| Revision as of 16:45, 11 April 2023 editFinlay McWalter (talk | contribs)Administrators76,301 edits →External links: per its documentation, commonscat goes at the top of the last section← Previous edit | Latest revision as of 21:37, 1 January 2025 edit undoDave souza (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Administrators48,760 edits →History: source says Major planting of forest trees is known to have been carried out in c.1820 by Ross Wilson | ||
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| {{Use British English|date=January 2017}} | {{Use British English|date=January 2017}} | ||
| {{Infobox UK place | {{Infobox UK place | ||
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| official_name = Benmore Botanic Garden | ||
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| static_image_caption = The avenue of giant sequoias at Benmore Botanic Gardens | ||
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| | constituency_westminster = Argyll and Bute | |||
| | constituency_scottish_parliament = Argyll and Bute | | constituency_scottish_parliament = Argyll and Bute | ||
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| post_town = DUNOON, ARGYLL | ||
| | postcode_area |
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| postcode_district = PA23 | ||
| | dial_code |
| dial_code = 01369 | ||
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| '''Benmore Botanic Garden''' (formerly known as the '''Younger Botanic Garden''') is a large ] situated in Strath Eachaig at the foot of ], |
'''Benmore Botanic Garden''' (formerly known as the '''Younger Botanic Garden''') is a large ] situated in Strath Eachaig at the foot of ], on the ], in ], west of Scotland. The gardens are on the west side of the ] from ], between the ] and ], and include footbridges across the ]. It is one of the sites of ]. | ||
| Features include |
Features include an avenue of ] planted in 1863, large square walled gardens, a waterfall, a ], ponds and walks up the hillside to viewpoints over the ]. The garden is located within the ], which forms part of the ]. | ||
| ==History== | ==History== | ||
| Most of ], originally ] territory, was taken over by ], including lands in Strath Echaig shortly after 1400.<ref name="scotlandmag1">{{cite web |url=http://www.scotlandmag.com/magazine/issue41/12008895.html |title=The Clan Lamont : Scotland Magazine Issue 41 |publisher=Scotlandmag.com |date= |
Most of ], originally ] territory, was taken over by ], including lands in Strath Echaig shortly after 1400.<ref name="scotlandmag1">{{cite web |url=http://www.scotlandmag.com/magazine/issue41/12008895.html |title=The Clan Lamont : Scotland Magazine Issue 41 |publisher=Scotlandmag.com |date=17 October 2008 |access-date=4 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130121190216/http://www.scotlandmag.com/magazine/issue41/12008895.html |archive-date=21 January 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> | ||
| The area once called "Innasraugh", meaning "the sheltered valley", was part of the hunting grounds of the ], belonging to the ]. It was reached by a ford across the ] at Uig, near modern Eckford house.<ref name="Benmore Centre history" /><ref name="HES GDL00056">{{Historic Environment Scotland|num=GDL00056 |desc=Benmore (Younger Botanic Garden)|access-date=6 March 2019}}</ref> | The area once called "Innasraugh", meaning "the sheltered valley", was part of the hunting grounds of the ], belonging to the ]. It was reached by a ford across the ] at Uig, near modern Eckford house.<ref name="Benmore Centre history" /><ref name="HES GDL00056">{{Historic Environment Scotland |num=GDL00056 |desc=Benmore (Younger Botanic Garden) |access-date=6 March 2019}}</ref> | ||
| Around 1820, Ross Wilson introduced tree planting with the first known ] plantation of forest trees in |
Around 1820, Ross Wilson introduced tree planting with the first known ] plantation of forest trees in Cowal.<ref name="HES GDL00056" /> In 1849 the ] was bought by ], a wealthy sugar planter and ] who had emigrated from ] (near Dunoon) 48 years earlier. He arranged replacement of the previous ] with the larger Benmore House, but died in 1850, a year before the house was completed. His nephew ] inherited the estate, but then sold it and it went to various other owners in succession.<ref name="Benmore Centre history">{{cite web |title=Of Interest |website=Benmore Centre for Outdoor Learning, Dunoon Argyll, Scotland, UK |url=https://www.benmorecentre.co.uk/about/of-interest |access-date=21 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140410170711/https://www.benmorecentre.co.uk/about/of-interest |archive-date=10 April 2014}}</ref><ref name="Lamont Slave-ownership">{{cite web |last=Lamont |first=John |title=Summary of Individual |website=Legacies of British Slave-ownership |date=21 March 2017 |url=https://www.ucl.ac.uk/lbs/person/view/28141 |access-date=21 March 2017}}</ref> | ||
