Kinneil House, a photo from Falkirk, Scotland

Photographer's Note

Please click here for a larger version of this photograph on "beta" TE.

This is Kinneil House, a historic house in east-central Scotland and once the principal seat of the powerful Hamilton family in those parts.

The central tower of the house (the part now sporting a more recent balustrade around its top) was built in the early 16th century, probably on the site of a smaller tower, by James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran, who at the time had become Regent of Scotland on the death of James V when his successor (and daughter), Mary, Queen of Scots, was just six days old. Further additions and apartments were subsequently added and what was initially a fortress became, essentially, a mansion for the Hamiltons.

However, over time, income from the Kinneil estate waned and the Hamiltons no longer used Kinneil House, renting out the grounds and parts of the house out to others including James Watt who lived and worked in a nearby small cottage where he invented the Condensing Steam Engine, of a design much more efficient than those which had preceded it.

By the early 20th century Kinneil had been abandoned and started to fall into disrepair and in 1922 Bo'ness Town Council bought over the house and estate. A decision was made to demolish the house and so demolition work commenced in 1936, the central tower being stripped out and de-roofed. However, as work progressed to stripping other parts and when old wall panelling was removed, workmen came across some early 16th century wall paintings. As a result, further demolition was stopped, the tower left alone and the rooms with wall paintings preserved.

These wall paintings are believed to be some of the very best and best preserved of any in Scotland and I shall try to show some of them later.

In the meantime I'll add a workshop picture of James Watt's cottage where he lived and worked around 1770.

ISO 200, 1/200 sec at f/8, focal length 27mm.

snunney, pajaran, holmertz, jhm, papagolf21, jean113, pierrefonds, Royaldevon, claudeD, macjake oznaczył to zdjęcie jeko użyteczne

Critiques | Translate

lousat (139400) 2019-05-05 4:19

Hi John,it's nice to know that paintings and a part of architechtures were not demolished,so there is something of very old to see . The house is serious and elegant in the same time,useful post from a village not very famous in the tourist trips. Have a nice Sunday and thanks,Luciano

snunney (130967) 2019-05-05 4:26

Hello John,
This elegant house seems to have had a lucky escape. I like the view across the lawn, which helps the composition depth and perspective. Very pleasant lights and natural colours and excellent sharpness. Have a nice Sunday afternoon.

Silvio1953 (221813) 2019-05-05 4:28

Ciao caro John, great view of fascinating old house, fine details, splendid light and wonderful colors very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

Tue (92560) 2019-05-05 5:09

Hello John,
A beautiful view of the grand house! It looks so wonderful with the details on the walls and the white windows standing out from them so nicely. It was a cloudy day, but still there was a lovely, soft sunlight, which managed to highlight the colours, not only of the building, but also the yellow and green of the trees and lawn. Very well captured from a carefully chosen viewpoint.
Lars

holmertz (102866) 2019-05-05 5:17

Hello John,
This building is quite impressive, although not extraordinary, but the façade is in obvious need of restoration. But more important for this photo is the fine light you captured in spite of the fairly dark clouds, and the nice balance of mild colours of the sky, building, lawn and of course the autumn coloured trees. The WS gives us a curious glimpse from the history of technology.
Kind regards,
Gert

jhm (211736) 2019-05-05 5:32

Hello John,

A pity of the black car, but this today the reality.
But the Kinneil House taken during the nice autumn colours make your picture attractive.
Perfect depth and perspective but also a beautiful panorama image.
Very well done, TFS.

