Mavisbank House a good selection of photographs some never seen before exclusive for YouTube viewers Important Message: Please do not climb the fence it’s very dangerous this historic building is very fragile these photographs were taken to encourage you not to do this please respect this and view from a safe distance thanks. Information kindly provided by friends of Mavisbank House History: Design and construction Sir John Clerk’s father, the first Baronet of Penicuik, planned a house on the Mavisbank estate in the late 17th century, for which a drawing of 1698 survives. Sir John Clerk, 2nd Baronet (1676-1755) was a Member of the Parliament of Scotland, and, after the union of 1707, of the Parliament of Great Britain. He was also an artistic patron, a composer of music, and an amateur architect. In 1722, he inherited his father’s estates, and began planning the new house. Around this time, William Adam was engaged on his first major commission, the remodelling of Hopetoun House for the Earl of Hopetoun. Clerk and Adam collaborated on the design of Mavisbank, which was based on the 1698 proposal. Each claimed the greater part of the credit for the design. Clerk wrote in a letter that he designed the house “under the correction of Mr Adams, a talented architect”, while Adam credited the design to himself in his book, Vitruvius Scoticus. It is clear that Adam enjoyed an unusually close relationship with his client, despite their differences of opinion. Clerk certainly …