SUPPLEMENT  TO  THE  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE,  MARCH  IS.  1903. 
Ibopetoun  IDouee,  Soutb  filuccitsferr^. 
HEN  the  author  of  the  “  Encyclopaedia  of  Garden¬ 
ing  ”  compiled  that  work  in  1824,  he  mentioned 
only  three  estates  of  fame  in  Linlithgowshire, 
and  one  of  these  was  Hopetoun  House.  Loudon  stated  that 
this  was  “  One  of  the  most  stately  and  imposing  mansions 
in  Scotland,  in  the  Grecian  style,  standing  on  a  lawn  a  mile 
in  length,  washed  by  the  Forth,  and  surrounded  bv  exten¬ 
sive  woods  and  plantations.”  What  was  true  eighty  years 
ago  stands  good  to-day.  Everyone  has  listened  to,  or  read 
praises  of  the  “  winding  links  of  Forth,”  the  greatest  of  the 
East  of  Scotland  rivers,  and  Hopetoun  House  commands 
the  most  magnificent  views  upon  the  enchantingly  beautiful 
Firth  of  that  river.  It  is  true  that  the  eighth  wonder  of  the 
\vorld,  the  gigantic  Forth  Bridge,  has,  since  its  erection,  con¬ 
siderably  obscured  the  numerous  isles  and  coast  towns 
which  form  the  features  of  the  distant  perspective  ;  but 
there  is  a  consoling  factor  in  the  thought  that  what  in  this 
instance  constitutes  an  outrage  on  aesthetics  is  a  nation’s 
gain  industrially. 
Hopetoun  House  lies  westward  from  Edinburgh,  about 
twelve  miles,  in  the  same  county  as  Lord  Rosebery’s 
Dalmeny  residence,  and  it  is  from  Dalmeny  station  that  the 
visitor  to  Hopetoun  proceeds,  walking  for  choice  by  the  side 
of  the  Firth.  Coaches  ply  in  quick  succession  from  Edin¬ 
burgh  to  South  Queensferry  throughout  the  summer,  or  a 
voyage  by  the  Galloway’s  excursion  steamers  from  Leith 
may  be  made.  These  are  largely  patronised.  And  the 
latter  is  perhaps  the  most  pleasant  way  to  reach  Queens¬ 
ferry,  for  it  throws  open  to  inspection,  so  far  as  they  can 
be  seen,  the  villages  and  towns  on  the  Fifeshire,  as  well  as 
the  southern  coast.  The  Ochil  Hills  of  Fife  and  Clack¬ 
mannan  lie  back  over  the  Forth  to  northward,  and  the  great 
sweep  of  the  western  Grampians  appear  beyond  Stirling, 
denoting  by  their  peaks  the  region  of  this  Central  Highland 
Range.  The  river  journey  could  be  continued  to  Stirling, 
for  the  Forth  is  navigable,  like  the  Tliames  up  to  Oxford. 
An  Antique  Township. 
South  Queensferry  nestles  by  the  southern  end  of  the 
Forth  Bridge,  and  is  a  quaint  little  borouarh,  but  uncom¬ 
monly  historical  for  its  size.  It  takes  both  its  present  and  old 
twelfth  century  name  (Portus,  or  Passagium  Regina;)  from 
having  been  the  point  at  which  Margaret,  the  sainted  Avife 
of  Malcolm  Ceannmor,  crossed  the  Forth  on  her  numerous 
journeys  between  Dunfermline  and  Edinburgh  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  eleventh  century.  From  the  same  cause  the 
point  on  the  opposite  side  has  the  name  of  North  Queens¬ 
ferry,  and  the  bay  to  the  west  of  it  is  styled  St.  Margaret’s 
Hope.*  The  summer  or  autumn  visitor  to  Edinburgh  should 
make  South  Queensferry  one  of  the  places  to  visit,  and, 
given  favourable  weather,  the  trip  is  sure  to  be  enjoyable. 
The  policies  of  Hopetoun  House  are  open  to  the  public  on 
Wednesdays  and  Saturdays. 
*  The  Governmtnt  has  deciJecl  to  establish  a  naval  base  and  port  at  this  IIo;"e. 
Front  View  of  Hopetoun  House  and  the  Royal  Drive. 
