Abbotsford, the Seat of Sir Walter Scott, Bart

Category

Library Item

Item no

18679

Title

Abbotsford, the seat of Sir Walter Scott, Bart

Description

Abbotsford House has two main storeys with an eclectic mix of architectural features, turretted towers and castellated fringes. Outside the house a man and woman stand on the neatly mown lawn with their dog. The woman is showing some work to the man. Flowers grow on the stone wall that runs along the garden path.

Artist / maker

Shepherd, Thomas Hosmer

Engraver

Barber, T

Date

1829

Size

10.1 x 15.6 cm

Type

Engraving

Location

Edinburgh and Scottish Collection

This image comes from 'Modern Athens', a book of engravings based on drawings by Thomas Shepherd published in 1829. In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries Edinburgh was growing rapidly. The popular neoclassical architectural style of the time was inspired by the ancient Greeks and Romans, and Edinburgh was nicknamed 'Athens of the North'. Shepherd's engravings celebrate the beauty of Edinburgh and show many notable buildings and streets both within the city, and further afield.

Abbotsford House near Melrose in the Scottish Borders was the home of Sir Walter Scott. The manor house was built on farmland named Cartleyhole which Scott bought in 1811. Scott renamed the land Abbotsford and added neighbouring properties to his estate. The manor house was built in 1821 after the original cottage was demolished. The manor house is built in Scots-Baronial style and due to Scott's fame was influential in the Victorian revival of the style. In order to fund work on Abbotsford, Scott took out loans from publishers which eventually threatened to bankrupt him, and forced him to sell his property on Castle Street, Edinburgh. Abbotsford was safe as Scott had passed the property to his son in 1825, with the proviso that Scott could live there rent free for the rest of his life.
More biographical information about Walter Scott can be found at Edinburgh University Library's website

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Related subjects

Animals > Mammals > Dogs

Architecture > Architectural features > Chimneys

Architecture > Architectural features > Doors and doorways

Architecture > Architectural features > Roofs

Architecture > Architectural features > Windows

Clothing and dress > Accessories > Hats

Clothing and dress > Garments > Coats

Clothing and dress > Garments > Dresses

Homes > Residential buildings > Houses

Landscape > Landscape architectural facilities > Gardens

People > Adults > Men

People > Adults > Women

Places > Scotland > Borders

Plants > Trees > Trees

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