Symbister House is a former country house in Symbister, Whalsay island, in the Shetland islands of Scotland. It was built in 1823 by the Bruce family[1] who were lairds (landlords) of the island for about 300 years from the 16th century. Since 1964 it has been the Whalsay Secondary School, after it fell into disuse following the death of the last of the landlord occupants of the house in 1944. Built in an elegant Georgian architectural style, it is categorized officially as a category B Listed Building and heritage structure.[2][3][4]
Location of Symbister House Whalsay Secondary School in Shetland
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Symbister House (Scotland)
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Historyedit
The Bruce family who came to Whalsay in the 17th century owned the entire island. They owned the island for nearly 300 years. They employed local people to carry out fishing operations for commercial purposes. This remains part of the island's folklore.[5] Ghost stories are also narrated of this place, including that of an old sailor who was murdered for arguing with the gardener of the house during a game of cards.[6]
The Bruce family took up the ambitious project of building Symbister House in 1823 in a grand Georgian architectural style with brown coloured granite stones chiseled into square blocks. They employed local labour for the construction, yet it cost the huge sum of £30,000, as they brought quarried granite stones from the tidal affected area of North Nesting. The house, which was the largest building complex on the island of the time, is also known as New Haa. Local stories mention that the landlord who built it did not want ownership to pass to his son, with whom he had strained relationship. This resulted in hard times for the Bruce family who inherited the property. Even to maintain it they had to take on boarders in the 1920s and 30s. The last of the lairds died here in 1944. The building then remained vacant for some years and was subject to deterioration. It was only in 1963 that the local council took possession of the building and refurbished part of the complex into a school. After renovation, the school opened in 1964 as the Whalsay Junior High School.[3][4] It has been renovated in recent years by the council.[2]
The New Haa as originally built, had courtyards, a writing room, outbuildings, stables, byres, a farmhouse, a grinding mill (run by a water wheel of 16 ft diameter), a dovecote and a "high-rise", three-seater toilet outside. The local history group has plans to develop these buildings into a museum and a heritage complex. Water supply to the complex was from a reservoir.[4][7]
Referencesedit
^"Symbister House, a Georgian house". Getty Images. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
^ ab"Whalsay Community Council Area Statement" (pdf). Official Website of the Shetland Council, Government of UK. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
^ ab"Symbister House". British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Retrieved 2 February 2013.
^ abc"Welcome to Whalsay". The Official Website of Shetland Hamefarin 2010. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
^Anthony P. Cohen (1 December 1989). Whalsay: Symbol, Segment and Boundary in a Shetland Island Community. Manchester University Press. pp. 235–. ISBN978-0-7190-2340-8. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
^Marwick, Ernest W. (1975). The Folklore of Orkney and Shetland. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Incorporated. p. 96. ISBN978-0-87471-681-8. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
^"Symbister House and Harlsdale" (pdf). Whalsay Shetland.com. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
April 18, 2024
symbister, house, former, country, house, symbister, whalsay, island, shetland, islands, scotland, built, 1823, bruce, family, were, lairds, landlords, island, about, years, from, 16th, century, since, 1964, been, whalsay, secondary, school, after, fell, into,. Symbister House is a former country house in Symbister Whalsay island in the Shetland islands of Scotland It was built in 1823 by the Bruce family 1 who were lairds landlords of the island for about 300 years from the 16th century Since 1964 it has been the Whalsay Secondary School after it fell into disuse following the death of the last of the landlord occupants of the house in 1944 Built in an elegant Georgian architectural style it is categorized officially as a category B Listed Building and heritage structure 2 3 4 Symbister HouseWhalsay Secondary SchoolSymbister House in 2008LocationWhalsay Scotland United KingdomCoordinates60 20 20 N 1 1 13 W 60 33889 N 1 02028 W 60 33889 1 02028Built1823Architectural style s Georgian architectureListed Building Category BOfficial nameSymbister HouseLocation of Symbister HouseWhalsay Secondary School in ShetlandShow map of ShetlandSymbister House Scotland Show map of ScotlandHistory editThe Bruce family who came to Whalsay in the 17th century owned the entire island They owned the island for nearly 300 years They employed local people to carry out fishing operations for commercial purposes This remains part of the island s folklore 5 Ghost stories are also narrated of this place including that of an old sailor who was murdered for arguing with the gardener of the house during a game of cards 6 The Bruce family took up the ambitious project of building Symbister House in 1823 in a grand Georgian architectural style with brown coloured granite stones chiseled into square blocks They employed local labour for the construction yet it cost the huge sum of 30 000 as they brought quarried granite stones from the tidal affected area of North Nesting The house which was the largest building complex on the island of the time is also known as New Haa Local stories mention that the landlord who built it did not want ownership to pass to his son with whom he had strained relationship This resulted in hard times for the Bruce family who inherited the property Even to maintain it they had to take on boarders in the 1920s and 30s The last of the lairds died here in 1944 The building then remained vacant for some years and was subject to deterioration It was only in 1963 that the local council took possession of the building and refurbished part of the complex into a school After renovation the school opened in 1964 as the Whalsay Junior High School 3 4 It has been renovated in recent years by the council 2 The New Haa as originally built had courtyards a writing room outbuildings stables byres a farmhouse a grinding mill run by a water wheel of 16 ft diameter a dovecote and a high rise three seater toilet outside The local history group has plans to develop these buildings into a museum and a heritage complex Water supply to the complex was from a reservoir 4 7 References edit Symbister House a Georgian house Getty Images Retrieved 2 February 2013 a b Whalsay Community Council Area Statement pdf Official Website of the Shetland Council Government of UK Retrieved 2 February 2013 a b Symbister House British Broadcasting Corporation BBC Retrieved 2 February 2013 a b c Welcome to Whalsay The Official Website of Shetland Hamefarin 2010 Retrieved 2 February 2013 Anthony P Cohen 1 December 1989 Whalsay Symbol Segment and Boundary in a Shetland Island Community Manchester University Press pp 235 ISBN 978 0 7190 2340 8 Retrieved 3 January 2013 Marwick Ernest W 1975 The Folklore of Orkney and Shetland Rowman amp Littlefield Publishers Incorporated p 96 ISBN 978 0 87471 681 8 Retrieved 21 February 2013 Symbister House and Harlsdale pdf Whalsay Shetland com Retrieved 2 February 2013 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Symbister House amp oldid 932349381, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
