Dunnottar House

[coplani]

Hi,

Re Dunnottar House....I stayed at Dunnottar House from 1948 until 1954...i.e. from 2 yrs old to 8yrs. old.....Some memories of it still...My brother George is 5 years older than me so should have better memories.
My parents Alexander and Elsie Copland lived there whilst my father worked for BR...They were really caretakers before the house was eventually demolished due to high rates by the then owner....I'm not sure who the owners were then but "Stuarts" come to mind.
Dunnottar House was very large and had large rooms...difficult to heat as you can imagine and we lived in a small area of the house...I remember the woods with the large punch bark trees and "Hangman's Hill" and the large walled garden...Could still be there today...Also there was a great storm which destroyed some of the woodland...I vaguely remember the woodcutters...also the shell house.....and the small burn (river) that ran through the woods...There was even a bathing area in the river would you believe...Also the flatted lead roof area where you could sunbath
Anyway, I have found an old family photograph taken at the front doors of Dunnottar...probably late Victorian or Edwardian and also I have a photo of my family taken in the grounds, but unfortuneately not of the house itself...I would have to get the photos scanned to get them digitised for e-mailing if you were still interested...

Regards...IMJC.

[ev]

hi imjc 

would that storm have occured in 1953 ?

ev


ps welcome to rootschat 

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/corporate/pressoffice/anniversary/floods1953.html

[coplani]

Thank you....Yes 1953 was the storm of the century....The woodland would have been badly affected...See attached photo for background before storm....

[coplani]

Another Photo....Taken front of Dunnottar House early 20 Century...see attached...

[Lass]

Wow Coplani, these are wonderful photos!!! What a treasure.

 It really looks like it was a beautiful place, such a shame, such a pity, that it's no longer there. 

[ev]

hi coplani 

nice photo

about 1900 

but why so glum 

ev

ps
looking at the photo again maybe i am being a bit harsh as a lot of photo's
of this age are the same

1905 - 1910 on reflection 

[coplani]

Yes,

It was a beautiful place...I also remember Fetteresso Castle and the grounds. which was owned laterly by a farmer called Jamed Farquahar...who farmed at "The Feathers", just outside Stonehaven..He was an uncle so I visited there many times.
However Fetteresso deteriorated after the previous owners removed the roof..again to save rates....and eventually only the shell remained...However Fetteresso was redeveloped and made into executive flats...

It is a shame that these 2 properties ended up derelict..They would have been magnificent properties had the owners survived the then economic climate...But that is life... nothing stays the same and times change...I think even more rapidly today.
There would have been many other properties/ estates that ended in the same way...

[JamieL]

Hi Lass

Charles McKay Forbes, who sold the house in 1900, was my great grandfather. My mother has the sale particulars at home, which have all the details of the house (albeit in Victorian estate agent speak!) and a few pictures. When I am at home over Christmas I will try to take some copies and post them.

If you could PM the picture you have at some point, I'd be very grateful.

IMJC - it's amazing to me to think that you actually lived there! I'm fascinated by the photos: I wonder if the earlier one has any of my relatives in it.

Best

Jamie

[Lass]

Hi Jaimie!

What a wonderful heritage you have!  I'd love to see anything you can find on the house, it's really grabbed me and I'm not sure why!!

PM on the way to you as requested.

I look forward to hearing more, so excited!

Lass