Inventory Garden & Designed Landscape

THE PINEAPPLEGDL00368

Status: Designated

Documents

Where documents include maps, the use of this data is subject to terms and conditions (https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/termsandconditions).

Summary

Date Added
01/07/1987
Local Authority
Falkirk
Parish
Airth
NGR
NS 88927 88466
Coordinates
288927, 688466

An extraordinary architectural folly built as a garden retreat in 1761 after the introduction of the pineapple into Scotland. There is a walled garden beside the folly.

Artistic Interest

Level of interest
Outstanding

The Pineapple and its garden were an outstanding Work of Art in the past.

Historical

Level of interest
Some

While dating from 1761 there is little available documentation.

Horticultural

Level of interest
None

There is no Horticultural significance.

Architectural

Level of interest
Outstanding

The Pineapple is a unique Architectural feature of international importance.

Archaeological

Level of interest
Not Assessed

Scenic

Level of interest
Little

At present the Pineapple is effectively screened by its surrounding woodlands and has little scenic significance.

Nature Conservation

Level of interest
Little

There is a little value for Nature Conservation, which could be improved by clearing the ponds.

Location and Setting

The Pineapple was built as a garden retreat in the north wall of the walled garden at Dunmore Park (q.v.). It is approximately 8 miles (7km) from Stirling and about 1 mile north of Airth village. It was designed to have extensive views out and particularly across the Firth of Forth but is sheltered and screened by woodland today.

The ornamental gardens extend around The Pineapple over some 10 acres (4ha), including the walled garden. The walled garden is surrounded by woodland and shrubbery, with a small loch to the west of the walls feeding into the canal.

Site History

The Pineapple was built in 1761 for the 4th Earl of Dunmore as a folly and garden retreat; it forms the central pavilion feature of the north garden wall. The first pineapples grown in Scotland were introduced by James Justice at Crichton near Pathhead in Midlothian c.1732. The portico is dated 1761; however, evidence uncovered during the building's repair in the early 1970s suggests a slightly later imposition of the Pineapple on the portico. Early photographs show the folly closely flanked by glasshouses on both sides. By 1970 after the break-up of the Dunmore estate, the building and garden were in a derelict condition. They were purchased by the Earl and Countess of Perth and gifted to The National Trust for Scotland in 1974. The Pineapple itself has been restored by The Landmark Trust with grants from the Historic Buildings Council and the Scottish Tourist Board and is now in use for holiday lets. The walled garden is being restored by the National Trust for Scotland.

Landscape Components

Architectural Features

The Pineapple is listed category A; the designer is unknown. It is a two-storey building with a circular chamber facing the garden, capped by a Pineapple shaped in stonework. It is 45' high on its south side and 37' high from the north. The walls of the garden are also listed A, and are of Scottish design, with a double flued wall to enable heating. The chimneys are disguised by ornamental vases. There were glasshouses along the north wall, but these have now gone. The 1st edition map of 1863 shows that a sundial was placed in the middle of the west section of the garden, and a broken sundial remains on site, in front of the Garden Cottage to the west of the garden.

The Gardens

The area to the north of the walled garden was planted as a shrubbery, and species of yew, ash and Rhododendron remain today, but all are overgrown and have obscured the views out to the north and east.

Walled Gardens

This is a large walled garden which was divided into two main sections. The larger western section was subdivided into ten compartments possibly partly by hedges, and in the southern compartment is an ornamental pond or canal fed from a small loch to the west of the garden by the garden cottage. Both these water features are silted and overgrown today. The eastern section of the garden was shown in the 1863 map as an orchard; it is divided into two compartments, the southern end has now been planted with trees. The east wall of the west garden is in need of restoration.

References

Bibliography

Sources

Printed Sources

B. Jones, Follies & Grottoes, 1978

Notes from Vivienne and Stuart Tod

CL, July 18th 1974

Listings

NMRS, Photographs

About the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

The inventory is a list of Scotland's most important gardens and designed landscapes. We maintain the inventory under the terms of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.

We add sites of national importance to the inventory using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

The information in the inventory record gives an indication of the national importance of the site(s). It is not a definitive account or a complete description of the site(s). The format of records has changed over time. Earlier records may be brief and some information will not have been recorded.

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Find out more about the inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.

Images

THE PINEAPPLE
THE PINEAPPLE
THE PINEAPPLE
THE PINEAPPLE
THE PINEAPPLE

Printed: 28/03/2024 10:05