St Andrews Research Repository

St Andrews University Home
View Item 
  •   St Andrews Research Repository
  • Art History (School of)
  • Art History
  • Art History Theses
  • View Item
  •   St Andrews Research Repository
  • Art History (School of)
  • Art History
  • Art History Theses
  • View Item
  •   St Andrews Research Repository
  • Art History (School of)
  • Art History
  • Art History Theses
  • View Item
  • Login
JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

Arniston House : reflections on its interiors, 1726-1850

Thumbnail
View/Open
PatriciaEMWigstonMPhilThesis.pdf (14.99Mb)
Date
1996
Author
Wigston, Patricia E. M.
Supervisor
Jones, David
Metadata
Show full item record
Altmetrics Handle Statistics
Abstract
This thesis discusses the interior decoration between 1726 and 1850 of four of the principal rooms in Arniston House, Gorebridge, Midlothian, the country residence of the Dundases of Arniston, dominant figures in the Scottish legal profession during the 18th century. It is based on a study of the household inventories, account book entries, individual bills and, where accessible, extant decoration and furniture. Areas discussed include plasterwork, lighting, wall decoration, chimneypieces and hearth furniture, household furniture, curtains and flooring. Where appropriate, some discussion of the craftsmen who contributed to these interiors is introduced. The four rooms studied are the Great Hall, the High Library, the Dining Room and the Drawing Room. The Great Hall and the High Library belong to the first phase of building at Arniston, begun in c. 1726, to a plan by William Adam. The Dining Room and Drawing Room in the west wing, designed by John Adam, are representative of the second phase from the mid-1750s. Owing to dry rot in the west wing, the Dining Room and Drawing Room are presently undergoing considerable restoration work. It has therefore been impossible to examine at first hand various decorative elements in these rooms. Access has been limited to those rooms open to the public as part of a guided tour. What has become of much of the furniture is unclear. This problem has been aggravated by the removal of furniture from the west wing in the 1950s and its accommodation and storage in other parts of the house. Some items are on loan to Bute House, Charlotte Square, Edinburgh. Other pieces may have been sold or distributed to members of the Dundas family. As a result of the above circumstances, a considerable amount of this research has had to be based on documentary evidence and photographs.
Type
Thesis, MPhil Master of Philosophy
Collections
  • Art History Theses
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/10023/15328

Items in the St Andrews Research Repository are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.

Advanced Search

Browse

All of RepositoryCommunities & CollectionsBy Issue DateNamesTitlesSubjectsClassificationTypeFunderThis CollectionBy Issue DateNamesTitlesSubjectsClassificationTypeFunder

My Account

Login

Open Access

To find out how you can benefit from open access to research, see our library web pages and Open Access blog. For open access help contact: openaccess@st-andrews.ac.uk.

Accessibility

Read our Accessibility statement.

How to submit research papers

The full text of research papers can be submitted to the repository via Pure, the University's research information system. For help see our guide: How to deposit in Pure.

Electronic thesis deposit

Help with deposit.

Repository help

For repository help contact: Digital-Repository@st-andrews.ac.uk.

Give Feedback

Cookie policy

This site may use cookies. Please see Terms and Conditions.

Usage statistics

COUNTER-compliant statistics on downloads from the repository are available from the IRUS-UK Service. Contact us for information.

© University of St Andrews Library

University of St Andrews is a charity registered in Scotland, No SC013532.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter