Mellerstain House

When lands at Mellerstain were granted by Royal Charter to George Baillie in 1642, there was already an old house known as 'Whytesyde' standing on the estate, but this was replaced some 80 years later with a modest Palladian house. The fact that a new house was planned at all was quite significant in the family history considering that, soon after the Civil War, George Baillie's son died penniless, following imprisonment and forfeiture of his estate.

Resulting from these traumatic events, his young grandson, also called George, fled to Holland, and this proved to be an extremely advantageous move, both financially and emotionally. By 1688 George found himself accompanying the future King William III to England and, meanwhile, he had established a romantic liaison with the daughter of a fellow exile, Sir Patrick Hume. Once back home, the Baillie estate at Mellerstain was restored, he married his long-term sweetheart, and in 1725 the foundations were laid for the sumptuous new home of George and Lady Grisell Baillie.

Only the two square wings of the William Adam design were ever built before his overall plan was abandoned by a future George Baillie. During the second half of the 18th century, Robert Adam was commissioned to complete the new house in the refined classical style that became his trademark, and was highly fashionable at the time. This elegant Georgian mansion, with subtle castle-like features that became increasingly popular in the construction of grand homes, has survived as one of the great Adam houses of Scotland.

Now home to the Earl and Countess of Haddington, direct descendants of the family who owned the estate from as far back as the early 16th century, Mellerstain remains remarkably unchanged since it was first completed in about 1778. The house, so obviously divided by the work of the Adam father and son, consists of a central section displaying the exceptional Robert Adam quality and craftsmanship, set between the more simplistic lines of the two original wings by William Adam. Internally, the décor also reflects their distinctly differing styles and the contrast is quite astonishing when comparing various rooms in the house, for example the entrance hall to the library.

One has a clean, sharp definition with almost no embellishment to soften the bland austerity, whilst the other is a fabulous classical creation of symmetry enhanced by the use of marble, plasterwork and lavish ceiling decoration. Most surprisingly, the long gallery, which was usually the one area of any fine mansion that naturally lent itself to the flamboyant interpretations of the architect, appears almost stark and unfinished when compared to other exquisitely decorated rooms in Mellerstain House. Despite its length, and the featured colonnade of Greek columns, had the original design for the plain barrel ceiling been carried through, this fairly restrained Adam arena would have been transformed into something spectacularly impressive.

Situated close to the Scottish Border, this beautiful house stands in extensive parkland and, from the terraced garden, there are magnificent views across to the distant Cheviot Hills.