Have a nice Sunday,
John.

papagolf21 (152607) 2019-05-05 7:25

Bonjour, cher John,
Ma passion pour l'architecture en général est récompensée ŕ travers cette bien belle composition oů le château est superbement valorisé.
J'aime son aspect simple sans ornements exubérants.
Les couleurs automnales viennent magnifier l'ensemble.
Amitiés.
Philippe

carlo62 (81265) 2019-05-05 11:05

Ciao John
oltre alla bella ed elegante architettura, ci sono anche i bei colori autunnali che completano molto bene la tua composizione.
Saluti
Carlo

jean113 (27901) 2019-05-05 11:29

Hello John, interesting notes to accompany this lovely sharp shot.
The trees in their autumnal colours complement the colours of the stone of this attractive building.
The W/shop shot is also very interesting, a pity that more hasnt been done to preserve it, or am I mistaken? Particularly with the significance of who lived there.
I look forward to learning more about the wall paintings.
Kind regards Jean

pierrefonds (114628) 2019-05-05 15:00

Hi John,

The trees are framing well the house. The point of view is showing the details of the architecture of the Kinneil House. The cloudy sky is giving a good contrast to the colors of the picture. Have a nice day.

Pierre

emka (158204) 2019-05-06 0:04

Hello dear John, Fascinating history of this old mansion. Very interesting note. Fortunately, it was not demolished. Nice view. I wonder if there is a terrace on the roof? The lawn is well maintained and I like the tree with the first colours of autumn. I would like to see these paintings.
Thanks for sharing and have a nice new week

MAlgo

Royaldevon (85932) 2019-05-06 0:32

Hello John,

It does seem a large building to maintain if it doesn't have an income from visitors.
Presumably, visitors are allowed to tour the property and see the early paintings!
I like this old building very much; it appears to have evolved with time, having a variety of distinct sections. It would have been a sad loss had it been demolished.

Your autumnal visit allowed you to include the lovely colours on the trees, as well as the fine details of the old house.
The grey sky adds mood, symbolic of the treatment of this fine, old house.

James Watt didn't seem to fare very well with regard to housing!

Have a lovely day,
Bev :-)

claudeD (47754) 2019-05-07 7:56

Hello John,

very fine and interesting view of Kinneil House. Very good composition, fine fresh colors and excellent sharpness for this perfect contribution to TE. Excellent informative note..TFS.

With regards from Luxembourg

JC

macjake (98518) 2019-05-08 13:24

Hi John
wow, where do I start with this one? first of all, its a splendid TE post. This is where we learn so much, I have never heard of this place before, until now. Its such a strange exterior design, look at the area in the middle...3 rows of windows, 4 floors up, but that's it. Not much in the way of creativity in that section, yet it still looks so attractive due to the sections on each side. its got that 'royal' look and feel to it for sure. and i'm so glad to hear they stopped demolishing it...BUT, could you imagine 100+ years ago, while it was abandoned, being able to walk through it!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh My Gosh, that would be amazing, I bet it would have beds, furniture, large staircases...its endless. Architecture like this is what Canada is lacking, I would presume these can be found all across the UK. amazing shot, story, history...its got everything. I wish I could give you 20 pts. cheers
Craig

dta (98848) 2019-05-09 2:03

Hello John ,
Not sure about the van ;) but in a few decades , it will lokk picturesque . This is a splendid presentation of the old mansion. I like especially the colors of the early autumn and the cloudy sky cmbinated with a beautiful light .
Regards

mkamionka (74669) 2019-05-16 1:30

Hi John,
charming house. I visit a lot of places like that using either English Heritage or Historic Houses Association.
Sometimes they are hard to present in an interesting way especially on a day like this with grey skies.
However, you have turned the grey clouds into your advantage: they preserve some features and feel a bit as if a candy floss so soft and smooth behind the rough walls of the house.
Lovely reportage from quite a remote place for me...
although having seen a lot of Teesside surroundings I am tempted to venture further someday.
Excellent quality work,
I see you have changed your camera to the mirrorless. I thought the previous one was full frame, was the change a step forward or is it just an addition and you use them interchangeably?
M

Photo Information

Copyright: John Cannon (tyro) (30513)
Genre: Miejsca
Medium: Kolorowe
Date Taken: 2018-10-17
Categories: Architektura, Ruiny
Camera: Canon EOS M 5, Canon EF-M 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 IS STM, Hoya 52mm Pro1D Protector
Naświetlenie: f/0.6, 1/21 sekund
Map: view
Wersja zdjęcia: Oryginalna wersja, Workshop
Date Submitted: 2019-05-05 3:12