Walter Schomberg Hepburn Scott (1910–1998) was a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

architect specialising in building restoration. From 1950 to 1975, he did multiple projects for the National Trust of Scotland.

Life

He was born on 14 September 1910 at

Monteviot House Monteviot House is the early 18th century home of the Marquess of Lothian, the politician better known as Michael Ancram. It is located on the River Teviot near Jedburgh in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. History The house which sits ...

in the Scottish Borders near the estate of

Floors Castle Floors Castle, in Roxburghshire, south-east Scotland, is the seat of the Duke of Roxburghe. Despite its name it is an estate house rather than a fortress. It was built in the 1720s by the architect William Adam for John Ker, 1st Duke of Roxbur ...

, where his father, James Corpatrick Hepburn Scott, was Chamberlain to the 8th and 9th

Duke of Roxburghe The Duke of Roxburghe () is a title in the peerage of Scotland created in 1707 along with the titles ''Marquess of Bowmont and Cessford'', ''Earl of Kelso'' and ''Viscount Broxmouth''. John Ker, 5th Earl of Roxburghe became the first holder ...

. His father was second son of

Lord Polwarth Lord Polwarth, of Polwarth in the County of Berwick, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1690 for Sir Patrick Hume of Polwarth, 2nd Baronet, Lord Chancellor of Scotland from 1696 to 1702 (the baronetcy had been created in ...

and his mother Isobel Alice Adelaide Kerr was the daughter of the 7th

Marquess of Lothian Marquess of Lothian is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, which was created in 1701 for Robert Kerr, 1st Marquess of Lothian, Robert Kerr, 4th Earl of Lothian. The Marquess of Lothian holds the subsidiary peerages of Earl of Lothian (created ...

. Whilst not titled in his own right, Schomberg Scott was steeped both in aristocratic life and the country houses of Scotland from birth.Dictionary of Scottish Architects: Schomberg Scott He was privately educated at

Radley College Radley College, formally St Peter's College, Radley or the College of St. Peter at Radley, is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (independent boarding school) for boys near the village of Radley, in Oxfordshire, in the United Kingd ...

then returned to Scotland to study architecture at

Edinburgh College of Art Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) is one of eleven schools in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. Tracing its history back to 1760, it provides higher education in art and design, architecture, histor ...

. In 1934/5, he then went to work under Edinburgh architect

Reginald Fairlie Reginald Francis Joseph Fairlie LLD (7 March 1883 – 27 October 1952) was a Scottish architect. He served as a commissioner of RCAHMS and on the Ancient Monuments Board for Scotland. Life see Born at Kincaple, Fife, he was the son of J. Ogi ...

at 7 Ainslie Place. In 1935/6, he did an extensive tour of Europe to study architecture. On return he obtained a position in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

working for the architect Darcy Braddell. In 1937, he returned to Edinburgh to work for Orphoot, Whiting and Lindsay, but living some distance away at Broomlands House in Kelso. After a short period back in London working with

Edward Maufe Sir Edward Brantwood Maufe, RA, FRIBA (12 December 1882 – 12 December 1974) was an English architect and designer. He built private homes as well as commercial and institutional buildings, and is remembered chiefly for his work on place ...

. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

he served as a Captain in the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is the engineering arm of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces ...

in India, there designing a chapel in

Simla Shimla, also known as Simla (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Himachal Pradesh, the official name until 1972), is the capital and the largest city of the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summe ...

. After the war he became associated with the

National Trust for Scotland The National Trust for Scotland () is a Scottish Building preservation and conservation trusts in the UK, conservation organisation. It is the largest membership organisation in Scotland and describes itself as "the charity that cares for, sha ...

, his first major project being at

Culzean Castle Culzean Castle ( , see yogh; ) is a castle overlooking the Firth of Clyde, near Maybole, Carrick, in South Ayrshire, on the west coast of Scotland. It is the former home of the Marquess of Ailsa, the chief of Clan Kennedy, but is now owned by ...

