Lennoxlove House

Haddington, United Kingdom

Lennoxlove House is a historic house set in woodlands near Haddington in East Lothian, Scotland. The house comprises a 15th-century tower, originally known as Lethington Castle, and has been extended several times, principally in the 17th, 19th and 20th centuries. The house is protected as a category A listed building, and is described as one of Scotland's most ancient and notable houses. The wooded estate is included on the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland, the national listing of significant gardens.

Lennoxlove is home to one of Scotland's most important collections of portraits, including works by Anthony van Dyck, Canaletto, Sir Peter Lely, Sir Godfrey Kneller, Sir Henry Raeburn, and others. It also houses important pieces of furniture, porcelain and other fine artefacts, many of which came from the now demolished Hamilton Palace in Lanarkshire.

Lennoxlove is now the seat of the Dukes of Hamilton, having been purchased by the 14th Duke in 1946. It is open to the public during the summer, accommodates corporate events and weddings, and can be rented privately by groups.

References:

Comments

Your name



Details

Founded: 15th century
Category: Palaces, manors and town halls in United Kingdom

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Louise Bain (4 months ago)
Had a guided tour today from the lovely John. Such a beautiful house with so much history. John made the tour really engaging and knew so many details about the history of the house. Myself and my friend booked for a guided tour and no one else had booked on our slot so we ended up having a private tour. We even got to see the dungeon! Would thoroughly recommend a visit.
I (6 months ago)
Home of the Duke of Hamilton, dating from 14th century. 25 minutes drive from Edinburgh. Now houses Hamilton Palace collection of paintings and furniture as well as Mary Queen of Scots' memorabilia. Very beautiful house and area .
Paula Joubert (11 months ago)
Very beautiful house in an amazing setting. It was however closed so we could not view inside.
Graham Malcolm (14 months ago)
A beautiful historical house built in the 1300 owned by the Maitland family with strong Royal links. Bought by the Hamiltons in the 1700s also links to Royalty. Interesting tours with beautiful paintings and antiques to see. Worth a visit if you love History . As it's lived in the gardens are private but we must remember although it's open 3 times a week in the summer this is still a family home .
Vince Mallia (16 months ago)
I am so very glad to have visited this place today - the house is full of rich history. It was so nice to learn more about The Dukes and Duchesses of Hamilton and the meaning behind the name 'Lennoxlove'. The tour guide was especially nice, friendly, and humble. It is definitely a house worth visiting; Haddington itself is a very beautiful town. More signposting is recommended to encourage people to visit more often alongside an updated website. We called in advance but no one picked up. We did not receive a confirmation email of our booking. I would also recommend to advertise the place via social media as this would attract visitors. On the whole, a very nice experience!
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Abbey of Saint-Georges

Saint-Georges de Boscherville Abbey is a former Benedictine abbey. It was founded in about 1113 by Guillaume de Tancarville on the site of an earlier establishment of secular canons and settled by monks from the Abbey of Saint-Evroul. The abbey church made of Caumont stone was erected from 1113 to 1140. The Norman builders aimed to have very well-lit naves and they did this by means of tall, large windows, initially made possible by a wooden ceiling, which prevented uplift, although this was replaced by a Gothic vault in the 13th century. The chapter room was built after the abbey church and dates from the last quarter of the 12th century.

The arrival of the Maurist monks in 1659, after the disasters of the Wars of Religion, helped to get the abbey back on a firmer spiritual, architectural and economic footing. They erected a large monastic building one wing of which fitted tightly around the chapter house (which was otherwise left as it was).