Carnell, Hurlford, Ayrshire Home of Michael Findlay and Adrienne Eastwood
Generations of gardeners have left their mark on–and their plants in–this unique garden, says Non Morris
A HANDSOME neo-Jacobean house built of sandstone in 1837 around a 14th-century tower house—so there are crenellated roofs and stepped gables aplenty—Carnell House sits comfortably at the heart of a 2,000-acre Ayrshire estate. The position is perfect: it’s hidden away among mature woodland and fertile farmland, yet is only a few miles from the rugged beauty of the west coast.
The same family—originally Wallace, now Findlay—has lived here since the 1300s and, from the moment you arrive at Carnell, you sense the layers of time and the long chain of family history.
One of the reasons the house appears so settled is its approach along a beautiful and imposing lime-tree avenue. This is, in fact, made up of two enormous squares planted with lime trees to commemorate the role of Scottish soldiers in the Allied victory at the Battle of Dettingen in 1743.
Over the years, the limes have been pollarded and, these days, form tremendous gnarled, rustling battalions of their own. The effect is made more extraordinary as the squares are on raised banks which, in turn, form a broad, emerald-green avenue to guide the eye up to the front of the house and frame the views of the surrounding countryside.
Micky Findlay has been custodian of Carnell for the past 20 years and discovered the delights of using a golf cart to get around the estate when he broke his leg a few years ago. With the great scale of everything here —even the huge spreading oaks that punctuate the apron of land leading up to the house don’t appear to take up much space— it’s a habit he continues to enjoy.
Denne historien er fra August 28, 2019-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra August 28, 2019-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
