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{{Short description|Arts centre in Arbroath, Angus, Scotland}}
⚫
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{Infobox building
{{Infobox building
|name = Hospitalfield House
|name = Hospitalfield House
|image = Hospitalfield house.jpg
|image = Hospitalfield house.jpg
|caption = Hospitalfield House in [[Arbroath]], [[Scotland]]
|alt=
|map_type = Scotland Angus
|map_type = Scotland Angus
|coordinates = {{coord|56.555972|-2.617848|display=inline}}
|coordinates = {{coord|56.555972|-2.617848|display=inline}}
⚫
|style = [[Scots baronial]]
|location_town = [[Arbroath]], [[Angus, Scotland|Angus]]
|location_town = [[Arbroath]], [[Angus, Scotland|Angus]]
|location_country = Scotland
|location_country = Scotland
|renovation_date = Mid-19th century
|architect = [[Patrick Allan-Fraser]]
|client = Elizabeth Fraser and<br />[[Patrick Allan-Fraser]]
|client =
|engineer =
|construction_start_date = 1840
|completion_date = 1870
|date_demolished =
|cost =
|structural_system =
⚫
|style = Scots Baronial
}}
}}


'''Hospitalfield House''' is an arts centre and historic house in [[Arbroath]], [[Angus, Scotland]] regarded as "one of the finest country houses in Scotland".<ref name="angusahead1">{{cite web |url=http://www.angusahead.com/AngusListings/TourismAttractions/HospitalfieldHouseG6870.asp |title=Hospitalfield House |last1= |first1= |last2= |first2= |date= |work= |publisher=Angus Ahead|accessdate=22 January 2011}}</ref> It is believed to be "Scotland's first school of fine art" and the first art college in Britain.<ref name="blogspot1">{{cite web |url=http://janpatience.blogspot.com/2010/06/hospitalfield-house.html |title=Hospitalfield House |last1=Patience |first1=Jan |last2= |first2= |date = June 2010|work=Homes & Interiors Scotland |publisher=|accessdate=22 January 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.arbroathbandb.com/local_attractions.htm|title=Local Attractions |last1=Patterson |first1=Garry |last2= |first2= |date= |work= |publisher=Five Gables House|accessdate=23 January 2011}}</ref> It is a [[Charitable organization|registered charity]] under Scottish law.<ref>{{Scottish charity|SC009987|Patrick Allan-Fraser of Hospitalfield Trust}}</ref> A range of prominent Scottish artists have worked there, including [[Joan Eardley]], [[Peter Howson]], [[Will Maclean]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.artfirst.co.uk/will_maclean/biography.html|title=Will Maclean Biography|last1= |first1= |last2= |first2= |date= |work= |publisher=Art First |accessdate=23 April 2011}}</ref> [[Robert Colquhoun]], [[Robert MacBryde]], [[William Gear]], [[Alasdair Gray]], [[Wendy McMurdo]], and [[Callum Innes]].<ref name="blogspot1"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hospitalfield.org.uk/|title=Welcome to Hospitalfield|last1= |first1= |last2= |first2= |date= |work= |publisher=Hospitalfield House|accessdate=22 January 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.royalscottishacademy.org/pages/exhibition_frame.asp?id=114 |title=In Residence - RSA at Hospitalfield|last1= |first1= |last2= |first2= |date= |work= |publisher=The Royal Scottish Academy|accessdate=23 January 2011}}</ref>
'''Hospitalfield House''' is an arts centre and historic house in [[Arbroath]], [[Angus, Scotland|Angus]], Scotland, regarded as "one of the finest country houses in Scotland".<ref name="angusahead1">{{cite web |url=http://www.angusahead.com/AngusListings/TourismAttractions/HospitalfieldHouseG6870.asp |title=Hospitalfield House |publisher=Angus Ahead |access-date=22 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707144315/http://www.angusahead.com/AngusListings/TourismAttractions/HospitalfieldHouseG6870.asp |archive-date=7 July 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> It is believed to be "Scotland's first school of fine art" and the first art college in Britain.<ref name="blogspot1">{{cite web |url=http://janpatience.blogspot.com/2010/06/hospitalfield-house.html |title=Hospitalfield House |last1=Patience |first1=Jan |date=June 2010 |work=Homes & Interiors Scotland |access-date=22 January 2011 |archive-date=8 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708043800/http://janpatience.blogspot.com/2010/06/hospitalfield-house.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arbroathbandb.com/local_attractions.htm|title=Local Attractions|last1=Patterson|first1=Garry|publisher=Five Gables House|access-date=23 January 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110117125352/http://www.arbroathbandb.com/local_attractions.htm|archive-date=17 January 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> It is a [[Charitable organization|registered charity]] under Scottish law.<ref>{{Scottish charity|SC009987|Patrick Allan-Fraser of Hospitalfield Trust}}</ref> A range of prominent Scottish artists have worked there, including [[Joan Eardley]], [[Peter Howson]], [[Will Maclean]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.artfirst.co.uk/will_maclean/biography.html|title=Will Maclean Biography|publisher=Art First |access-date=23 April 2011}}</ref> [[Robert Colquhoun]], [[Robert MacBryde]], [[William Gear]], [[Alasdair Gray]], [[Wendy McMurdo]], and [[Callum Innes]].<ref name="blogspot1"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hospitalfield.org.uk/|title=Welcome to Hospitalfield|publisher=Hospitalfield House|access-date=22 January 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.royalscottishacademy.org/pages/exhibition_frame.asp?id=114|title=In Residence - RSA at Hospitalfield|publisher=The Royal Scottish Academy|access-date=23 January 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728112117/http://www.royalscottishacademy.org/pages/exhibition_frame.asp?id=114|archive-date=28 July 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>


