Paxton House and Country Park

In a frame that hangs on the wall of the Morning Room there is a tiny pair of white gloves that once belonged to Sophie de Brandt, a Lady-in-Waiting to the wife of Frederick the Great of Prussia. These gloves were given as a token of undying affection to a Scottish gentleman, Patrick Home, who was a guest at the Royal Court.

The young man returned to Scotland to build a house in the most fashionable style for his intended wife. Sadly, the union was never to be and the heartbroken Patrick sold the completed shell to his nephew, Ninian Home, who was responsible for its decoration and furnishings. Indeed, the house has been kept within the same family throughout its existence.

Paxton House, completed in 1763, is a neo-Palladian masterpiece designed by the architect John Adam, assisted by James Adam, brothers of the perhaps more famous Robert Adam, who would later be commissioned to decorate part of the interior. The house was extended in the early nineteenth century by the Edinburgh architect Robert Reid, who added a library and magnificent picture gallery.

The house sits on elevated ground overlooking the River Tweed, and is set amidst eighty acres of garden and parkland, a haven for birds and animals.

The interior of the house boasts original plasterwork, wallpapers and magnificent furniture by Chippendale and William Trotter, still in their original room settings. In addition, there are paintings by Reynolds, Raeburn, Naysmith and others, as well as pictures, books, costumes and antiques collected during the Grand Tour undertaken by Patrick Home.

The Picture Gallery also houses a collection of over seventy paintings dating from the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, which have been loaned by the National Galleries of Scotland. Visitors to the house will also have the opportunity to view the recently restored Georgian kitchen, where occasional cookery demonstrations are staged.