Donibristle House & Stables
The re-built Donibristle House, Dalgety Bay, Fife
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All images are © 400photos.uk
The first owner of Donibristle House was the Abbot of Inchcolm (see also nearby St Bridget's Kirk) given ownership by James
Stewart the natural son of King James V and half-brother to Mary, Queen of Scots. Not a bad pedigree.
His son James, the second Earl of Moray and called the Bonnie Earl was later murdered trying to escape a siege by the Gordon's, a Catholic family that, oddly, they later joined by marriage.
The house later burned down and was rebuilt and re-designed by Alexander McGill at about the same time as his work on Donibristle Chapel. It burned down again(!) in 1858 leaving only the two wings standing by 1912. The Navy used it during the Second World War and property developers took it over in the 1960s until the west wing again went on fire in 1985.
This current version is a fine building with elements of the original (wrought iron work, etc) and is divided into many flats and nearby is Donibristle Stables (last photo). These were for housing ground staff and the horses and coaches for the estate.
However, in 1831 the 12th Earl of Moray, John Stewart, was getting married and planned a honeymoon with his new wife making a Grand Tour of Europe, as was popular in those times. He had a very fancy coach built, bought a team of classy horses to pull it and was all set to go on the trip of a lifetime with his new bride. Unfortunately his bride stood him up on the day of the wedding and the word is that the Earl went to the stables, shot the horses and had the coach locked away, eventually for 130 years. He was probably a bit miffed but what harm had the horses done him?
The coach is now in a Kent museum and the stables are very nice mews-style flats. There's no information on hand if they ever went on fire.
His son James, the second Earl of Moray and called the Bonnie Earl was later murdered trying to escape a siege by the Gordon's, a Catholic family that, oddly, they later joined by marriage.
The house later burned down and was rebuilt and re-designed by Alexander McGill at about the same time as his work on Donibristle Chapel. It burned down again(!) in 1858 leaving only the two wings standing by 1912. The Navy used it during the Second World War and property developers took it over in the 1960s until the west wing again went on fire in 1985.
This current version is a fine building with elements of the original (wrought iron work, etc) and is divided into many flats and nearby is Donibristle Stables (last photo). These were for housing ground staff and the horses and coaches for the estate.
However, in 1831 the 12th Earl of Moray, John Stewart, was getting married and planned a honeymoon with his new wife making a Grand Tour of Europe, as was popular in those times. He had a very fancy coach built, bought a team of classy horses to pull it and was all set to go on the trip of a lifetime with his new bride. Unfortunately his bride stood him up on the day of the wedding and the word is that the Earl went to the stables, shot the horses and had the coach locked away, eventually for 130 years. He was probably a bit miffed but what harm had the horses done him?
The coach is now in a Kent museum and the stables are very nice mews-style flats. There's no information on hand if they ever went on fire.