| Benmore Estate was bought in 1862 by James Piers Patrick, a wealthy American who carried out extensive work to Benmore House, including construction of the tower,<ref name="Benmore Centre history" /> designed in the ] by the architect ].<ref name="HES GDL00056" /> He developed the garden, and in 1863 planted the Redwood Avenue of ].<ref name="Undiscovered Scotland">{{cite web | |
Benmore Estate was bought in 1862 by James Piers Patrick, a wealthy American who carried out extensive work to Benmore House, including construction of the tower,<ref name="Benmore Centre history" /> designed in the ] by the architect ].<ref name="HES GDL00056" /> He developed the garden, and in 1863 planted the Redwood Avenue of ].<ref name="Undiscovered Scotland">{{cite web |title=Benmore Botanic Garden Feature Page on Undiscovered Scotland |date=1 July 1987 |website=Undiscovered Scotland |url=http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/dunoon/benmore/index.html |access-date=21 February 2017}}</ref> | ||
| In 1870 the Greenock sugar refiner and philanthropist ] bought Benmore Estate, which he extended to include the adjacent ] and ]s.<ref name="HES GDL00056" /><ref> | In 1870 the ] sugar refiner and philanthropist ] bought Benmore Estate, which he extended to include the adjacent ] and ]s.<ref name="HES GDL00056" /><ref> | ||
| {{cite book |last=McDonald Watson |
{{cite book |last=McDonald Watson |first=Andrew |date=5 July 2010 |title=James Duncan: An Enlightened Victorian |location=Scotland |publisher=] |isbn=978-1906129330}}</ref> He arranged extensive plantings in the grounds, including more than six million trees around the estate, and added paths leading up a ravine {{convert|1|km|mi|frac=8|abbr=off|spell=in}} to the south on the east side of the road, making ] a scenic attraction. He extended the east wing of the house with a gallery to house his major collection of paintings: during the summers of 1881 and 1882, these were seen by more than 8,000 visitors. In 1889 he had to sell his assets, including Benmore.<ref name="Benmore Centre history" /><ref name="Forestry Commission Puck's Glen">{{cite web |title=Puck's Glen |website=Forestry Commission Scotland |url=http://scotland.forestry.gov.uk/forest-parks/argyll-forest-park/pucks-glen |access-date=24 February 2017}}</ref> | ||
| Henry Younger of the Edinburgh brewer ] bought the estate in 1889, and with his son Harry George Younger made many improvements to the woods and gardens, with 40 staff employed to carry out maintenance.<ref name="Undiscovered Scotland" /> They introduced many exotic shrubs and trees, and also demolished the gallery and conservatory at the house. In 1924 Harry George Younger gifted the estate to the nation for science and education purposes: the ] took over most of the woodlands.<ref name="Shanan">{{cite book|author1=Shanan |
Henry Younger of the Edinburgh brewer ] bought the estate in 1889, and with his son Harry George Younger made many improvements to the woods and gardens, with 40 staff employed to carry out maintenance.<ref name="Undiscovered Scotland" /> They introduced many exotic shrubs and trees, and also demolished the gallery and conservatory at the house. In 1924 Harry George Younger gifted the estate to the nation for science and education purposes: the ] took over most of the woodlands.<ref name="Shanan">{{cite book |author1=Shanan He |author2=Zuoshuang Zhang |author3=Yin Gu |author4=Bing Xia, Ruizhi Chu, Hong Yu |title=Phytohortology |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TIETEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA438|date=18 January 2021 |publisher=EDP sciences |isbn=978-2-7598-2531-8 |page=438}}</ref> | ||
| In commemoration of the improvements James Duncan had made to the estate, Younger provided a hut high on the hillside above the gorge of Puck's Glen, to a special design by Sir ], and "Puck's Hut" was dedicated to the memory of the botanist Sir ].<ref name="HES GDL00056" /><ref name="HES LB6437">{{Historic Environment Scotland|num=LB6437 |desc=Benmore Botanic Garden, Bayley Balfour Memorial Hut, Puck's Hut|access-date=6 March 2019}}</ref> | In commemoration of the improvements James Duncan had made to the estate, Younger provided a hut high on the hillside above the gorge of Puck's Glen, to a special design by Sir ], and "Puck's Hut" was dedicated to the memory of the botanist Sir ].<ref name="HES GDL00056" /><ref name="HES LB6437">{{Historic Environment Scotland |num=LB6437 |desc=Benmore Botanic Garden, Bayley Balfour Memorial Hut, Puck's Hut |access-date=6 March 2019}}</ref> | ||
