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Summary

Description

John Paterson, 1809. 2 adjoining rectangular-plan walled gardens,

built into sloping site; large garden to N, smaller nursery garden to S. High red brick walls with droved ashlar long and short quoins; battered rubble masonry base course and foundations; projecting stone coping to N garden; brick coping to S garden. Circular projection to SE corner of S garden wall. Piend-roofed sandstone potting house to centre of S garden.

SHELL HOUSE: situated outside S garden to E. Red brick, domed circular- plan shell house; geometric patterns of shells set into render of internal walls.

Statement of Special Interest

The walled gardens form a significant feature in the landscape and the combination of a battered masonry base course with high red brick walls to give a fortress-like appearance is unusual. It is likely that the associated Shell House was constructed at the same time. Shell Houses became fashionable in the later 18th century and were romantic features to be discovered in designed landscapes. The Shell House at Dunnottar is particularly fine and good examples of such houses are rare.

Dunnottar House (demolished 1959) was built circa 1800 for Alexander Allardyce, who had made his fortune in Jamaica. According to the NSA, Allardyce spent lavishly (over £10,000) on the gardens. The contract and specification in the National Archives show that the walled garden was designed by John Paterson, architect, of Edinburgh, and laid down by John Innes, land surveyor, of Aberdeen, for Miss Allardyce on the lands of the chapel. Andrew Smith was the mason. The 1865 OS Map shows both gardens laid out to symmetrical patterns, centring around wells. The current Dunnottar House, Item 3, was the old Parish Kirk Manse.

Owned by Forestry Commission Scotland.

References

Bibliography

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