Cambo Estate lies close to the village ofKingsbarns in north-eastFife,Scotland. It is within theEast Neuk, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) south-east ofSt Andrews. At the heart of the estate lies the 19th-century Cambo House, the home ofSir Peter Erskine, Bt and Lady Catherine Erskine. The gardens of Cambo are open to the public, and include thewalled garden and seasonalsnowdrop gardens. Elsewhere on the estate is theKingsbarns Golf Links golf course, which co-hosts theAlfred Dunhill Links Championship every year.
History
editThe estate of Cambo was granted to Robert de Newenham by a charter ofKing William the Lion.[1] His descendants took the name "de Cambhou", and had settled in Fife by the early 14th century.Sir John de Cambhou fought at theBattle of Methven (1306), but was captured by the English and hanged atNewcastle.[1] In 1599 the estate was granted to Thomas Myretoun.[1]
In 1668,Sir Charles Erskine, Bt (d. 1677), theLord Lyon King of Arms and brother of the3rd Earl of Kellie,[2] purchased the property from the creditors of Patrick Merton.[3] The estate passed through the Erskine family to the 5thEarl of Kellie, who forfeited his lands after supporting theJacobite rising of 1745.[2] In 1759 Cambo was sold to theCharteris family, who bought it for their son who was studying atSt Andrews University.[3]
Thomas Erskine, 9th Earl of Kellie (c. 1745–1828), bought the estate back in the 1790s. A successful merchant in Sweden, he invested heavily in improving the estate, building the picturesqueGeorgian estate farms, and carrying out extensive land drainage. He commissioned the architect Robert Balfour to remodel the house in 1795.[2] His descendants continued the improvement of the estate through the 19th century, laying out ornamental gardens, with a series of earlycast iron bridges.[2][4]
The old house comprised atower house with numerous additions, including a first-floorconservatory.[2] It was destroyed by fire in 1878,[5] after a staff party when the Erskine family was away.[3] The present house was built on the same site between 1879 and 1884, to designs by the architects Wardrop & Reid.[6]
The estate
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Cambo House is protected as a category Blisted building,[6] and the grounds are included in theInventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland, the national listing of historic gardens.[2] The house is operated as self-catering and bed & breakfast accommodation, while the walled garden and woodland gardens are open to the public year-round. The estate woodlands have a significant collection ofsnowdrops, including over 300 varieties ofGalanthus species, that are accredited withPlant Heritage as aNational Plant Collection.[7]
Kingsbarns Golf Links was laid out in 2000 to designs by Americangolf course architects Kyle Phillips and Mark Parsinen.[2] TheAlfred Dunhill Links Championship, an annualpro-am golf tournament, is played in September on Kingsbarns,St Andrews Old Course, andCarnoustie.[8]
References
edit- ^abcHistoric Environment Scotland."Old House of Cambo (35360)".Canmore. Retrieved29 June 2023.
- ^abcdefgHistoric Environment Scotland."CAMBO (GDL00080)". Retrieved7 March 2019.
- ^abc"History of Cambo". Cambo Estate. Archived fromthe original on 19 December 2008. Retrieved4 May 2010.
- ^Historic Environment Scotland."CAMBO ESTATE, CAMBO HOUSE, RUN OF SIX IRON FOOTBRIDGES OVER BURN (Category B Listed Building) (LB13195)". Retrieved7 March 2019.
- ^Historic Environment Scotland."Cambo House (100293)".Canmore. Retrieved29 June 2023.
- ^abHistoric Environment Scotland."CAMBO HOUSE (Category B Listed Building) (LB8759)". Retrieved7 March 2019.
- ^"Galanthus".Plant Heritage. Retrieved16 March 2022.
- ^"Alfred Dunhill Links Championship web site". Archived fromthe original on 2 May 2021. Retrieved4 May 2010.
External links
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56°17′39″N2°38′31″W / 56.29417°N 2.64194°W /56.29417; -2.64194