domed circular Grecian-Doric building which contains the remains of many of the Forbeses.
Various events are held in the grounds throughout the year, including the annual firework display, which is regularly attended by over 70,000 people, as well as the national street arts festival, Big in Falkirk
Big in Falkirk
Big in Falkirk was a festival of the arts held in Falkirk, Scotland from 2000 to 2009.Since its inception in 2000, the award-winning , free weekend event was one of the largest cultural events in Scotland, attracting over 100,000 people...
and the Scottish National Cross Country Championships. Behind the house lies Callander Wood, which contains a number of pre-determined paths popular with ramblers and dog walkers.
Callendar House was voted Favourite Visitor Attraction by Forth2.
External links
- Callendar House, Falkirk Council website
- Callendar Estate