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The Monteath Mausoleum is a large landmark in the Scottish Borders near the village of Ancrum. General Sir Thomas Monteath Douglas commissioned this large mausoleum which was built on the hill named Gersit Law to the north of Jedburgh near Ancrum. The land belonged to his son-in-law Sir William Monteath Scott and overlooks the site of the Battle of Ancrum Moor.
The mausoleum was designed by the Edinburgh architects Peddie & Kinnear. The building is dated 1864 which is four years before Douglas died. They included a domed roof design similar to Dundas House in Edinburgh that was used by the Bank of Scotland. That later design also incorporated glass star-shaped roof lights.
The mausoleum was to be sealed forever hiding the two angels who guard his tomb. The inside is lit by 48 green glass star-shaped lights in the domed roof. Outside two carved lions guard the entrance. one of the is sleeping and the other is awake. The building is constructed from ashlar sandstone.
Monteath Mausoleum is open to the public and a key to the crypt can be obtained.
References:
Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.
Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.
There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.