A few weekends ago we took a trip to see Kinneil House, which is in the town of Bo'ness in central Scotland. Bo'ness is actually fairly close to where we live in Edinburgh (about a 25min drive), but its not a town we had visited so far, and its not on a route we'd take to anywhere, so it was our first time there.
I had been looking for a new historic site to visit, and came across Kinneil House on the Historic Environment Scotland website. It was built in 1553, but is largely a ruin now. Although externally it looks fine, its pretty much gutted on the inside.
There was a small museum on the grounds, and the attendant there told us some of the story of the house. It was built as a mansion house originally, and its interesting to see the mix of styles. The pic above of the side shows quite typical Scottish architecture of the time, whereas the frontage is not at all typical of Scotland. There is a clear European influence there.
This old ruined outbuilding just behind the house is actually very important historically. This was originally a workshop, and it was within there that James Watt undertook important work that led towards the development of the condensing steam engine !
I was quite shocked to learn about that and had no idea that that was where he had undertaken his work. At the time it was a considerable technology breakthrough and pretty much lead to the industrial revolution.
Next to the building is the remains of one of the engines he built. It was not originally on this site, but was relocated here as part of the memorial to his work.
There was also some nice grounds to explore behind the house. It was raining constantly while we were there so we didnt explore all of the grounds, but this lovely old ruined chapel was there. And further up there is actually the remains of a Roman villa or fort, noting that the Antonine Wall, which the Romans built right across Scotland, would have run through these grounds or close to them (dating from around 142 AD !). We didnt get to see the Roman remains.
There were some beautifully carved gravestones by the chapel, like the one above.
There were other interesting features around to see like the lovely wood carving above. I have to say that I was really impressed, and definitely want to go back to see all of the grounds (when its not pouring with rain !), and especially the Roman ruins.
The museum guide also explained to us that the house was originally scheduled for demolition, but when they started to remove the internal fittings of the house, the found amazing painted decoration on the walls and ceilings. On inspection, it was considered historically important, and hence they saved the building. You can get tours to go inside and see that (but they dont start up until April). So having learned more, we will definitely visit the house again and do the tour.
The museum guide also told us other history about the town (which was very industrial in years gone by) and gave us information about local walks and the like. We were quite amazed and we handnt realised that all of this was there. So it was a great place to find out about, and we are absolutely looking forward to going back. Both Bo'ness and Kinneil House and grounds exceeded our expectation. And it was also free ! Highly recommended.
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Many thanks @ackhoo - its always appreciated !
Always a joy to find hidden gems like this! It looks like a very cool place to visit. It's too bad that the interior is mostly empty now.
Yep - it really was quite surprising we loved it, and I cant wait to see the interior !
This post reminded me about my aunt's trip to Scotland last year from where she sent lots of pictures and postcards. Even though I wasn't with her, the view looks so familiar with the specific Scottish Vibe! Yet a remember that I should visit this part of the globe one day!
I'm biased, but we do have a lovely country !
the castle looks very beautiful, I really like looking at it even just from the beautiful photos you shared
Yes, it was really interesting - I'm looking forward to going back and spending more time there !
Thank you for sharing your adventure and for the recommendation to visit Kinneil House and Bo'ness. It's remarkable to stumble upon hidden gems like these and to uncover the layers of history they hold. I'm sure many readers will be inspired to add this historic site to their travel bucket list!
It was an impressive place - we really enjoyed it !
Thanks for visiting and great post - we're volunteers who run a web site about this place at www.kinneil.org ... when we meet or hear from visitors it's always remarkable how much less known Kinneil is relative to some other places given its historical significance. What took place at the Watt Cottage alone later went on to transform the world, and it's thought to be the only surviving building in Scotland with such a direct link to the life and work of one of the most globally-recognised and ingenious Scots in history. Hope you're able to return on a Saturday during the summer season to see inside the house and its unique 16th-Century wall paintings. Meanwhile the good little museum which you did visit is open free, daily except Tuesdays, 12.30-4pm – glad you found the staff member on duty helpful.
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