History

Brief History of Bavelaw.

 

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Scottish heritage

Bavelaw Estate has an important Scottish heritage, both Mary Queen of Scots (1542-1587) and James VI (1566-1625) stayed at Bavelaw and used the estate as a royal hunting lodge.

At the centre of the estate is Bavelaw Castle, which dates back to the 15th Century.

The geology of the estate is equally as fascinating, shaped by volcanic mounds and glacial meltwaters, reformed sandstones together with some conglomerates, all of Devonian age and assigned to the Old Red Sandstone.

Within the sedimentary sequence are extrusive igneous rocks, principally of basaltic and andesitic composition. The sedimentary rocks are also intruded by dykes of porphyrite.

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Estate, PLMA and PHRP

The lands of Bavelaw Estate date back to the 13th Century when it formed part of the King’s Hunting Moor of Pentland and was first held by Henry de Brade, Knight and Sheriff of Edinburgh during the reign of William the Lion.

The estate is now made up of Bavelaw, Listonshiels and Fairliehope, and forms a significant part of the moorland habitat of the Pentland Hills.

The lands of Bavelaw and Listonshiels sit in the - Pentland Hill Regional Park (PHRP), being designated in 1986. With funding restrictions, it now has made it essential that we progress the required improvements, benefitting access and wildlife.

Fairliehope is outside the PHRP and is the northernmost part of the Scottish Borders.

The estate is a founder partner of the - Pentland Land Managers Association (PLMA). The PLMA was set up to give land mangers a voice in the The City of Edinburgh PHRP Committee and support the PHRP and local community

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Present day

Bavelaw Estate is a family home, and belongs to, and is managed by the Douglas Miller family, previous owners of the Oldest Independent Scottish department store - Jenners of Edinburgh (1838-2005).

The management of the estate is supported by a professional management team, the Lawrence Gould Partnership, investing in the long term future of the lands and property, fit for future generations.


 

Landscapes formed by glacial meltwaters