Formakin House
Encyclopedia
Formakin House is an early 20th-century mansion and estate in Renfrewshire
, Scotland
. It is located 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) south of the Firth of Clyde
, and 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) west of Bishopton
. Formakin was designed by Robert Lorimer
for wealthy businessman John Holms, though the main house was never completed. It declined during the 20th century, but in the 1990s, restoration of the estate buildings was completed.
The house 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.
. He purchased Millbank Farm, as it was then known, in 1902 and commissioned a new house that would contain his art collection, from his friend, the architect Robert Lorimer
. Lorimer initially prepared plans for the estate, which was laid out from 1903. In 1907 the entrance lodges and stables were designed. The following year Lorimer converted the Old Meal Mill by the Dargavel Burn, where Holms lived while the new house was underway.
Lorimer produced designs for the house in 1909, in the style of a 17th-century Scottish tower house. Other buildings on the estate follow the same pattern. The former stable or bothy
block, now known as the Miller's Tower, bears a stone inscribed with the date "1694", with the letters "DL" standing for "damned lie". Peter Anderson Graham, editor of Country Life
, when shown a photograph of the building believed that it did in fact date to the 17th century. The gate lodges are topped with stone monkeys, earning the local nickname "The Monkey House". The walled garden and other planting in the grounds was designed by Lorimer under the guidance of Gertrude Jekyll
.
The shell of the house had been completed by 1913, when work stopped. Holms had lost money on a bad speculation, and a fall from a horse supposedly upset his mental balance. Further work was carried out in 1920, but the house was never completed. Nevertheless, Holms continued to live on the estate, giving dinner parties in the half-finished house.
among other Glasgow ventures. It was requisitioned by the military during the Second World War, and maintenance began to decline. By the 1970s the buildings and grounds were derelict. After the Pickards died, a proposal was put forward to develop 195 houses on the estate, but planning permission was refused. Renfrew District Council campaigned to save the estate, eventually purchasing it in 1984 with funding from the National Heritage Memorial Fund
. Formakin was operated as a visitor attraction for a time, and plans were made to redevelop the buildings and grounds. The venture was not successful, and Formakin was sold to developer Kit Martin
, a specialist in country house restoration. Between 1988 and 1999 the estate buildings were restored and converted into 17 dwellings. Parts of the estate are now open to the public, and the Millers House is operated as bed and breakfast
accommodation.
Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Renfrewshire, the others being Inverclyde to the west and East Renfrewshire to the east...
, 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) south of 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...
, and 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) west of Bishopton
Bishopton, Renfrewshire
Bishopton is a large village in Renfrewshire, Scotland, a few miles west of Erskine.-Transport links:Bishopton sits a couple of miles from the southern end of the Erskine Bridge, which spans the River Clyde between Renfrewshire and West Dunbartonshire. Part way along the B815 road is a computer...
. Formakin was designed by Robert Lorimer
Robert Lorimer
Sir Robert Stodart Lorimer was a prolific Scottish architect noted for his restoration work on historic houses and castles, and for promotion of the Arts and Crafts style.-Early life:...
for wealthy businessman John Holms, though the main house was never completed. It declined during the 20th century, but in the 1990s, restoration of the estate buildings was completed.
The house 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
Formakin was the creation of John Augustus Holms (d. 1938), a stockbroker and art collector from PaisleyPaisley
Paisley is the largest town in the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland and serves as the administrative centre for the Renfrewshire council area...
. He purchased Millbank Farm, as it was then known, in 1902 and commissioned a new house that would contain his art collection, from his friend, the architect Robert Lorimer
Robert Lorimer
Sir Robert Stodart Lorimer was a prolific Scottish architect noted for his restoration work on historic houses and castles, and for promotion of the Arts and Crafts style.-Early life:...
. Lorimer initially prepared plans for the estate, which was laid out from 1903. In 1907 the entrance lodges and stables were designed. The following year Lorimer converted the Old Meal Mill by the Dargavel Burn, where Holms lived while the new house was underway.