. The Trust had been formed in 1931 but had been relatively stagnant during the

due to lack of finance. Around 1950, he set up his own office in Edinburgh's West End and in 1952 became a partner in the firm of Ian Lindsay & Partners. However his interests in the National Trust were too dominant and he left around 1954. In the same year, he purchased

Northfield House, East Lothian Northfield House is a seventeenth-century historic house at Preston, East Lothian, Scotland, UK. It is situated very close to Hamilton House and Preston Tower, and one mile east to Prestongrange House and the Royal Musselburgh Golf Club. It i ...

(near

Prestonpans Prestonpans ( , Scots: ''The Pans'') is a mining town, situated approximately eight miles east of Edinburgh, Scotland, in the council area of East Lothian. The population as of is . It is near the site of the 1745 Battle of Prestonpans (first ...

) through contacts at the National Trust and restored it as is own home. He retired in 1975, after his restoration of

Robert Adam Robert Adam (3 July 17283 March 1792) was a British neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam (architect), William Adam (1689–1748), Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and train ...

's Georgian House for the National Trust on

Charlotte Square file:Charlotte Square - geograph.org.uk - 105918.jpg, 300px, Robert Adam's palace-fronted north side Charlotte Square is a garden square in Edinburgh, Scotland, part of the New Town, Edinburgh, New Town, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site ...

in Edinburgh. Scott died in the Victoria Manor Nursing Home in Edinburgh on 11 February 1998.Obituary in The Independent (newspaper), 27 March 1998

Restoration projects

Mellerstain House Mellerstain House is a Scottish Estate houses in Scotland, country house around north of Kelso, Scottish Borders, Kelso in the Scottish Borders, Borders, Scotland. It is currently the home of George Baillie-Hamilton, 14th Earl of Haddington, a ...

Abbotsford House Abbotsford is a historic country house in the Scottish Borders, near Galashiels, on the south bank of the River Tweed. Now open to the public, it was built as the residence of historical novelist and poet Sir Walter Scott between 1817 and 1825 ...

Drumlanrig Castle Drumlanrig Castle is situated on the Queensberry Estate in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. The category A listed castle is the Dumfriesshire home of the Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry. As of September 2023, the castle itself is open to t ...

Monzie Castle Monzie Castle is a castellated mansion, near Monzie in Perth and Kinross, Scotland that incorporates an L-plan castle, L-plan, early 17th-century building that was enlarged in 1797–1800. It is a category A listed building. The current house ...

* Winton House *

Hamilton House, East Lothian Hamilton House, also known as Magdalen's House, is a 17th-century "Laird's House" in the town of Prestonpans in East Lothian, Scotland. It is an exemplar of this type of architecture and has retained its crow-stepped gables and corner towers. It i ...

(c.1938) *

Lennoxlove House Lennoxlove House is a historic house set in woodlands half a mile south of Haddington in East Lothian, Scotland. The house comprises a 15th-century tower, originally known as Lethington Castle, and has been extended several times, principally i ...

Stobo Castle Stobo Castle is located at Stobo in the Scottish Borders, in the Counties of Scotland, former county of Peeblesshire. The building of the present castle began in 1805 and was completed in 1811 under the supervision of architects Archibald Ellio ...

* Cleish Castle * Pilmuir House * Balmuto *

for NTS (1946-1950) *

(1954) *

Airlie Castle Airlie Castle is a mansion house in the parish of Airlie, Angus, near the junction of the Isla and Melgund rivers, 9 kilometres west of Kirriemuir, Angus, Scotland. A castle was built on the site in c. 1432 and was burnt out in 1640, with a mans ...

(1956) *

Falkland Palace Falkland Palace, in Falkland, Fife, Scotland, is a royal palace of the Scottish kings. It was one of the favourite places of Mary, Queen of Scots, who took refuge there from political and religious turmoil of her times. Today it is under th ...