==Early history==
==Early history==
⚫
A hospital was founded on the site in the 13th century by monks from nearby [[Arbroath Abbey]] as a leprosy and plague hospice called the [[Hospital of St John the Baptist, Arbroath|Hospital of St John the Baptist]].<ref name="angusahead1"/><ref name="blogspot1"/><ref name="angus1">{{cite web | url =http://www.angus.gov.uk/history/features/buildings/hospitalfield.htm | title =Hospitalfield House | publisher =Angus Council | access-date =22 January 2011 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20100722013352/http://www.angus.gov.uk/history/features/buildings/hospitalfield.htm | archive-date =22 July 2010 | url-status =dead }}</ref> The property was purchased by the Reverend James Fraser around 1664 and was subsequently owned by successive generations of the Fraser family. [[Walter Scott]] visited the house in 1813, and he used it as the model for "Monkbarns" in his novel ''[[The Antiquary]]'' (1816).<ref name="angusahead1"/>


==19th century==
⚫
Hospitalfield House was founded in the 13th century by Tironesian monks from nearby [[Arbroath Abbey]] as a leprosy and plague hospice called the "[[Hospital of St John the Baptist, Arbroath|Hospital of St John the Baptist]]".<ref name="angusahead1"/><ref name="blogspot1"/><ref name="angus1">{{cite web | url =http://www.angus.gov.uk/history/features/buildings/hospitalfield.htm | title =Hospitalfield House | last1 = | first1 = | last2 = | first2 = | date = | work = | publisher =Angus Council | accessdate = 22 January 2011}}</ref> It was purchased and extended by James Fraser in 1665. [[Walter Scott]] stayed in the house in 1803 and 1809 and used it as his model for "Monkbarns" in his novel ''[[The Antiquary]]'' (1816).<ref name="angusahead1"/>
The last Fraser to own the property was the wealthy heiress Elizabeth Fraser (1805–1873). In 1843, she married Scottish artist Patrick Allan, who later added the Fraser surname to his and became known as [[Patrick Allan-Fraser]]. The son of an Arbroath weaving merchant, he had studied art in [[Edinburgh]] and became a painter.<ref name="blogspot1"/><ref name="angus1"/> In 1842, he had been commissioned to do a series of illustrations for an edition of Scott's ''The Antiquary''.<ref>{{cite web | url =http://historyofoldbury.co.uk/articles/article001%20-%20oldbury%20manor.htm | title =The History of Oldbury Manor | last1 =Daniels | first1 =Terry | date =2008 | publisher =The Local History Societies of Langley, Oldbury and Warley | access-date = 23 January 2011}}</ref> While carrying out this work, he had visited Hospitalfield House that year and met Elizabeth Fraser, who was a widow eight years his senior, and they were married the following year.


