How Was A Scottish Listed Building Saved From Destruction?

Aside from giving historic buildings a future, one of the biggest rewards of a listed building restoration is preserving vital parts of British heritage for future generations, even when it appears that such a possibility is nearly impossible.

This was the case with Mavisbank House, one of the most important country houses in Scottish history and yet one that until mid-May 2024 looked destined to be demolished entirely.

Built in 1723 by William Adam, the “Universal Architect” of Scotland, Mavisbank was the home of Sir John Clerk of Penicuik, one of the biggest advocates of the Act of Union 1707, which created a United Kingdom of England and Scotland.

By 1815 it had left the ownership of the Clerk family, was expanded and became an asylum in the 1870s under the stewardship of psychological reformer Dr John Batty Tuke.

When the asylum was closed, the building was bought by Dr W. M. Harrowes, but his attempt to restore the building to its former glory ultimately went unrealised.

By the late 1950s, it had become a dealership for used and scrap cars by a man named Archie Stevenson, who was believed to have been squatting on the property. After a devastating fire in 1973, the building was on the brink of demolition.

This led to a round-the-clock vigil by volunteer campaigners to halt the potential destruction of the building, and the building was stabilised with emergency powers whilst the complexities surrounding the building’s status were navigated.

After Mr Stevenon had died, the house had been left to three American nominees who turned out to not exist. An attempt to fund the renovation of the building through the television show Restoration went unfulfilled. 

Ultimately, the Landmark Trust successfully received a £5.3m grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund to stabilise the building and survey its condition.