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.
References:The Castle of Gruyères is one of the most famous in Switzerland. It was built between 1270 and 1282, following the typical square plan of the fortifications in Savoy. It was the property of the Counts of Gruyères until the bankruptcy of the Count Michel in 1554. His creditors the cantons of Fribourg and Bern shared his earldom. From 1555 to 1798 the castle became residence to the bailiffs and then to the prefects sent by Fribourg.
In 1849 the castle was sold to the Bovy and Balland families, who used the castle as their summer residency and restored it. The castle was then bought back by the canton of Fribourg in 1938, made into a museum and opened to the public. Since 1993, a foundation ensures the conservation as well as the highlighting of the building and the art collection.
The castle is the home of three capes of the Order of the Golden Fleece. They were part of the war booty captured by the Swiss Confederates (which included troops from Gruyères) at the Battle of Morat against Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy in 1476. As Charles the Bold was celebrating the anniversary of his father's death, one of the capes is a black velvet sacerdotal vestment with Philip the Good's emblem sewn into it.
A collection of landscapes by 19th century artists Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Barthélemy Menn and others are on display in the castle.