⚫
Together, they embarked on substantial remodelling of Hospitalfield House. The renovations used mainly local craftsmen and converted an 18th-century barn into a gallery, added a five-storey [[bartizan]] and a large wing.<ref name="blogspot1"/> He had a keen interest in the arts and set up the Patrick Allan-Fraser of Hospitalfield Trust to support young artists.<ref name="angus1"/> Hospitalfield House was bequeathed "for the promotion of Education in the Arts" upon the death of Allan-Fraser in 1890, there being no heirs to his estate.<ref name="blogspot1"/><ref name="culturalprofiles2007">{{cite web | url =http://www.culturalprofiles.net/scotland/units/2183.html | title =Royal Scottish Academy (RSA)-Hospitalfield Artist-in-Residence Programme | date =8 May 2007 | work =Visiting Arts Cultural Profiles Project | access-date = 23 January 2011}}</ref>
'''See''' [[Hospital of St John the Baptist, Arbroath]] for a detailed account of the early history of the House together with sources.

==Patrick Allan-Fraser (1812-90)==

In the mid 19th century, Hospitalfield House was expanded by [[Patrick Allan-Fraser]], a patron of the arts. Allan-Fraser, the son of an Arbroath weaving merchant, studied art in [[Edinburgh]] and was once president of the British Academy of Art in Rome.<ref name="blogspot1"/><ref name="angus1"/> In Arbroath, he completed a series of paintings for an edition of Scott's ''The Antiquary''.<ref>{{cite web | url =
⚫
http://historyofoldbury.co.uk/articles/article001%20-%20oldbury%20manor.htm | title =The History of Oldbury Manor | last1 =Daniels | first1 =Terry | last2 = | first2 = | date =2008 | work = | publisher =The Local History Societies of Langley, Oldbury and Warley | accessdate = 23 January 2011}}</ref> After acquiring the Hospitalfield estate through marriage he embarked on a substantial remodelling programme. His scheme used mainly local craftsmen and converted an eighteenth-century barn into a gallery, added a five-storey [[bartizan]] and a large wing.<ref name="blogspot1"/> He had a keen interest in the arts and set up the Patrick Allan-Fraser of Hospitalfield Trust to support young artists.<ref name="angus1"/> The building was bequeathed "for the promotion of Education in the Arts" on the death of Allan-Fraser in 1890, having no heirs to his estate.<ref name="blogspot1"/><ref name="culturalprofiles2007">{{cite web | url =
http://www.culturalprofiles.net/scotland/units/2183.html | title =Royal Scottish Academy (RSA)-Hospitalfield Artist-in-Residence Programme | last1 = | first1 = | last2 = | first2 = | date =8 May 2007 | work =Visiting Arts Cultural Profiles Project | publisher = | accessdate = 23 January 2011}}</ref>


==Present day==
==Present day==
The building is now a residential art centre, music and conference venue. It is open to the public for four open weekends per year and for other events, including afternoon tours on the first Wednesday of each month.<ref>{{cite web | url =http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/_g_OtPdXCcB/Hospitalfield+House+Preparing+Open+Doors+Weekend | title =Hospitalfield House Is Preparing For Open Doors Weekend | date = 3 September 2009 | publisher = Zimbio| access-date = 25 January 2011}}</ref>


The house is now a residential art centre, music, and conference venue. It is open to the public for four open weekends a year and for other events, including afternoon tours on the first Wednesday of the month.<ref>{{cite web | url =http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/_g_OtPdXCcB/Hospitalfield+House+Preparing+Open+Doors+Weekend | title =Hospitalfield House Is Preparing For Open Doors Weekend | last1 = | first1 = | last2 = | first2 = | date = 3 September 2009 | work = | publisher = Zimbio| accessdate = 25 January 2011}}</ref>
In 2008, it was used as a film location for the docu-drama "Children of the Dead End", starring [[Stephen Rea]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.angusahead.com/AngusListings/News/hospitalfield-house-feature-article.asp | title = Scottish Screen's Film Location of the Month - Hospitalfield House, Angus | last1 = Craik | first1 = Julie | last2 = Payne | first2 = Willy | date = June 2009 | publisher = Angus Ahead | access-date = 25 January 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101127011548/http://www.angusahead.com/AngusListings/News/hospitalfield-house-feature-article.asp | archive-date = 27 November 2010 | url-status = dead }}</ref>
⚫
In 2015 Hospitalfield curated and organised [[Graham Fagen (artist)|Graham Fagen]]'s exhibition for Scotland + Venice,<ref>{{cite web | url =https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-32592828 | title =Scottish artist opens solo exhibition at Venice Biennale | date = 6 May 2015 | accessdate = 23 May 2015}}</ref> a Collateral Event of the [http://www.labiennale.org/en/art/exhibition/56/ 56th International Art Exhibition] – [[Venice Biennale|La Biennale di Venezia]].


