- Location: Dunmore Park, Airth, Falkirk, FK2 8LU
- Opening times: 24 hours
- Entry: Free
- Access: Small car park at property (no charge)
Dunmore Park, the area of land formerly owned by the Earls of Dunmore, once contained several notable buildings, but whereas the others have fallen into ruin, the most remarkable one still survives – The Dunmore Pineapple, so called because this elegantly designed one-story structure has a whopping great stone pineapple on top of it. How whopping? At 26ft (8m) tall, that’s one mighty pineapple.
The Pineapple was commissioned by the Fourth Earl of Dunmore, John Murray, a colourful character who, aged 15, fought on the losing side at Culloden and later became the last colonial governor of Virginia. The building upon which the Pineapple sits was built in 1761, perhaps as a summerhouse, and it is possible its fruity adornment went up at the same time. However, another theory posits that the Pineapple was added only after Murray returned to Britain following the American Declaration of independence.
Why a pineapple? Back when the folly was built, a pineapple was still considered exotic, and highly prized, and very much something that only the wealthy and well-connected could possess. By sticking an enormous stone version atop his summerhouse, Murray was showing off his wealth and status. It might originally have looked even more spectacular as traces of paint were discovered on the stonework when the Pineapple was restored in the 1970s, suggesting it may have been painted in the fruit’s natural colours.
In 2009, Countryfile Magazine named the Pineapple one of Britain’s top ten follies, and a couple of years later The Huffington Times placed it in their list of the world’s top ten follies.
The property is now owned by the National Trust, who lease it to the Landmark Trust, who in turn let it to the public. The living room and kitchen area are on one side of the Pineapple and the bedrooms, which can sleep up to four, on the other. If interested in staying at the iconic building, click here.
One of the other noteworthy buildings in Dunsmore Park is the ruin of Elphinstone Tower, just a ten-minute walk from the Pineapple. This was built by Sir John Elphinstone, whose family owned the land before the Murrays. The tower was left to decay when the Murrays moved away in 1911, and partially destroyed by the Great Storm of 1968. A private chapel was built next to the tower in the mid-1800s, but this was demolished in the early 1960s and the only trace of it now is its small, sad, overgrown graveyard.
A further ten-minute walk leads to Dunsmore Park House, the far grander ruin of the far grander mansion that replaced Elphinstone Tower as the Murray family home. This was commissioned by the Fifth Earl of Dunmore and constructed between 1820 and 1825. Considering the sorry state of the building now, it is astonishing to think that it was still in use as recently as the 1960s, when, having been long sold by Murrays, it spent its final years as a school for girls. One noticeable feature is the hexagonal waiting room similar to the one in New Slains Castle said to be the inspiration for a similar shaped room in Castle Dracula in Bram Stoker’s celebrated novel. As ruins go, this one is pretty spectacular, and the visitor is free to wander amongst its rooms and corridors. However, care should be taken as hazards include broken stairwells, sudden drops, uneven and overgrown surfaces, broken glass, and the occasional discarded needle.
Destination or Diversion?
Unless you have rented it for accommodation then the Dunmore Pineapple is strictly a diversion. However, the short walks to the ruins of Elphinstone Tower and Dunmore Park House are recommended to anyone visiting the folly, as is the walk to the charming village of Dunmore, surely one of Scotland’s prettiest, about an hour-long round walk from the Pineapple. Combine any number of these and a trip to the Pineapple can soon become a destination.
Dunmore village bowling green