George Kinloch MP

In 1798 the radical politician George Kinloch of Kinloch designed and built his own house. This five-bay two-storey house, with a basement, commands panoramic views to north and south. The central three bays were advanced beneath a pediment and the west elevation sported a pair of Venetian windows. Copies of the original drawings are held in the NMRS. The plan provided a a drawing room and dining room flanking a central hall leading to an axial stair with a service stair adjacent flanked by bedroom suites. The basement contained the kitchens and servants rooms and the first floor house bedrooms and a small parlour or library over the entrance hall. In the later 18th century a wing was added to the east end of the house. By the mid 19th century a drawing room had been created behind the original southwest dining room replacing the original family bedroom and closet. In 1864 John Carver of Meigle provided plans for the creation of a new north wing which provided a large new drawing room accessed through the northwest drawing room. On the floor below were more servants’ bedrooms and a new dairy. The upper two floors of the new wing provided three bedrooms and dressing rooms. The drawings for this extension are in the NMRS. At the same time it appears that the new three- storey tower entrance was added which involved the removal of the pediment. This provided a suitably grand entrance to the enlarged house and was also presumably by Carver although no drawings survive. The Victorian drawing rooms survive. In the early 20th century a new panelled dining room was created to the east of the hall extending into the east wing along with a small business room. The original dining room west of the hall was refitted as a library. These alterations were by MacLaren, Sons & Salmond. The gatepiers appear to date from the Victorian remodelling but the magnificent eagles may be Georgian and brought in from elsewhere. [Notes prepared by Simon Green for a visit by AHSS in May 2012].