Undiscovered Scotland

 

There is something especially pleasing about a book that you know as you read it is going to be THE definitive starting point for anyone who wishes to know about its subject in the future. "Tyninghame: Landscapes and Lives" by Judy Riley is one of those amazing books that set out just about anything and everything anyone will ever need to know about the subject the author has chosen. In this case the subject is Tyninghame, a grand house near the coast a couple of miles west of Dunbar: and in particular the subject is the development and design of the landscape surrounding Tyninghame.

Tyninghame already had a long history by the time it was sold to the Earl of Haddington in the 17th century and the present house was built by the 9th Earl in 1829. In 1987 the contents of the house were sold, and the house was divided into flats. The foreword notes in passing that the author is one of those who has since taken up residence at Tyninghame and there is a strong sense in which this book comes over as a love letter to the place in which she lives. Judy Riley has a fascination for garden design and history and this has led her to become a landscape architect. There can be no one better qualified to tell the story of the landscapes at Tyninghame and her expertise and enthusiasm are amply in evidence throughout this delightful book.

The author says in her preface: "This is the story of the designs on the landscape at Tyninghame. To me, the most intriguing part of the landscape story has been the part played by a woman, Lady Helen Hope. It is her story, or rather the lack of it, which inspired the detective work that is the origin of this book... My interest was piqued by a simple question: who was Helen? I hope I have found some of the answers. In setting her Tyninghame story into context, it became impossible to ignore the deeper historical layers as well as the more recent ones... I have tried to bring the threads together to make a convincing story."

The book that has resulted is well organised and written. It is also beautifully illustrated, with modern colour photographs as well as with contemporary maps, prints, paintings and documents. It's a book we'd highly recommend to anyone with an interested in this beautiful corner of East Lothian.