Grand Masters of Scotland - Onondaga and Oswego Masonic ...

At one time it had an added extension shown in some early 19th century drawings but this appears to have been demolished
sometime after 1836 making room for the construction of St Andrew's Episcopal Church which was completed in 1845. Around the
same time the lower part of the tower was converted into a family mausoleum though modern vandalism prompted the removal of
the incumbents to safer resting places. The church itself survived into the modern era but was finally demolished a few years ago.
In 1820-22 the 5th Earl of Dunmore commissioned the architect William Wilkins to build Dunmore Park, a magnificent mansion very
similar to Dalmeny House completed a few years previously. It was occupied by the family until their departure in 1911 and
remained as a private home until 1961. After a short spell as a girls school from then until 1964 it was abandoned. Although
substantial parts of the building were demolished much remains to remind us of its grandeur and of our criminal neglect of our
heritage.
Without doubt the building which has attracted most attention is
the Pineapple, a huge representation of the fruit placed above a
garden pavilion by John Murray sometime between 1761 (the
date which appears on the garden doorway below the fruit) and
1777 when the Earl returned from spells in America as Governor
of New York and Virginia colonies. He returned with much wealth
and more that a little vanity and the pineapple, a symbol in the
colonies of welcome, may have been his ostentatious celebration
of his return to his home. Pineapples were certainly grown here
and many of the great houses including Holyrood Palace were
among the recipients of what was then a rare delicacy! The
Pineapple was restored by the Landmark Trust in 1973 for the
National Trust of Scotland and is now a holiday home as well as a
much visited and photographed folly. The story of the Pineapple
is told elsewhere on this website
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