| Pinkie House | |
|---|---|
 Historical drawing of Pinkie House c. 1882 | |
 Interactive map of Pinkie House | |
| General information | |
| Type | Historic house |
| Location | Musselburgh, Scotland |
| Coordinates | 55°56′33″N3°02′38″W / 55.94262°N 3.043934°W /55.94262; -3.043934 |
| Opened | 16th century |
| Renovated | Early 17th century |
| Owner | Loretto School |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 3 |
Pinkie House is a historic house, built around a three-storeytower house located inMusselburgh,East Lothian, Scotland. The house dates from the 16th century, was substantially enlarged in the early 17th century, and has been altered several times since. Its location at grid referenceNT348726 is to the east of the town centre, on the south side of the High Street. The building now forms part ofLoretto School, an independent boarding school. Pinkie House is not far from the site of the disastrousBattle of Pinkie Cleugh, fought in 1547.
The name Pinkie, first recorded in the 12th century asPontekyn, may derive from the Welsh wordspant (valley) andcyn (wedge), referring to its situation at the end of the valley of theEsk.[1] More logically (as the site is within the river delta rather than its valley, and has no Welsh connection) a Franco-Scots derivation of Pont Ekin (Esk) -bridge over the River Esk - would appear plausible for at least the original name.[2]
Pinkie was formerly the country seat of theAbbots of Dunfermline, and the tower house was built some time in the 16th century on the site of theBattle of Pinkie.[3] In 1597, following theReformation, it passed toAlexander Seton. He served asJames VI's chancellor, and was createdEarl of Dunfermline in 1605.The young Prince Charles, laterCharles I, lived here as a boy, after his father's move to London at the Union of the Crowns in 1603. He slept in what is still known as "The King's Room". In 1607 Seton married his third wife, Margaret Hay ofYester, and from 1613 set about expanding the house, adding a long wing to the south, and decorating the interior:
The Long Gallery is noted for its framedemblems and inscriptions. WhenBen Jonson visited the house in 1619, he wrote toWilliam Drummond of Hawthornden to enquire after this emblems.[4]
Seton also altered his northern propertyFyvie Castle before his death in 1622. In his will, he hoped the inner court at Pinkie would be completed with the roofing of a new low wing.[5]
In 1694 the property passed to the Hays, theMarquess of Tweeddale adding a door to the east front. In 1745, following victory at theBattle of Prestonpans,Charles Edward Stuart, the "Young Pretender", stayed here, as well as using the building as a field hospital. In 1778 the Hays sold the building toSir Archibald Hope, 9th BaronetHope of Craighall, who made further alterations, and added a stable block in 1800 byJohn Paterson. Extensions and remodelling (crowstep gables) were carried out in 1825, designed byWilliam Burn.[6]
In 1951 Pinkie House was bought byLoretto School, and altered again in the 1970s, with the addition of two other buildings in the grounds. An annexe has been built at the north side and the south wing now serves as the headmaster's house. The rest of Pinkie House now has a number of functions including a 6th-form boys' boarding house. Loretto pupils also sit their examinations in the painted gallery.
Pinkie House was originally anL-plan tower house, but extensions were added in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. The oldest part comprises a five-storey tower, to which Seton addedbartizans and a crenellated parapet. This was attached to a strong three-storey main block with a pitched roof, again altered by Seton with square turrets. Inside there is a vaulted basement, and a wideturnpike stair up to the second storey. The interior has been modernised.
Seton's main addition was the long three-storey south wing, which includes on its upper floor the 96-footPainted Gallery. His mason may have beenWilliam Wallace, although this attribution is only stylistic.[7] On the south facade is abay window, a feature new to Scotland in the early 17th century. The east façade is dominated by seven tall chimneys. There is a fine wooden ceiling, with classically inspired paintings intempera, in the long gallery, as well as many 17th-century plaster ceilings. Another small painted ceiling was removed in 1951 and installed at theHuntly House museum in Edinburgh. Later interiors are byWilliam Burn.
A Latin inscription above the door states that "Alexander Seton built this house not to the measure of his desire, but of his fortunes and estate".[8]
A walled garden lies to the east of the house, with a shelter, doocot, and sundial. There is a Renaissance fountain or draw-well in the corner of the L, to the west of the house. This heavily ornamented structure was built around 1610.[9]
