Gosford House

File:Gosford House, near Longniddry, East Lothian, Scotland-16Oct2011.jpg

Gosford House in 2011

Gosford House is the family seat of the Charteris family and is situated near Longniddry in East Lothian, Scotland. It was recently the home of the late Rt. Hon. David Charteris, 12th Earl of Wemyss and 8th Earl of March, chief of the name and arms of Charteris.

Gosford was built by the 7th Earl of Wemyss between 1790 and 1800. It was built to plans by the architect Robert Adam (1728–1792), who died before the house was completed. The 7th Earl is buried in the Wemyss Mausoleum on the estate, the only member of the family to be buried within the mausoleum. The 8th Earl inherited Gosford House and knocked down the wings, and his grandson, the 10th Earl, rebuilt them in 1891 to designs by the architect William Young. The south wing contains the marble hall. Gosford is built in the neoclassical style.

During World War II, the British Army occupied the house, and burnt out the main rooms of the central block. It was re-roofed in 1987, and restoration of the central block is an ongoing process, which has been progressed in the last ten years by Shelagh, Countess of Wemyss and March. The ponds in the policies were recently restored by James Charteris, 13th Earl of Wemyss who took over the family estate and title in December 2008 when his father died. Gosford can be seen from Edinburgh on a clear day. It is open to the public in the summer. The grounds contain an unusual and rare example of a Scottish curling house. The interior and exterior of Gosford House were used in the 2000 film House of Mirth, directed by Terence Davies and based on the novel by Edith Wharton.

See also

• List of places in East Lothian
• List of castles in Scotland

External links

• Gosford House - official site
• Visiting information - Historic Houses Association