| The ] (RBGE) was looking for a place to take the large collection of plants which the botanist ] had brought from China, and the high rainfall at Benmore was ideal. In 1929 the Younger Botanic Gardens were opened as the first outstation of the RBGE.<ref name="Undiscovered Scotland" /> In the 1930s the Forestry Commission established ], to try out tree species in the humid climate conditions, planting large groups of trees rather than individual specimens.<ref name="National Tree Collections of Scotland Kilmun">{{cite web | |
The ] (RBGE) was looking for a place to take the large collection of plants which the botanist ] had brought from China, and the high rainfall at Benmore was ideal. In 1929 the Younger Botanic Gardens were opened as the first outstation of the RBGE.<ref name="Undiscovered Scotland" /> In the 1930s, the Forestry Commission established ], to try out tree species in the humid climate conditions, planting large groups of trees rather than individual specimens.<ref name="National Tree Collections of Scotland Kilmun">{{cite web |title=Kilmun Arboretum & Puck's Glen |website=National Tree Collections of Scotland |url=http://www.ntcs.org.uk/collections/4_kilmun-arboretum--pucks-glen |access-date=21 February 2017}}</ref> Benmore House was used by the Forestry Commission for apprentice training, then in 1965 ] took it over as a schools outdoor education centre.<ref name="Benmore Centre history" /> | ||
| In the winds brought by ] in September 2018, four large trees at the |
In the winds brought by ] in September 2018, four large trees at the garden were felled.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rbge.org.uk/news/articles/help-to-repair-the-extensive-damage-caused-by-storm-ali/ |title=Help to repair the extensive damage caused by Storm Ali |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=24 September 2018 |website=rbge.org.uk |publisher=Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh |access-date=13 March 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=<!--not stated--> |date=20 September 2018 |title=Logan Botanic Garden suffers 'sad day' with Storm Ali |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-45589511?intlink_from_url=https://www.bbc.com/news/topics/c0294rrpkd4t/storm-ali&link_location=live-reporting-story |work=BBC News |location=South Scotland |access-date=13 March 2024}}</ref> | ||
| ==Features== | ==Features== | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| Benmore is a satellite garden under the management of the |
Benmore is a satellite garden under the management of the RBGE, as is its sister garden ]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rbge.org.uk/the-gardens/logan |title=Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh - Logan Botanic Garden |publisher=Rbge.org.uk |date=8 March 2016 |access-date=16 January 2017}}</ref> and ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rbge.org.uk/the-gardens/dawyck |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160421051835/http://www.rbge.org.uk/the-gardens/dawyck |url-status=dead |archive-date=21 April 2016 |title=Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh - Dawyck Botanic Garden |publisher=Rbge.org.uk |date=6 April 2016 |access-date=16 January 2017}}</ref> | ||
| The Fernery, constructed in the early 1870s, fell into ruin after James Duncan lost his fortune. In 1992, ] designated the fernery a category B ], describing it as "a rare structure and important as an integral part of the gardens at Benmore". It has since been restored, and re-opened to the public in September 2009.<ref>{{cite web |first=Mary |
The Fernery, constructed in the early 1870s, fell into ruin after James Duncan lost his fortune. In 1992, ] designated the ] a category B ], describing it as "a rare structure and important as an integral part of the gardens at Benmore". It has since been restored, and re-opened to the public in September 2009.<ref>{{cite web |first=Mary |last=Gibby|author-link=Mary Gibby|url=http://www.buildingconservation.com/articles/benmore-fernery/benmore-fernery.htm |title=The Benmore Fernery |year=2013 |website=buildingconservation.com |access-date=4 January 2014}}</ref> | ||
