House of the Binns

The House of the Binns is a historic house and estate in West Lothian, Scotland. It stands on two hills from which its name comes. The house dates mainly from the early 17th century and was given to the National Trust for Scotland in 1944. It was home to MP Tam Dalyell until his death in 2017. The estate covers 200 acres of parkland and offers wide views across central Scotland. The house holds porcelain, furniture and portraits that show the family’s life through the centuries. The house is famous for General Tam Dalyell, known as ‘Bluidy Tam’. He fought for Charles I and Charles II, escaped from the Tower of London, and served the Tsar in Russia. After the Restoration he crushed the Covenanters and raised the Royal Scots Greys at the Binns. Artefacts belonging to him remain in the house, including boots and the card table where he is said to have played with the Devil. A marble table was later found in Sergeant’s Pond, where it was supposedly thrown by the Devil. Visitors walk through 200 acres of parkland with drives, a folly called Binns Tower, and woodland gardens. The tower sits on Binns Hill and was built in 1826 after a wager. Below the hill is General Tam’s cave, used for meditation. The park also has a walled garden, old stables, a quarry and Sergeant’s Pond. The ruined forme lies in a valley at the south-east corner of the estate.