Mellerstain House

Mellerstain House stands in open parkland eight miles north of Kelso in the Scottish Borders. The present mansion was built between 1725 and 1778 for George Baillie, whose wife Lady Grisell was the daughter of the Earl of Marchmont. After an interval of forty-five years the central block was designed by Robert Adam in his early ‘Castle’ style, linking two earlier pavilions by William Adam. The house is shaped like a shallow E, with a narrow corridor running the length of the north side and most rooms only one deep. The exterior is severe, with regular sash windows under hood mouldings and plain battlements above a corbel table. Inside, the house is famous for Robert Adam’s delicate plasterwork. Seven rooms retain ceilings and wall decorations designed by Adam, including a library with four bas-relief panels and busts by Scheemakers and Roubiliac. The main rooms follow an enfilade plan, with the Library, Drawing Room and Bed Chamber arranged from east to west. A narrow staircase of unusual design leads to the first floor, where original hand-printed wallpapers survive in the bedrooms. The top floor once housed a large Gallery, now used to display costumes, fans and documents. The grounds cover 1,413 hectares of parkland. William Adam laid out a long tree-lined avenue ending at the Gothic ‘Hundy Mundy’ tower two and a half kilometres away. In the early 20th century Sir Reginald Blomfield created formal terraces of three descending levels, with balustrades, parterres and a pond before the wide lawn that leads to a lake. Other features include a mausoleum, stables, cottages and a walled garden, all set within the sweeping landscape designed by Adam and later altered by Blomfield.