Curling House
Encyclopedia
A Curling House was used to store curling
stones, brushes and other equipment used to maintain a curling pond and play the game of curling in Scotland
and elsewhere.
.
Image:FingaskCurlingfromILN.jpg|A Curling House at Fingask Castle
, Pethshire
Image:Curling at Eglinton castle, Ayrshire, Scotland.jpg|A curling match at the flushes, Eglinton Castle
, Ayrshire, in 1860. The Curling House is located to the left of the picture.
Image:CurlingHouseStewarton.JPG|A Curling House converted into a dwelling. Stewarton
, Ayrshire, Scotland
Image:Curling House and Pond Stewarton.JPG|The Curling House and site of the old curling pond
Curling
Curling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...
stones, brushes and other equipment used to maintain a curling pond and play the game of curling in 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...
and elsewhere.
Introduction
The houses were often purely functional in character, being relatively small and often located in quite isolated places. Some Curling Houses were built as part of country estates and were much grander in appearance. A fireplace was sometimes present and this ensured some welcome heat for players, night watchmen, etc. The construction was of stone, brick or wood as shown by paintings or surviving examples.Purpose
Curling stones are heavy objects, and in the days of horse transport and poor quality roads it would be easier to store stones at the site of the curling pond. Additionally the ponds needed a certain degree of maintenance to the water supply, dam, weed control, etc. Tools could be stored in the house. Sometimes a watchman was employed during the season to make sure that all was well with the pond, its ice and the curling equipment. Refreshments would be provided, such as the seemingly traditional pies and porter mentioned as being served at the Eglinton flushesEglinton Country Park
Eglinton Country Park is located in the grounds of the old Eglinton Castle estate, Kilwinning, North Ayrshire, Scotland . Eglinton Park is situated in the parish of Kilwinning, part of the former district of Cunninghame, and covers an area of 400 hectares...
.
Scottish Curling Houses
Image:FingaskCurlingfromILN.jpg|A Curling House at Fingask Castle
Fingask Castle
Fingask Castle is a country house in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It is perched above Rait, three miles north-east of Errol, in the Braes of the Carse, on the fringes of the Sidlaw Hills. Thus it overlooks both the Carse of Gowrie and the Firth of Tay and beyond into the Kingdom of Fife...
, Pethshire
Image:Curling at Eglinton castle, Ayrshire, Scotland.jpg|A curling match at the flushes, Eglinton Castle
Eglinton Castle
Eglinton Castle was a large Gothic castellated mansion in Kilwinning, North Ayrshire, Scotland.-The castle :The ancient seat of the Earls of Eglinton, it is located just south of the town of Kilwinning...
, Ayrshire, in 1860. The Curling House is located to the left of the picture.
Image:CurlingHouseStewarton.JPG|A Curling House converted into a dwelling. Stewarton
Stewarton
Stewarton is a town in East Ayrshire, Scotland. In comparison to the neighbouring towns of Kilmaurs, Fenwick, Dunlop and Lugton, it is a relatively large town, with a population of over 6,500. It is 300 feet above sea level.Groome, Francis H. . Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland. Pub. Caxton. London....
, Ayrshire, Scotland
Image:Curling House and Pond Stewarton.JPG|The Curling House and site of the old curling pond
Decline
Easier transport, establishment of ice rinks, a warmer climate and other factors have in general resulted in the demise of the Curling House. Due to their generally small size, most have been allowed to become ruins or have been demolished.Sites of Curling Houses
- Craigie village, South AyrshireSouth AyrshireSouth Ayrshire is one of 32 council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of Ayrshire. It borders onto East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway....
. A small rectangular brick built house with one fireplace, now roofless. The house lies in a meadow beneath the old manse; the pond is now just a wet pasture (2009).
- Dollar, ClackmannanshireDollar, ClackmannanshireDollar is a small town in Clackmannanshire, Scotland. It is one of the Hillfoots Villages, situated between the Ochil Hills range to the north and the River Devon to the south. Dollar is on the A91 road, which runs from Stirling to St. Andrews. The town is around 3 miles east of Tillicoultry...
. One Septimus Leishman made a handsome donation to the club in 1885 to enable a "modern" pond and clubhouse to be built in the town in Murray Place.