⚫
In 2015, Hospitalfield curated and organised [[Graham Fagen (artist)|Graham Fagen]]'s exhibition for Scotland + Venice,<ref>{{cite web | url =https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-32592828 | title =Scottish artist opens solo exhibition at Venice Biennale | date = 6 May 2015 | access-date = 23 May 2015}}</ref> a collateral event of the [https://web.archive.org/web/20150526232305/http://www.labiennale.org/en/art/exhibition/56/ 56th International Art Exhibition] – [[Venice Biennale|La Biennale di Venezia]].
In 2008, it was used as a film location for the docu-drama "Children of the Dead End" starring [[Stephen Rea]].<ref>{{cite web | url =http://www.angusahead.com/AngusListings/News/hospitalfield-house-feature-article.asp | title = Scottish Screen's Film Location of the Month - Hospitalfield House, Angus| last1 = Craik| first1 = Julie | last2 = Payne | first2 = Willy |date = June 2009| work = | publisher = Angus Ahead | accessdate = 25 January 2011}}</ref>


==Architecture==
==Architecture==
[[File:Hospitalfields Arbroath-1.jpg|thumb|Hospitalfield House]]

===Exterior===
===Exterior===
The red [[sandstone]] building is in the [[Gothic architecture|Gothic style]] and draws on medieval domestic architecture.<ref name="angusahead1"/> Allan-Fraser was heavily indebted to the [[Arts and Crafts Movement]]. This is evident in the design of the building which features [[Crenallations|crenallated parapets]], [[Crow-stepped gable]]s, and [[Oriel Window]]s.<ref name="angus1"/> In 1901, a new studio block was added with north-west facing windows. A smaller room contains a skylight and there are yards for outdoor sculpture.<ref name="culturalprofiles2007"/>
The red [[sandstone]] building is in the [[Gothic architecture|Gothic style]] and draws on medieval domestic architecture.<ref name="angusahead1"/> Allan-Fraser was heavily indebted to the [[Arts and Crafts movement]]; this is evident in the design of the building, which features [[Battlement|crenellated parapets]], [[crow-stepped gable]]s and [[oriel window]]s.<ref name="angus1"/> In 1901, a new studio block was added with north-west facing windows. A smaller room contains a skylight, and there are yards for outdoor sculpture.<ref name="culturalprofiles2007"/>


===Interior===
===Interior===
[[File:Hospitalfield House - interior, view of cedar room.jpg|thumb|The cedar room]]
⚫
Allan-Fraser wanted to create an inspiring space for young artists and the interior displays a large collection of Victorian sculpture, paintings, and wood-carvings which are of "international importance".<ref name="angus1"/> The interior design features include [[Romanesque Revival architecture|Romanesque]] [[Dado (architecture)|dado]] [[Arcade (architecture)|arcading]] and a [[Hammerbeam roof]].<ref name="angus1"/> The main public rooms in the house are the dining room, picture gallery and adjoining cedar room and [[anteroom]].<ref name="blogspot1"/> Two 17th century tapestries were obtained in the 1870s for the first floor drawing room to reflect a passage in ''The Antiquary''.<ref name="blogspot1"/> Chandeliers inside the house were obtained from the Guildhall in Birmingham.<ref name="blogspot1"/> The gallery contains armorial references to the Fraser family who owned the estate from 1665 and the Parrott family, of Hawkesbury Hall who joined the Fraser estate in the 19th century.<ref name="blogspot1"/>
Allan-Fraser wanted to create an inspiring space for young artists, and the interior displays a large collection of Victorian sculpture, paintings, and wood-carvings which are of "international importance".<ref name="angus1"/> The interior design features include [[Romanesque Revival architecture|Romanesque]] [[Dado (architecture)|dado]] [[Arcade (architecture)|arcading]] and a [[hammerbeam roof]].<ref name="angus1"/>

