Carriden House (10 of 10)
Admiral George Hope died on 2 May 1818 and was succeeded by his son James, who was only ten at that time. James Hope was to be away for most of his life, pursuing his own military career, however he found time to continue the improvements at home - the most notable of which was the construction of a school for girls on the estate, which they maintained at their own expense.
The final touches were also made to the house. In 1849 the rather awkward access connection between the c.1570 block and the 1682 wing was overcome by placing a small rectangular, 3 storey insert into the courtyard. You can just see it here, with its flat lead roof, surrounded by a simple battlemented parapet. At the same the two-storey porch extension was put into the front re-entrant angle.
The armorial panel on the porch, containing a coat of arms over the date 1863, are those of James Hope, who in the 45 years since succeeding his father, had become Admiral Sir James Hope - not only was his father an admiral, his mother was the daughter of an admiral!. He led a fairly dashing career, his most famous exploit, when still a young lieutenant, occurring while stationed at the River Plate in South America. The enemy had thrown a cable across the river and under a tremendous fire he personally cut the boom with a chisel enabling the fleet to pass up the river.
In his retirement James Hope did much to improve the lot of those around Carriden. He bought up many of the poor-quality houses in the adjacent village of Muirhouses which belonged to the Cadell family and were occupied by miners. These were demolished and replaced by substantial stone cottages.
Admiral Sir James Hope died in 1881 without children, following which his wife lived here until her death in 1890. Carriden then passed to Colonel George Lloyd Verney, Sir James' great-nephew. The Colonel died in 1896 and was succeeded by his son James, who died in 1909 and was succeeded by his brother Harry Verney. Having estates elsewhere, the Verneys had spent little time at Carriden and it was put up for sale in 1912.
It was bought by Joseph Constant, a London businessman and entrepreneur (yes, they even had them back then!), who became an absentee landlord (surprise surprise!). His real interest lay in the shore line, on which he wanted to build ships. The estate farms were let and the contents of the house put up for auction.
Auctioning off the contents of a house in this day and age is an unremarkable event, but in those days, the contents of a grand house or castle were expected to remain with the house. The Motherwell Times of 3 October 1913 considered that this was a case of asset stripping and reported that Carriden House “is this week to be robbed of its internal splendor through the operations of the auctioneer.” All the contents, including the library of over a thousand books, were duly sold off!
Joseph Constant did not live to enjoy the fruits of the sale! With the outbreak of the Great War, his widow furnished the house as an auxiliary hospital for wounded soldiers. Following the war, the estate farms were sold off - the death knell for many a grand house, as without the farms, there is usually insufficient income to maintain the house. By 1925, the house was standing empty.
After the Second World War the demand for electricity soared. Coal-powered generating stations were built at Longannet and Kincardine on the north shore of the Forth and in anticipation of further demand, the South of Scotland Electricity Board bought what remained of the Carriden estate in the late 1960s. Carriden power station was never required and the house survived, although it was allowed to deteriorate further.
Since being sold by the Electricity Board in the late 1970s, Carriden has had three sets of owners, all of whom have played their parts in restoring it to its former glory.
Carriden House (10 of 10)
Admiral George Hope died on 2 May 1818 and was succeeded by his son James, who was only ten at that time. James Hope was to be away for most of his life, pursuing his own military career, however he found time to continue the improvements at home - the most notable of which was the construction of a school for girls on the estate, which they maintained at their own expense.
The final touches were also made to the house. In 1849 the rather awkward access connection between the c.1570 block and the 1682 wing was overcome by placing a small rectangular, 3 storey insert into the courtyard. You can just see it here, with its flat lead roof, surrounded by a simple battlemented parapet. At the same the two-storey porch extension was put into the front re-entrant angle.
The armorial panel on the porch, containing a coat of arms over the date 1863, are those of James Hope, who in the 45 years since succeeding his father, had become Admiral Sir James Hope - not only was his father an admiral, his mother was the daughter of an admiral!. He led a fairly dashing career, his most famous exploit, when still a young lieutenant, occurring while stationed at the River Plate in South America. The enemy had thrown a cable across the river and under a tremendous fire he personally cut the boom with a chisel enabling the fleet to pass up the river.
In his retirement James Hope did much to improve the lot of those around Carriden. He bought up many of the poor-quality houses in the adjacent village of Muirhouses which belonged to the Cadell family and were occupied by miners. These were demolished and replaced by substantial stone cottages.
Admiral Sir James Hope died in 1881 without children, following which his wife lived here until her death in 1890. Carriden then passed to Colonel George Lloyd Verney, Sir James' great-nephew. The Colonel died in 1896 and was succeeded by his son James, who died in 1909 and was succeeded by his brother Harry Verney. Having estates elsewhere, the Verneys had spent little time at Carriden and it was put up for sale in 1912.
It was bought by Joseph Constant, a London businessman and entrepreneur (yes, they even had them back then!), who became an absentee landlord (surprise surprise!). His real interest lay in the shore line, on which he wanted to build ships. The estate farms were let and the contents of the house put up for auction.
Auctioning off the contents of a house in this day and age is an unremarkable event, but in those days, the contents of a grand house or castle were expected to remain with the house. The Motherwell Times of 3 October 1913 considered that this was a case of asset stripping and reported that Carriden House “is this week to be robbed of its internal splendor through the operations of the auctioneer.” All the contents, including the library of over a thousand books, were duly sold off!
Joseph Constant did not live to enjoy the fruits of the sale! With the outbreak of the Great War, his widow furnished the house as an auxiliary hospital for wounded soldiers. Following the war, the estate farms were sold off - the death knell for many a grand house, as without the farms, there is usually insufficient income to maintain the house. By 1925, the house was standing empty.
After the Second World War the demand for electricity soared. Coal-powered generating stations were built at Longannet and Kincardine on the north shore of the Forth and in anticipation of further demand, the South of Scotland Electricity Board bought what remained of the Carriden estate in the late 1960s. Carriden power station was never required and the house survived, although it was allowed to deteriorate further.
Since being sold by the Electricity Board in the late 1970s, Carriden has had three sets of owners, all of whom have played their parts in restoring it to its former glory.