Hill of Tarvit
I shouldn’t be surprised at the number of hidden treasures located around Scotland, but again I was surprised. The estate known as Hill of Tarvit, near Cupar is a fascinating place, for both the interior collection in the mansion house and the surrounding countryside.
What we see today is the product of many changes in the site. What is now known as Wemyss Hall, was built by Sir Robert Lorimer, considered the best known Scottish architect of the early twentieth century. Note that Lorimer was behind the Scottish National War Memorial in Edinburgh Castle and also designed the Thistle Chapel, St Giles’ Cathedral Edinburgh. There have been many changes to the property and over the centuries, with what is there now dating from 1904-06. According to the guide book, there was an Iron Age homestead here circa 500 BC to AD 500. There is evidence of a tower house from the early 1600’s and then a mansion house between 1696 to early 1800 with further additions during the nineteenth century. What we can visit today is the rebuild by Lorimer, which contains a large collection of furniture and artwork.
There is so much to see here I can only pick on one or two points that I particularly liked for this blog. As usual I bought the souvenir guide book which I think is a good read, full of interesting facts about the many aspects of this site. It was Frederick Sharp who bought the estate in 1904 and his son Hugh amassed an impressive book collection which was donated to the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh after his death. These are mainly first editions, including the first complete edition of Chaucer (1532) and Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. There is also Alice in Wonderland (1865) which was withdrawn by Lewis Carroll because he was unhappy with the printing of the illustrations by Tenniel.
The kitchen has a wooden sink which helped prevent chipping of the china crockery and glassware when washing up. It also has three taps. One cold, one hot and the other for rain water from a tank on the roof for washing. The estate also had its own generator to provide electricity.
There is a doocot. I wrote in part 109 of this blog, about the one in Sauchie. This is similar, believed to date from late eighteenth or early nineteenth century. There are impressive gardens and a nine hole golf course. Sharp was a keen golfer and that extended to his love of art. He collected a number of golfing pictures, notably seventeenth century Dutch paintings, and these are on display in the mansion.
You can climb the hill at the back of the house and visit the monument which is said to mark the spot where the Treaty of Garlie Bank was signed between the army of Mary of Guise (mother of Mary Queen of Scots) and the forces of the congregation in 1559. I’ve read online that there is evidence to suggest the monument was constructed in 1817 and for the first seventy years featured the Old Mercat Cross of Cupar. This was returned in 1897 and replaced with a cast iron column commemorating Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. This information is also detailed on the map board outside of the mansion house, which provides information about the site and what to see. It’s a bit of a climb, but the view from the top is magnificent and well worth it.
The Fiction Factory 