⚫
The main public rooms in the house are the dining room, picture gallery and adjoining cedar room and [[anteroom]].<ref name="blogspot1"/> Two 17th-century tapestries were obtained in the 1870s for the first floor drawing room to reflect a passage in ''The Antiquary''.<ref name="blogspot1"/> Chandeliers inside the house were obtained from the Guildhall in Birmingham.<ref name="blogspot1"/> The gallery contains armorial references to the Fraser family, who owned the estate from 1664, and the Parrott family of Hawkesbury Hall, who joined the Fraser estate in the 19th century.<ref name="blogspot1"/>


Allan-Fraser commissioned self-portraits from members of [[The Clique]], an art group he had known as a young man. These included [[John Phillip]], [[Augustus Egg]], [[William Powell Frith]], [[Henry Nelson O'Neil|Henry O'Neil]], and [[Edward Matthew Ward]].<ref>{{cite web | url =
Allan-Fraser commissioned self-portraits from members of [[The Clique (art group)|The Clique]], an art group he had known as a young man. These included [[John Phillip]], [[Augustus Egg]], [[William Powell Frith]], [[Henry Nelson O'Neil|Henry O'Neil]], and [[Edward Matthew Ward]].<ref>{{cite web | url =http://guide.visitscotland.com/vs/guide/5,en,SCH/objectId,SIG57457Svs,curr,GBP,season,at1,selectedEntry,home/home.html | title =Hospitalfield House
http://guide.visitscotland.com/vs/guide/5,en,SCH/objectId,SIG57457Svs,curr,GBP,season,at1,selectedEntry,home/home.html | title =Hospitalfield House | last1 = | first1 = | last2 = | first2 = | date = | work = | publisher = VisitScotland | accessdate = 22 January 2011}}</ref> ''The Trial of Effie Deans'' (1840) by [[Robert Scott Lauder]] hangs on the main landing.<ref>{{cite web | url =https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:9h456-9OVwwJ:www.flemingcollection.co.uk/friends/Dundee%2520trip%252007.pdf | title = Dundee Trip 2007 | last1 = | first1 = | last2 = | first2 = | date =2007 | work = | publisher =The Fleming Collection | accessdate = 23 January 2011}}</ref> A painting of [[Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother|Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon]] by [[James Peter Quinn]] hung in Hospitalfield's gallery during the Second World War.<ref>{{cite web | url =https://www.femalefirst.co.uk/royal_family/Queen+Mother-46643.html | title =Queen Mother in the frame | last1 = | first1 = | last2 = | first2 = | date =11 January 2008 | work = | publisher =Female First | accessdate = 23 January 2011}}</ref> The library contains books dating from 16th to 19th centuries.<ref>{{cite web | url =http://guide.visitscotland.com/vs/guide/5,en,SCH/objectId,SIG57457Svs,curr,GBP,season,at1,selectedEntry,home/home.html | title =Hospitalfield House | last1 = | first1 = | last2 = | first2 = | date = | work = | publisher =VisitScotland | accessdate = 22 January 2011}}</ref>
| publisher =VisitScotland | access-date =22 January 2011 }}{{Dead link|date=January 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> ''The Trial of Effie Deans'' (1840) by [[Robert Scott Lauder]] hangs on the main landing.<ref>{{cite web | url =https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:9h456-9OVwwJ:www.flemingcollection.co.uk/friends/Dundee%2520trip%252007.pdf | title = Dundee Trip 2007 | date =2007 | publisher =The Fleming Collection | access-date = 23 January 2011}}</ref> A painting of [[Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother|Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon]] by [[James Peter Quinn]] hung in Hospitalfield's gallery during the Second World War.<ref>{{cite web | url =https://www.femalefirst.co.uk/royal_family/Queen+Mother-46643.html | title =Queen Mother in the frame | date =11 January 2008 | publisher =Female First | access-date = 23 January 2011}}</ref> The library contains books dating from 16th to 19th centuries.<ref>{{cite web | url =http://guide.visitscotland.com/vs/guide/5,en,SCH/objectId,SIG57457Svs,curr,GBP,season,at1,selectedEntry,home/home.html | title =Hospitalfield House | publisher =VisitScotland | access-date =22 January 2011 }}{{Dead link|date=January 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>


