Colonsay House
Encyclopedia
Colonsay House is a Georgian
country house on the island of Colonsay
, in the Scottish
Inner Hebrides
. It is a Category B listed building, and is now in the ownership of the Barons Strathcona. The gardens are open to the public, and are listed on the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland, the national listing of historic gardens.
country house on the island of Colonsay
, in the Inner Hebrides
of Scotland. Assumed to have been built on the site of an earlier Abbey, it is the earliest Classical House in Argyll
. It has been extended twice in between 1722 and the early 20th century. Since 1904 the house has been the property of the island's owners, the Barons Strathcona
, and is currently occupied by the present baron's eldest son, Alexander Howard and his family.
and woodland garden covering some 30 acres (12.1 ha). Located centrally in the island of Colonsay, this informal woodland garden is famous for the outstanding collection of species and hybrid rhododendrons, and for unusual trees and shrubs sourced from all over the world from the 1930s. It is considered to be one of the finest rhododendron gardens in Scotland.
As the climate is mild, it is possible to grow a large variety of plants, including subtropical and more tender plants. There are eucalyptus
, myrtle, acacia
, eucryphia
and 50 feet (15.2 m) tall magnolia
s dotted throughout the garden. Other plants include crinodendron
, the dramatic flame red embothrium
, gunnera
and cordyline
, giving the gardens a subtropical feel. In spring, paths are lined with Himalayan primula
, bluebells and other wild flowers.
The walled gardens and rolling lawns are more formal. A Dicksonia antarctica
stands among lomatia
, crinodendron
and camellia
. Abutilon
, olearia
and, later in the year, eucryphia
, flower profusely alongside enormous Cupressus macrocarpa
.
The island's mill used to stand in the spot which is now The Dell garden. An 8th-century cross
(a hybrid phallic and early Christian form) from the abandoned village of Riasg Buidhe stands below the house. A focal point is the Lighthouse Garden, featuring the Fresnel lens from Islay
. The Old Workshop cafe in the gardens was built for the present Lord Strathcona by his father around 1935.
Georgian 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...
country house on the island of Colonsay
Colonsay
Colonsay is an island in the Scottish Inner Hebrides, located north of Islay and south of Mull and has an area of . It is the ancestral home of Clan Macfie and the Colonsay branch of Clan MacNeill. Aligned on a south-west to north-east axis, it measures in length and reaches at its widest...
, in the Scottish
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...
Inner Hebrides
Inner Hebrides
The Inner Hebrides is an archipelago off the west coast of Scotland, to the south east of the Outer Hebrides. Together these two island chains form the Hebrides, which enjoy a mild oceanic climate. There are 36 inhabited islands and a further 43 uninhabited Inner Hebrides with an area greater than...
. It is a Category B listed building, and is now in the ownership of the Barons Strathcona. The gardens are open to the public, and are listed on the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland, the national listing of historic gardens.
Colonsay House
The central part of the house, was first built by the McNeill family in 1722. It is a medium sized 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...
country house on the island of Colonsay
Colonsay
Colonsay is an island in the Scottish Inner Hebrides, located north of Islay and south of Mull and has an area of . It is the ancestral home of Clan Macfie and the Colonsay branch of Clan MacNeill. Aligned on a south-west to north-east axis, it measures in length and reaches at its widest...
, in the Inner Hebrides
Inner Hebrides
The Inner Hebrides is an archipelago off the west coast of Scotland, to the south east of the Outer Hebrides. Together these two island chains form the Hebrides, which enjoy a mild oceanic climate. There are 36 inhabited islands and a further 43 uninhabited Inner Hebrides with an area greater than...
of Scotland. Assumed to have been built on the site of an earlier Abbey, it is the earliest Classical House in Argyll
Argyll
Argyll , archaically Argyle , is a region of western Scotland corresponding with most of the part of ancient Dál Riata that was located on the island of Great Britain, and in a historical context can be used to mean the entire western coast between the Mull of Kintyre and Cape Wrath...
. It has been extended twice in between 1722 and the early 20th century. Since 1904 the house has been the property of the island's owners, the Barons Strathcona
Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal
Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal, of Mount Royal in the Province of Quebec and Dominion of Canada and of Glencoe in the County of Argyll, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom...
, and is currently occupied by the present baron's eldest son, Alexander Howard and his family.
Colonsay House Gardens
The house has a public rhododendronRhododendron
Rhododendron is a genus of over 1 000 species of woody plants in the heath family, most with showy flowers...
and woodland garden covering some 30 acres (12.1 ha). Located centrally in the island of Colonsay, this informal woodland garden is famous for the outstanding collection of species and hybrid rhododendrons, and for unusual trees and shrubs sourced from all over the world from the 1930s. It is considered to be one of the finest rhododendron gardens in Scotland.
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...