- DuddingstonDuddingstonDuddingston is a former village in the east of Edinburgh, Scotland, next to Holyrood Park.-Origins and etymology:The estate wherein Duddingston Village now lies was first recorded in lands granted to the Abbot of Kelso Abbey by David I of Scotland between 1136–47, and is described as stretching...
Loch, Edinburgh. A rare octagonal curling-house and artist studio (Duddingston Manse) built for the Duddingston Curling Society & Rev. John Thomson 1823-4. The upper floor was the studio and he named it 'Edinburgh', allowing his housekeeper to say that he had 'gone to Edinburgh' if a parishioner called when he was painting or curling. The house was designed by the renowned architect William Henry Playfair, and he evidently provided his services free. The curling-house still stands at the lochside though roofless. 55°56′29.89"N 3°8′48.23"W
- Eglinton Country ParkEglinton Country ParkEglinton Country Park is located in the grounds of the old Eglinton Castle estate, Kilwinning, North Ayrshire, Scotland . Eglinton Park is situated in the parish of Kilwinning, part of the former district of Cunninghame, and covers an area of 400 hectares...
, Irvine, Ayrshire. The Curling House no longer exists, however it is featured in a contemporary painting (See illustration). 55°38′30.4"N 4°40′17.9"W
- Fingask CastleFingask CastleFingask Castle is a country house in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It is perched above Rait, three miles north-east of Errol, in the Braes of the Carse, on the fringes of the Sidlaw Hills. Thus it overlooks both the Carse of Gowrie and the Firth of Tay and beyond into the Kingdom of Fife...
, Perthshire. A vernacular example with a chimney on one gable end (See illustration). 56°26′2.07"N 3°15′10.27"W
- FochabersFochabersFochabers is a village in the Parish of Bellie, in Moray, Scotland, not far from the cathedral city of Elgin and located on the east bank of the River Spey. Around 2,000 people live in the village, which enjoys a rich musical and cultural history...
, Moray. An ornate Curling house still survives, built with wood, some of it unworked, serving as 'tree trunk' supports to the roof.
- Gosford HouseGosford HouseGosford House is the family seat of the Charteris family and is situated near Longniddry in East Lothian, Scotland. It was recently the home of the late Rt. Hon. David Charteris, 12th Earl of Wemyss and 8th Earl of March, chief of the name and arms of Charteris.Gosford was built by the 7th Earl of...
, AberladyAberladyAberlady is a coastal village in the Scottish council area of East Lothian. On Aberlady Bay, it is five miles northwest of Haddington and approximately 18 miles east of Edinburgh, to which it is linked by the A198 Dunbar - Edinburgh road.Aberlady Parish Church dates back to the 15th century. It...
. A surviving Curling House here has unusual shell decorations. Gosford Curling House and is faced with tufa-like stone.
- MarkinchMarkinchMarkinch is a small town situated in the heart of Fife, in the eastern central lowlands of Scotland. According to an estimate taken in 2008, the town...
, Fife. A fine stone “curling house” was built in around 1850 with three rooms, the Laird’s room, (the Laird being Mr. Balfour, of Balbirnie House), the west room and the curling stone room. The club moved from the site in 1914. 56.20174°N 3.13951°W
- Newfarm LochNewfarm LochNewfarm Loch was situated in a a low lying area between the farms of Holehouse and Newfarm in the Parish of Kilmarnock, New Farm Loch, East Ayrshire. The loch was mostly artificial, having been developed as a curling pond, fed by the Hillhouse Burn through seasonal flooding...
, East Ayrshire. The loch was situated in a a low lying area between the farms of Holehouse and Newfarm in the Parish of Kilmarnock. The loch was mostly artificial and had stone built Curling Houses as well as wooden pavilions.
- PartickPartickPartick is an area of Glasgow on the north bank of the River Clyde, just across from Govan. To the west lies Whiteinch. Partick was a Police burgh from 1852 until 1912 when it was incorporated into the city.-History:...
, Glasgow - The Partick Curling Club was established in 1842 and in 1900 they acquired a long lease on the site in the new Victoria Park where they constructed a clubhouse and ponds.