| Benmore Outdoor Centre, in the former Benmore House, is an outdoor training centre for school groups, and for other organisations and family groups. It is managed by the Children and Families Department of the ].<ref name="Benmore Centre">{{cite web | |
Benmore Outdoor Centre, in the former Benmore House, is an outdoor training centre for school groups, and for other organisations and family groups. It is managed by the Children and Families Department of the ].<ref name="Benmore Centre">{{cite web |title=Looking For An Outdoor Adventure? |website=Benmore Centre for Outdoor Learning, Dunoon Argyll, Scotland, UK |url=https://www.benmorecentre.co.uk |access-date=21 February 2017}}</ref> The native red squirrel can be found in the garden. | ||
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
Latest revision as of 21:37, 1 January 2025
Botanical garden in Argyll and Bute, ScotlandHuman settlement in Scotland
| Benmore Botanic Garden | |
|---|---|
 The avenue of giant sequoias at Benmore Botanic Gardens | |
  Benmore Botanic GardenLocation within Argyll and Bute | |
| OS grid reference | NS 14319 85507 |
| Council area |
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| Lieutenancy area |
|
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | DUNOON, ARGYLL |
| Postcode district | PA23 |
| Dialling code | 01369 |
| UK Parliament |
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| Scottish Parliament |
|
| Website | www |
| 56°01′35″N 04°58′52″W / 56.02639°N 4.98111°W / 56.02639; -4.98111 | |
Benmore Botanic Garden (formerly known as the Younger Botanic Garden) is a large botanical garden situated in Strath Eachaig at the foot of Beinn Mhòr, on the Cowal Peninsula, in Argyll and Bute, west of Scotland. The gardens are on the west side of the A815 road from Dunoon, between the Holy Loch and Loch Eck, and include footbridges across the River Eachaig. It is one of the sites of Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.
Features include an avenue of giant sequoias planted in 1863, large square walled gardens, a waterfall, a fernery, ponds and walks up the hillside to viewpoints over the Holy Loch. The garden is located within the Argyll Forest Park, which forms part of the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.
History
Most of Cowal, originally Clan Lamont territory, was taken over by Clan Campbell, including lands in Strath Echaig shortly after 1400. The area once called "Innasraugh", meaning "the sheltered valley", was part of the hunting grounds of the Dukes of Argyll, belonging to the Campbells of Ballochyle. It was reached by a ford across the River Eachaig at Uig, near modern Eckford house.
Around 1820, Ross Wilson introduced tree planting with the first known coniferous plantation of forest trees in Cowal. In 1849 the estate was bought by John Lamont, a wealthy sugar planter and slaveowner in Trinidad who had emigrated from Toward (near Dunoon) 48 years earlier. He arranged replacement of the previous manor house with the larger Benmore House, but died in 1850, a year before the house was completed. His nephew James Lamont inherited the estate, but then sold it and it went to various other owners in succession.
Benmore Estate was bought in 1862 by James Piers Patrick, a wealthy American who carried out extensive work to Benmore House, including construction of the tower, designed in the Scottish baronial style by the architect Charles Wilson. He developed the garden, and in 1863 planted the Redwood Avenue of Giant Sequoias.
In 1870 the Greenock sugar refiner and philanthropist James Duncan bought Benmore Estate, which he extended to include the adjacent Kilmun and Bernice Estates. He arranged extensive plantings in the grounds, including more than six million trees around the estate, and added paths leading up a ravine one kilometre (5⁄8 mile) to the south on the east side of the road, making Puck's Glen a scenic attraction. He extended the east wing of the house with a gallery to house his major collection of paintings: during the summers of 1881 and 1882, these were seen by more than 8,000 visitors. In 1889 he had to sell his assets, including Benmore.
Henry Younger of the Edinburgh brewer Younger's bought the estate in 1889, and with his son Harry George Younger made many improvements to the woods and gardens, with 40 staff employed to carry out maintenance. They introduced many exotic shrubs and trees, and also demolished the gallery and conservatory at the house. In 1924 Harry George Younger gifted the estate to the nation for science and education purposes: the Forestry Commission took over most of the woodlands.
