Scotland – one of the most beautiful places on the Earth. There are hills, valleys, undiscovered caves, ancient volcanoes, mountain lakes, relict woods.
Most of all Scotland is famous for its castles, the amount if which counts about 300 and each of them has its unique history and specific atmosphere.
On the south bank of the bay Fert-of-Fort a few miles from Edinburgh in the large park you can observe Hopetown-House.
The unique architecture of the castle impresses a lot.
The castle was built by architect William Bruce.
The building of the house began in 1699, later in 1712 the central part was expanded and rebuilt by the project of William Adam, and after his death the works were completed by his sons. They carried out the interior decoration. The result turned out to be outstanding (Pic. 1).
Picture 1. Hopetown-house castle
The central classical part and the west facade were made by architect William Bruce. The contrast east facade with the main colonnade arch, connecting the wings of the building with the central part is deliberately decorative and is considered to be one of the Adam’s masterpieces (Pic. 2).
Picture 2. Hopetown-house сastle
The inner staircase and the wooden trimming with incrustation in the form of flowers and fruit is the main peculiarity of the house. The handrails are carved from wood.
The red reception room is the only room in the house which keeps its initial assignment.
In the yellow reception room there was initially a dining room. Its walls are covered with the yellow silk fabric. The furniture is in the rococo style.
The ceiling in the reception room is covered with stucco moulding in the rococo style.
The duke’s bedroom consists of 3 rooms including the changing room.
Picture 3. Hopetown-house castle
The present library is the combination of some connected premises which primarily used to be bedrooms or study rooms. The rebuilding started in 1720. The library keeps the archeology books, law books, philosophy and history books. The walls are covered with wood. In the entre you can observe the billiard table.
The dining room is the perfect example of the late regency style. There is a chandelier with the golden frieze and the large medallion in the form of divergent rays. The walls are decorated with the numerous paintings of Rubens, Titian, and Canaletto.
The unique interior reflects how the lifestyle changed for a few centuries in the same family.
The park invites to walk: ponds, fountains, the view on the bay from the bird’s eye view (Pic 3).
The owners of the castle still live there, that is way only part of the buildings is open for observation in the summer months. In summer the concerts of classical music are held here.
There are more than 3000 castles in Scotland. They are the stone witnesses of the rich history. Some of them are destroyed; the others are the museums or the private property and are not always open to the public. But nevertheless each of them has its own amazing history.
Библиографическая ссылка
Низов Н.А. ARCHITECTURE OF THE HOUPTOUN-HAUS LOCK // Старт в науке. – 2018. – № 5-1. ;URL: https://science-start.ru/ru/article/view?id=1060 (дата обращения: 23.11.2024).