(1956) for NTS * Elshieshields Tower (1957) - extension *

Gordon Castle Gordon Castle is a country house located near Fochabers in the parish of Bellie in Moray, Scotland. It was the principal seat of the Dukes of Gordon and was originally called Bog-of-Gight. The six-storey medieval tower dates from 1498 and in th ...

(1960) *

Menstrie Castle Menstrie Castle is a three-storey manor house in the town of Menstrie, Clackmannanshire, near Stirling, central Scotland. From the early 17th century, it was home to Sir William Alexander, 1st Earl of Stirling, who was instrumental in founding t ...

(1961) restoration and conversion to flats *

Insch Insch () is a village in the Garioch, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is located approximately from the city of Aberdeen. History Insch is home to the Picts, Pictish Picardy Stone which is one of the oldest Pictish stone, Pictish symbol stones ...

Parish Church (1963) *

Inverewe Garden Inverewe Garden is a botanical garden in Wester Ross in the Scottish Highlands. It is located just to the north of Poolewe in Wester Ross, and is noted for the breadth of its collection. The garden was created from barren land in 1862 by Os ...

visitor centre (1963) *

Crathes Castle Crathes Castle (pronounced ) is a castle, built in the 16th century, near Banchory in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is in the historic county of Kincardineshire. This harled castle was built by the Burnetts of Leys and was owned by the family for ...

new wing after fire and visitor centre (1967) *

House of Pitmuies A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condit ...

(1968) including conservatory *Pan Ha's housing,

Kirkcaldy Kirkcaldy ( ; ; ) is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It is about north of Edinburgh and south-southwest of Dundee. The town had a recorded population of 49,460 in 2011, making it Fife's second-largest s ...

(1968) * Haddington House (1969) rebuilding as a collegiate centre *

Pitmedden Pitmedden is a rural village in the parish of Udny, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, situated midway between Ellon and Oldmeldrum, and approximately distant from Aberdeen. In addition to local shops, primary school, church, village hall and parks, t ...

House in Udny, Aberdeenshire (1972) *

Dalkeith Palace Dalkeith Palace is a country house in Dalkeith, Midlothian, Scotland. It was the seat of the Duke of Buccleuch, Dukes of Buccleuch from 1642 until 1914, and is owned by the Buccleuch Living Heritage Trust. The present palace was built 1701–1711 ...

(1973) *

The Georgian House The Georgian House is a British children's historical fantasy television series produced by HTV in Bristol and first screened on ITV (TV network), ITV in 1976. The series consisted of seven episodes. Plot The story concerned two students, ...

, 7

(1975)

New build projects

*Chapel in

(1944) * Dupplin House (1970–76) *

(1961–63) *Membland, Haddington (1966) *Gannochy Lodge,

Edzell Edzell (; ; ) is a village in Angus, Scotland. It is 5 miles (8 km) north of Brechin, by the River North Esk. Edzell is a Georgian-era planned town, with a broad main street and a grid system of side streets. Originally called Slateford, ...

(1973) *St Matthews Church,

Barrow-in-Furness Barrow-in-Furness is a port town and civil parish (as just "Barrow") in the Westmorland and Furness district of Cumbria, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the county of Lancashire, it was incorporated as a municipal borou ...

(1967)

Publications

(1975) *Let's Look at Scottish Castles and Houses *

*Leith Hall in the Heritage of Scotland

Family

In February 1945 he married Deborah Howard a descendent of the Howards of

Castle Howard Castle Howard is an English country house in Henderskelfe, North Yorkshire, north of York. A private residence, it has been the home of the Earl of Carlisle, Carlisle branch of the House of Howard, Howard family for more than 300 years. Castle ...

. He had proposed by telegram from Suez during the war.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scott, Walter Schomberg Hepburn 1910 births 1998 deaths Scottish architects People educated at Radley College