==Gallery==
==Gallery==
Line 65: Line 60:
==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}
⚫
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2012}}


==External links==
==External links==
{{Commons category|Hospitalfield House}}
* {{Official website|http://www.hospitalfield.org.uk/ }}
* {{Official website|http://www.hospitalfield.org.uk/ }}
* [http://www.hospitalfieldalumniassociation.co.uk/index.html Hospitalfield Alumni Association]
* [http://www.hospitalfieldalumniassociation.co.uk/index.html Hospitalfield Alumni Association]
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[[Category:Art museums and galleries in Scotland]]
[[Category:Art museums and galleries in Scotland]]
[[Category:Arts organisations based in Scotland]]
[[Category:Arts organisations based in Scotland]]
[[Category:Category A listed buildings in Angus]]
[[Category:Category A listed buildings in Angus, Scotland]]
[[Category:Listed houses in Scotland]]
[[Category:Listed houses in Scotland]]
[[Category:Scottish baronial architecture]]
[[Category:Scottish baronial architecture]]

Latest revision as of 10:24, 21 August 2024

Hospitalfield House
Hospitalfield House is located in Angus
Hospitalfield House
Location within Angus
General information
Architectural styleScots baronial
Town or cityArbroath, Angus
CountryScotland
Coordinates56°33′21″N 2°37′04″W / 56.555972°N 2.617848°W / 56.555972; -2.617848
RenovatedMid-19th century
ClientElizabeth Fraser and
Patrick Allan-Fraser

Hospitalfield House is an arts centre and historic house in Arbroath, Angus, Scotland, regarded as "one of the finest country houses in Scotland".[1] It is believed to be "Scotland's first school of fine art" and the first art college in Britain.[2][3] It is a registered charity under Scottish law.[4] A range of prominent Scottish artists have worked there, including Joan Eardley, Peter Howson, Will Maclean,[5] Robert Colquhoun, Robert MacBryde, William Gear, Alasdair Gray, Wendy McMurdo, and Callum Innes.[2][6][7]

Early history

[edit]

A hospital was founded on the site in the 13th century by monks from nearby Arbroath Abbey as a leprosy and plague hospice called the Hospital of St John the Baptist.[1][2][8] The property was purchased by the Reverend James Fraser around 1664 and was subsequently owned by successive generations of the Fraser family. Walter Scott visited the house in 1813, and he used it as the model for "Monkbarns" in his novel The Antiquary (1816).[1]

19th century

[edit]

The last Fraser to own the property was the wealthy heiress Elizabeth Fraser (1805–1873). In 1843, she married Scottish artist Patrick Allan, who later added the Fraser surname to his and became known as Patrick Allan-Fraser. The son of an Arbroath weaving merchant, he had studied art in Edinburgh and became a painter.[2][8] In 1842, he had been commissioned to do a series of illustrations for an edition of Scott's The Antiquary.[9] While carrying out this work, he had visited Hospitalfield House that year and met Elizabeth Fraser, who was a widow eight years his senior, and they were married the following year.

Together, they embarked on substantial remodelling of Hospitalfield House. The renovations used mainly local craftsmen and converted an 18th-century barn into a gallery, added a five-storey bartizan and a large wing.[2] He had a keen interest in the arts and set up the Patrick Allan-Fraser of Hospitalfield Trust to support young artists.[8] Hospitalfield House was bequeathed "for the promotion of Education in the Arts" upon the death of Allan-Fraser in 1890, there being no heirs to his estate.[2][10]

Present day

[edit]

The building is now a residential art centre, music and conference venue. It is open to the public for four open weekends per year and for other events, including afternoon tours on the first Wednesday of each month.[11]

In 2008, it was used as a film location for the docu-drama "Children of the Dead End", starring Stephen Rea.[12]

In 2015, Hospitalfield curated and organised Graham Fagen's exhibition for Scotland + Venice,[13] a collateral event of the 56th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia.

