View source for Hamilton House, East Lothian

{{Short description|Historic house in Prestonpans, East Lothian, Scotland}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
'''Hamilton House''', also known as '''Magdalen's House''', is a 17th-century "Laird's House" in the town of [[Prestonpans]] in [[East Lothian]], Scotland. It is an exemplar of this type of architecture and has retained its crow-stepped gables and corner towers. It is owned by the [[National Trust for Scotland]] and is a Category A [[Listed Building]].
==History==
The house was built in 1626<ref name = gazetteer>{{cite web | url = https://www.scottish-places.info/features/featurefirst1059.html | title = Hamilton House (Lord Magdalen's House) | accessdate = 31 March 2020 | publisher = Gazetteer for Scotland}}</ref> as a replacement for [[Preston Tower, East Lothian|Preston Tower]]<ref name = listed>{{Historic Environment Scotland | num = LB17529 | desc = Preston, Hamilton House, Including Boundary Walls, Doorway, Gatepiers, Gate and Railings | accessdate = 31 March 2020 }}</ref> for Sir [[John Hamilton, Lord Magdalens]], who was a Senator of the [[College of Justice]] and the brother of the 1st Earl of Haddington. The property was vacated by the Hamiltons in the 1740s, and in the 19th century it was  converted into a barracks and later used as a [[tavern]]. Around 1880 the Hislop family are recorded as being the owners of the building. Eventually the building fell into dereliction and was about to be demolished when it was sold to The National Trust of Scotland in 1937 and the NTS restored it as a private residence.<ref name = CoS>{{cite web | url = https://www.thecastlesofscotland.co.uk/the-best-castles/other-articles/hamilton-house/ | title = Hamilton House | accessdate = 31 March 2020 | publisher = Castles of Scotland}}</ref> It is now a Category A Listed Building.<ref name = listed/>
==Location==
Hamilton House is located in the small town of Prestonpans in East Lothian, {{convert|12.6|miles|km}} from [[Edinburgh]].<ref name = googlemaps>{{cite web | url = https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/Edinburgh/Hamilton+House,+W+Loan,+Prestonpans+EH32+9JY/data=!4m8!4m7!1m2!1m1!1s0x4887b800a5982623:0x64f2147b7ce71727!1m2!1m1!1s0x4887bae8983b36c5:0xd749a7d876ffb74!3e0?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwizgta9rcToAhULUcAKHeFBB1UQ-A8wAHoECAwQDQ | title = Edinburgh to Hamilton House, Prestonpans | accessdate = 31 March 2020 | publisher = Google Maps}}</ref> It sits at the corner of West Loan and Preston Road within the part of the town known as Preston near the Preston Tower, Prestonpans [[Mercat cross]] and [[Northfield House, East Lothian|Northfield House]].<ref name = Canmore>{{Canmore | num = 53682 | desc = Prestonpans, Hamilton House | access-date = 31 March 2020 }}</ref>
==Features==
Hamilton House comprises a two-storey main block with projecting [[Wing (building)|wings]] at either end.<ref name = CoS/> The date 1628 (or 1626) appears in a panel above the former main entrance,<ref name = Canmore/> with the initials IH and KS representing Sir John Hamilton, Lord Magdalen, and Katherine Sympson, while thee three [[pediment]]s of the [[dormer]]s have the Hamilton's coat of arms, their impaled initials and the date 1628, as well as the arms of Katherine Sympson.<ref name = CoS/> The exterior is [[Harling (wall finish)|harled]] and whitewashed, has [[chamfer]]ed stone edges and [[Stepped gable|crow-stepped]] gables,<ref name = listed/> known in [[Scots language|Scots]] as ''corbie-stepped''.<ref name = CoS/> The chimney stacks have stripped [[quoin]]s.<ref name = listed/> The house has a hexagonal stair tower which stands in the corner of the main block with south wing and which contains the main entrance, above which is the inscription ''"Praised be the Lord My Strenth and My Redeimer"'',<ref name = gazetteer/> while at the other end of the main block there is a round conical roofed, corbelled-out turret. The house has a steep roof tiled with stones. When the road outside was widened an outbuilding and a passageway were demolished, reducing the size of the courtyard. The adjacent road is also around 500mm higher than the original dirt road, from when the surface was macadamed in the 19th century. The interior of the building has been completely re-ordered in relation to its original form.<ref name = CoS/>
==Controversy==
The National Trust for Scotland wanted to sell the building in 2007<ref name = Canmore/> but changed their mind to find a "restoring tenant" but in 2017 concerns were raised from the local community about the condition of the building.<ref name = ELC>{{cite web | url = https://www.eastlothiancourier.com/news/15585714.plea-made-to-national-trust-to-look-after-dilapidated-historic-hamilton-house-in-prestonpans/ | title = Plea made to National Trust to look after dilapidated historic Hamilton House in Prestonpans | date = 10 October 2017 | author = Marie Sharp | accessdate = 31 March 2020 | publisher = East Lothian Courier}}</ref>
==Photo gallery==
<gallery>
Image:HamiltonHouse04.jpg
Image:HamiltonHouse01.jpg
Image:HamiltonHouse02.jpg
Image:HamiltonHouse03.jpg
</gallery>
==See also==
*[[Duke of Hamilton]]
*[[James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton]]
*[[List of places in East Lothian]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{coord|55.9549|-2.9788|type:landmark_region:GB|display=title}}
[[Category:Country houses in East Lothian]]
[[Category:Prestonpans]]
[[Category:Stepped gables]]