, myrtle, acacia
Acacia
Acacia is a genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first described in Africa by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1773. Many non-Australian species tend to be thorny, whereas the majority of Australian acacias are not...
, eucryphia
Eucryphia
Eucryphia is a small genus of trees or large shrubs of the Antarctic flora, native to the south temperate regions of South America and coastal eastern Australia. Traditionally placed in a family of their own, the Eucryphiaceae, more recent classifications place them in the Cunoniaceae. There are...
and 50 feet (15.2 m) tall magnolia
Magnolia
Magnolia is a large genus of about 210 flowering plant species in the subfamily Magnolioideae of the family Magnoliaceae. It is named after French botanist Pierre Magnol....
s dotted throughout the garden. Other plants include crinodendron
Crinodendron
Crinodendron is a botanic genus with 8 species of flowering plants belonging to the family Elaeocarpaceae....
, the dramatic flame red embothrium
Embothrium
Embothrium is a genus of two to eight species in the plant family Proteaceae, native to southern South America, in Chile and adjacent western Argentina and southern Peru; the genus occurs as far south as Tierra del Fuego...
, gunnera
Gunnera
Gunnera is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants, some of them gigantic. The genus is the only member of the family Gunneraceae.The 40-50 species vary enormously in leaf size...
and cordyline
Cordyline
Cordyline is a genus of about 15 species of woody monocotyledonous flowering plants in family Asparagaceae, subfamily Lomandroideae. The subfamily has previously been treated as a separate family Laxmanniaceae, or Lomandraceae. Other authors have placed the genus in the Agavaceae...
, giving the gardens a subtropical feel. In spring, paths are lined with Himalayan primula
Primula
Primula is a genus of 400–500 species of low-growing herbs in the family Primulaceae. They include primrose, auricula, cowslip and oxlip. Many species are grown for their ornamental flowers...
, bluebells and other wild flowers.
The walled gardens and rolling lawns are more formal. A Dicksonia antarctica
Dicksonia antarctica
Dicksonia antarctica, known as the Soft Tree Fern, Man Fern or Tasmanian Tree Fern, is an evergreen tree fern native to parts of Australia, namely south-east Queensland, coastal New South Wales and Victoria and Tasmania.- Anatomy and biology :...
stands among lomatia
Lomatia
Lomatia is a genus of 12 species of evergreen flowering plants in the protea family Proteaceae. Within the family, they have been placed, alone, in their own subtribe, Lomatiinae according to Johnson & Briggs 1975 classification of the family and subsequently in Flora of Australia .The genus has a...
, crinodendron
Crinodendron
Crinodendron is a botanic genus with 8 species of flowering plants belonging to the family Elaeocarpaceae....
and camellia
Camellia
Camellia, the camellias, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are found in eastern and southern Asia, from the Himalaya east to Korea and Indonesia. There are 100–250 described species, with some controversy over the exact number...
. Abutilon
Abutilon
Abutilon is a large genus of approximately 150 species of broadleaf evergreens in the mallow family, Malvaceae. The genus includes annuals, perennials, shrubs, and small trees from 1–10 m tall, and is found in the tropical and subtropical regions of all continents. The leaves are alternate,...
, olearia
Olearia
Olearia is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Asteraceae. There are about 130 different species within the genus found mostly in Australia, New Guinea and New Zealand...
and, later in the year, eucryphia
Eucryphia
Eucryphia is a small genus of trees or large shrubs of the Antarctic flora, native to the south temperate regions of South America and coastal eastern Australia. Traditionally placed in a family of their own, the Eucryphiaceae, more recent classifications place them in the Cunoniaceae. There are...
, flower profusely alongside enormous Cupressus macrocarpa
Cupressus macrocarpa
Cupressus macrocarpa, commonly known as Monterey Cypress or Macrocarpa, is a species of cypress that is endemic to the Central Coast of California. In the wild, the species is confined to two small populations, near Monterey and Carmel, California. These two small populations represent what was...
.
The island's mill used to stand in the spot which is now The Dell garden. An 8th-century cross
Riasg Buidhe Cross
The Riasg Buidhe Cross is a cross re-erected in the gardens of Colonsay House on the Inner Hebridean island of Colonsay, Scotland. Riasg Buidhe is also the name of a now ruined fishing village on the island of Colonsay....
(a hybrid phallic and early Christian form) from the abandoned village of Riasg Buidhe stands below the house. A focal point is the Lighthouse Garden, featuring the Fresnel lens from Islay
Islay
-Prehistory:The earliest settlers on Islay were nomadic hunter-gatherers who arrived during the Mesolithic period after the retreat of the Pleistocene ice caps. In 1993 a flint arrowhead was found in a field near Bridgend dating from 10,800 BC, the earliest evidence of a human presence found so far...
. The Old Workshop cafe in the gardens was built for the present Lord Strathcona by his father around 1935.