Architecture

[edit]
Hospitalfield House

Exterior

[edit]

The red sandstone building is in the Gothic style and draws on medieval domestic architecture.[1] Allan-Fraser was heavily indebted to the Arts and Crafts movement; this is evident in the design of the building, which features crenellated parapets, crow-stepped gables and oriel windows.[8] In 1901, a new studio block was added with north-west facing windows. A smaller room contains a skylight, and there are yards for outdoor sculpture.[10]

Interior

[edit]
The cedar room

Allan-Fraser wanted to create an inspiring space for young artists, and the interior displays a large collection of Victorian sculpture, paintings, and wood-carvings which are of "international importance".[8] The interior design features include Romanesque dado arcading and a hammerbeam roof.[8]

The main public rooms in the house are the dining room, picture gallery and adjoining cedar room and anteroom.[2] Two 17th-century tapestries were obtained in the 1870s for the first floor drawing room to reflect a passage in The Antiquary.[2] Chandeliers inside the house were obtained from the Guildhall in Birmingham.[2] The gallery contains armorial references to the Fraser family, who owned the estate from 1664, and the Parrott family of Hawkesbury Hall, who joined the Fraser estate in the 19th century.[2]

Allan-Fraser commissioned self-portraits from members of The Clique, an art group he had known as a young man. These included John Phillip, Augustus Egg, William Powell Frith, Henry O'Neil, and Edward Matthew Ward.[14] The Trial of Effie Deans (1840) by Robert Scott Lauder hangs on the main landing.[15] A painting of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon by James Peter Quinn hung in Hospitalfield's gallery during the Second World War.[16] The library contains books dating from 16th to 19th centuries.[17]

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  • The Evil Eye, self-portrait by John Phillip, depicting the artist sketching a Spanish gyspy who is threatened by his gaze.
    The Evil Eye, self-portrait by John Phillip, depicting the artist sketching a Spanish gyspy who is threatened by his gaze.
  • Standing Nude with a Paintbrush
    Standing Nude with a Paintbrush

Bibliography

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Hospitalfield House". Angus Ahead. Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 22 January 2011.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Patience, Jan (June 2010). "Hospitalfield House". Homes & Interiors Scotland. Archived from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 22 January 2011.
  3. ^ Patterson, Garry. "Local Attractions". Five Gables House. Archived from the original on 17 January 2011. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  4. ^ "Patrick Allan-Fraser of Hospitalfield Trust, Registered Charity no. SC009987". Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator.
  5. ^ "Will Maclean Biography". Art First. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
  6. ^ "Welcome to Hospitalfield". Hospitalfield House. Retrieved 22 January 2011.
  7. ^ "In Residence - RSA at Hospitalfield". The Royal Scottish Academy. Archived from the original on 28 July 2011. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  8. ^ a b c d e f "Hospitalfield House". Angus Council. Archived from the original on 22 July 2010. Retrieved 22 January 2011.
  9. ^ Daniels, Terry (2008). "The History of Oldbury Manor". The Local History Societies of Langley, Oldbury and Warley. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  10. ^ a b "Royal Scottish Academy (RSA)-Hospitalfield Artist-in-Residence Programme". Visiting Arts Cultural Profiles Project. 8 May 2007. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  11. ^ "Hospitalfield House Is Preparing For Open Doors Weekend". Zimbio. 3 September 2009. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
  12. ^ Craik, Julie; Payne, Willy (June 2009). "Scottish Screen's Film Location of the Month - Hospitalfield House, Angus". Angus Ahead. Archived from the original on 27 November 2010. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
  13. ^ "Scottish artist opens solo exhibition at Venice Biennale". 6 May 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  14. ^ "Hospitalfield House". VisitScotland. Retrieved 22 January 2011.[permanent dead link]
  15. ^ "Dundee Trip 2007" (PDF). The Fleming Collection. 2007. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  16. ^ "Queen Mother in the frame". Female First. 11 January 2008. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  17. ^ "Hospitalfield House". VisitScotland. Retrieved 22 January 2011.[permanent dead link]
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