In commemoration of the improvements James Duncan had made to the estate, Younger provided a hut high on the hillside above the gorge of Puck's Glen, to a special design by Sir Robert Lorimer, and "Puck's Hut" was dedicated to the memory of the botanist Sir Isaac Bayley Balfour.
The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) was looking for a place to take the large collection of plants which the botanist George Forrest had brought from China, and the high rainfall at Benmore was ideal. In 1929 the Younger Botanic Gardens were opened as the first outstation of the RBGE. In the 1930s, the Forestry Commission established Kilmun Arboretum, to try out tree species in the humid climate conditions, planting large groups of trees rather than individual specimens. Benmore House was used by the Forestry Commission for apprentice training, then in 1965 Edinburgh Corporation took it over as a schools outdoor education centre.
In the winds brought by Storm Ali in September 2018, four large trees at the garden were felled.
Features
.jpg)
Benmore is a satellite garden under the management of the RBGE, as is its sister garden Logan Botanic Garden and Dawyck Botanic Garden.
The Fernery, constructed in the early 1870s, fell into ruin after James Duncan lost his fortune. In 1992, Historic Scotland designated the fernery a category B listed building, describing it as "a rare structure and important as an integral part of the gardens at Benmore". It has since been restored, and re-opened to the public in September 2009.
Benmore Outdoor Centre, in the former Benmore House, is an outdoor training centre for school groups, and for other organisations and family groups. It is managed by the Children and Families Department of the City of Edinburgh Council. The native red squirrel can be found in the garden.
See also
Other Royal Botanic of Edinburgh Gardens:
Gallery
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Benmore forest
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Puck's Glen ravine, in winter
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Glenbranter
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View of the fernery
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Benmore Botanic Garden
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Rhododendron in bloom
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Sundial in the Formal Gardens
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Rhododendron 'James Barto' at Benmore Botanic Garden
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The refurbished fernery
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References
- "The Clan Lamont : Scotland Magazine Issue 41". Scotlandmag.com. 17 October 2008. Archived from the original on 21 January 2013. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
- ^ "Of Interest". Benmore Centre for Outdoor Learning, Dunoon Argyll, Scotland, UK. Archived from the original on 10 April 2014. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
- ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "Benmore (Younger Botanic Garden) (GDL00056)". Retrieved 6 March 2019.
- Lamont, John (21 March 2017). "Summary of Individual". Legacies of British Slave-ownership. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
- ^ "Benmore Botanic Garden Feature Page on Undiscovered Scotland". Undiscovered Scotland. 1 July 1987. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
- McDonald Watson, Andrew (5 July 2010). James Duncan: An Enlightened Victorian. Scotland: Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. ISBN 978-1906129330.
- "Puck's Glen". Forestry Commission Scotland. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
- Shanan He; Zuoshuang Zhang; Yin Gu; Bing Xia, Ruizhi Chu, Hong Yu (18 January 2021). Phytohortology. EDP sciences. p. 438. ISBN 978-2-7598-2531-8.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Historic Environment Scotland. "Benmore Botanic Garden, Bayley Balfour Memorial Hut, Puck's Hut (LB6437)". Retrieved 6 March 2019.
- "Kilmun Arboretum & Puck's Glen". National Tree Collections of Scotland. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
- "Help to repair the extensive damage caused by Storm Ali". rbge.org.uk. Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. 24 September 2018. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
- "Logan Botanic Garden suffers 'sad day' with Storm Ali". BBC News. South Scotland. 20 September 2018. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
- "Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh - Logan Botanic Garden". Rbge.org.uk. 8 March 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
- "Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh - Dawyck Botanic Garden". Rbge.org.uk. 6 April 2016. Archived from the original on 21 April 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
- Gibby, Mary (2013). "The Benmore Fernery". buildingconservation.com. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
- "Looking For An Outdoor Adventure?". Benmore Centre for Outdoor Learning, Dunoon Argyll, Scotland, UK. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
- Cole, Donna (2020). Benmore Guidebook. Edinburgh, Scotland: Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. ISBN 978-1-910877-36-4.
External links
- Map sources for Benmore Botanic Garden
- Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh - website
- Benmore Botanic Garden - website
- Images and some highlights of Benmore Botanic Garden - Monumental Trees - website
