A 300-year-old mansion in Midlothian has been “saved from collapse” after receiving a multi-million-pound restoration grant.
Campaigners have been fighting to save the Category A listed Mavisbank House near Loanhead since it was severely damaged by a fire 50 years ago. Last week, the National Heritage Memorial Fund announced that a £5.3 million grant would be given to the Landmark Trust to restore the building and “save it from collapse”.
Midlothian Council said they would be seeking to implement a compulsory purchase order to allow them to take over the site once the funding is in place. The building has been derelict since it was gutted by a fire in 1973, with the ownership rights uncertain following the death of Mrs Willis Stevenson, who bought the property in the 1950s.
It was built by Scottish architect William Adam in 1723 as a summer residence for John Clerk of Penicuik – a well-known figure in the Scottish Enlightenment. It was also used as a hospital for those living with mental illnesses during the 19th century before ultimately falling into disrepair.
In the 1980s Midlothian Council ordered for the building to be demolished. However, volunteers maintained a vigil on the property until the decision was reversed.
You can read more in an article by Ross Hunter published in thenational.scot web site at: https://bit.ly/3wAUmha.