Lorimer produced designs for the house in 1909, in the style of a 17th-century Scottish tower house. Other buildings on the estate follow the same pattern. The former stable or bothy
Bothy
A bothy is a basic shelter, usually left unlocked and available for anyone to use free of charge. It was also a term for basic accommodation, usually for gardeners or other workers on an estate. Bothies are to be found in remote, mountainous areas of Scotland, northern England, Ireland, and Wales....
block, now known as the Miller's Tower, bears a stone inscribed with the date "1694", with the letters "DL" standing for "damned lie". Peter Anderson Graham, editor of Country Life
Country Life (magazine)
Country Life is a British weekly magazine, based in London at 110 Southwark Street, and owned by IPC Media, a Time Warner subsidiary.- Topics :The magazine covers the pleasures and joys of rural life, as well as the concerns of rural people...
, when shown a photograph of the building believed that it did in fact date to the 17th century. The gate lodges are topped with stone monkeys, earning the local nickname "The Monkey House". The walled garden and other planting in the grounds was designed by Lorimer under the guidance of Gertrude Jekyll
Gertrude Jekyll
Gertrude Jekyll was an influential British garden designer, writer, and artist. She created over 400 gardens in the UK, Europe and the USA and contributed over 1,000 articles to Country Life, The Garden and other magazines.-Early life:...
.
The shell of the house had been completed by 1913, when work stopped. Holms had lost money on a bad speculation, and a fall from a horse supposedly upset his mental balance. Further work was carried out in 1920, but the house was never completed. Nevertheless, Holms continued to live on the estate, giving dinner parties in the half-finished house.
After Holms
When Holms died in debt in 1938, Formakin was sold to the Bradford-born entrepreneur Albert Ernest Pickard, owner of the Britannia PanopticonBritannia Music Hall
The Britannia Music Hall in Trongate, Glasgow, Scotland is the oldest surviving music hall in the world. Built in 1857 by Thomas Gildard and H. M. McFarlane , it has hosted some of the biggest names on the Music hall circuit. In 1906 Stan Laurel made his first stage appearance there on amateur...
among other Glasgow ventures. It was requisitioned by the military during the Second World War, and maintenance began to decline. By the 1970s the buildings and grounds were derelict. After the Pickards died, a proposal was put forward to develop 195 houses on the estate, but planning permission was refused. Renfrew District Council campaigned to save the estate, eventually purchasing it in 1984 with funding from the National Heritage Memorial Fund
National Heritage Memorial Fund
The National Heritage Memorial Fund is a non-departmental public body set up under the National Heritage Act 1980 in memory of people who gave their lives for the United Kingdom....
. Formakin was operated as a visitor attraction for a time, and plans were made to redevelop the buildings and grounds. The venture was not successful, and Formakin was sold to developer Kit Martin
Kit Martin
Kit Martin is an English architect and country house property developer.-Career:Martin is the son of Sir Leslie Martin, Professor of Architecture at the University of Cambridge. Since the 1970s Martin has specialised in the saving and restoration of country houses, by dividing them into smaller...
, a specialist in country house restoration. Between 1988 and 1999 the estate buildings were restored and converted into 17 dwellings. Parts of the estate are now open to the public, and the Millers House is operated as bed and breakfast
Bed and breakfast
A bed and breakfast is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast, but usually does not offer other meals. Since the 1980s, the meaning of the term has also extended to include accommodations that are also known as "self-catering" establishments...
accommodation.
External links
- Formakin House, Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of ScotlandRoyal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of ScotlandThe Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government 'sponsored' [financed and with oversight] through Historic Scotland, an executive agency of the Scottish Government...
website - Formakin (The Monkey) House, Secret Scotland
- Walks around Renfrewshire: Formakin Estate, Renfrewshire Council
- The Millers House B&B