Bonnington House

Wilkieston, United Kingdom

Bonnington House is a 19th-century country house near Wilkieston. The house was built in 1622, and was the home of the Foulis Baronets of Colinton. Sir James Foulis, 2nd Baronet, served as Lord Justice Clerk from 1684 to 1688, taking the title Lord Colinton. Bonnington later passed to the Wilkies of Ormiston.

The house passed from the Scott family to Hugh Cunningham, Lord Provost of Edinburgh around 1702. It is said to have been doubled in size c.1720. In 1720 the house was owned by Hugh's son, Alexander Cunningham.

In 1858 the house was completely remodelled in a Jacobean style. The house and its 100-acre (40 ha) estate was bought by the present owners in 1999, and in 2001 the house was refurbished by Lee Boyd Architects. Two new wings were designed by Benjamin Tindall Architects, granted planning consent in 2010 and completed in 2015. The grounds of the house have been developed as a sculpture park, now open to the public as Jupiter Artland.

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Address

Wilkieston, United Kingdom
See all sites in Wilkieston

Details

Founded: 1622
Category: Palaces, manors and town halls in United Kingdom

More Information

en.wikipedia.org
scotlandsgardens.org

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


St Giles' Cathedral (15,2 km)
Edinburgh Castle (14,6 km)
Edinburgh Old Town (15,4 km)
Greyfriars Kirk (15 km)
National Museum of Scotland (15,1 km)
Calton Hill (15,9 km)
National Monument of Scotland (15,9 km)
St Cuthbert's Church (14,4 km)
Holyrood Palace (16,4 km)

User Reviews

Charly Westcott (4 months ago)
A truly unique experience, very well priced and full of charming sculptures. Highlights were the mounds and the obsidian/amyethest pit. A great day out for friends and families.
Oakwood Welsh (4 months ago)
Visited Jupiter Art Land (Bonnington House) just as a treat after lockdown. Great area to walk around at gentle pace. No real inclines. Potentially muddy in areas depending on recent rainfall. Exhibitions and sculptures are interesting to bizarre. With particular favourites being Weeping Girl, Over Here and Cells of Life garden. Certainly worth a visit - even as a quiet walk thru woodland area. Just look out for artwork in-between. Cafe served good range of food and beverages at good prices.
Margaret Carlyle (5 months ago)
Lovely to be back here for another visit this Summer. Good to just kick back, enjoy the grounds, take in the exhibits, & generally slow down.Nice cuppa in the garden at the back of the cafe,felt CV19 safe. Great staff as always, a smile for all. Brought my friend with me today, her first visit, she was suitably impressed. So thanks again for a great experience. Hope to see u again in 2021 as I dont suppose anything events will be happening during the winter months & Xmas. Stay safe all of you.
Elizabeth Watson (5 months ago)
Also known as Jupiter Artland. Open from May til September. Great place to explore with or without kids. Fabulous art installations with amazing grass sculptured gardens. Something for everyone to enjoy. I have visited many times now and there is always something new. Safe environment with good Covid 19 precautions.
Diane Warner (6 months ago)
Lovely place for beautiful and creative art. Took dogs and children. Website not kept up to date however, so we expected hot food, but they only had snacks. And there is no where for miles to get anything to eat. Children were really hungry.
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Glimmingehus

Glimmingehus is the best preserved medieval stronghold in Scandinavia. It was built 1499-1506, during an era when Scania formed a vital part of Denmark, and contains many defensive arrangements of the era, such as parapets, false doors and dead-end corridors, 'murder-holes' for pouring boiling pitch over the attackers, moats, drawbridges and various other forms of death traps to surprise trespassers and protect the nobles against peasant uprisings. The lower part of the castle's stone walls are 2.4 meters (94 inches) thick and the upper part 1.8 meters (71 inches).

Construction was started in 1499 by the Danish knight Jens Holgersen Ulfstand and stone-cutter-mason and architect Adam van Düren, a North German master who also worked on Lund Cathedral. Construction was completed in 1506.

Ulfstand was a councillor, nobleman and admiral serving under John I of Denmark and many objects have been uncovered during archeological excavations that demonstrate the extravagant lifestyle of the knight's family at Glimmingehus up until Ulfstand's death in 1523. Some of the most expensive objects for sale in Europe during this period, such as Venetian glass, painted glass from the Rhine district and Spanish ceramics have been found here. Evidence of the family's wealth can also be seen inside the stone fortress, where everyday comforts for the knight's family included hot air channels in the walls and bench seats in the window recesses. Although considered comfortable for its period, it has also been argued that Glimmingehus was an expression of "Knighthood nostalgia" and not considered opulent or progressive enough even to the knight's contemporaries and especially not to later generations of the Scanian nobility. Glimmingehus is thought to have served as a residential castle for only a few generations before being transformed into a storage facility for grain.

An order from Charles XI to the administrators of the Swedish dominion of Scania in 1676 to demolish the castle, in order to ensure that it would not fall into the hands of the Danish king during the Scanian War, could not be executed. A first attempt, in which 20 Scanian farmers were ordered to assist, proved unsuccessful. An additional force of 130 men were sent to Glimmingehus to execute the order in a second attempt. However, before they could carry out the order, a Danish-Dutch naval division arrived in Ystad, and the Swedes had to abandon the demolition attempts. Throughout the 18th century the castle was used as deposit for agricultural produce and in 1924 it was donated to the Swedish state. Today it is administered by the Swedish National Heritage Board.

On site there is a museum, medieval kitchen, shop and restaurant and coffee house. During summer time there are several guided tours daily. In local folklore, the castle is described as haunted by multiple ghosts and the tradition of storytelling inspired by the castle is continued in the summer events at the castle called "Strange stories and terrifying tales".

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