Image: The Victorian royal picnic cottage (Ben Addy, Moxon Architects)
The royal picnic cottage on Mar Lodge Estate has been rescued from Scotland’s at-risk register and will open to visitors in 2025
A Victorian royal picnic cottage on Mar Lodge Estate has been rescued from Scotland’s at-risk register and will open to visitors in 2025 after restoration by National Trust for Scotland.
A picnic cottage once enjoyed by Queen Victoria during a holiday in Balmoral has been restored by The National Trust for Scotland.
Located amongst native woodland on the Mar Lodge Estate National Nature Reserve near Braemar, Britain’s largest National Nature Reserve, the project has saved the lodge from Scotland’s Buildings at Risk Register.
The cottage was built by Princess Louise, the granddaughter of Queen Victoria in around 1895.
Its restoration makes it the first completed building by Moxon Architects for Mar Lodge, as part of a wider programme of restoration and renovation works for the Trust.
The single-storey granite cottage is Category C listed with timber framed roof trusses and remnants of historic harling to the external stonework. Moxon called it a “rare example in Scotland of the use of larch roof shingles and timber twig detailing on the three primary dormers.”
In addition to repairing the fabric of the building, a covered wooden porch has been added to the exterior of the property to help reinstate the cottage’s original features discovered during the project’s research.
Internally, timber flooring has been laid, and the original fireplaces and chimneys have also been restored to working condition.
David Frew, National Trust for Scotland Head of Mar Lodge Estate, explained: “The property was in a poor state when the Trust acquired Mar Lodge Estate in 1975, and subsequent works had taken place to stabilise its condition including fixing walls and installing a new roof and shingles in the past.
“We’re excited to welcome visitors to experience the new cottage when it officially reopens in 2025 where they will be able to engage with its history. New information boards will be added, and specially commissioned furniture created where they can relax and immerse themselves in the surrounding woodland and nature.”
NTS will officially open the cottage to the public in 2025. The restoration project has been made possible by funding from NTS USA Foundation, based in Boston, Massachusetts.
Andrew MacPherson, Director of Moxon Architects, added: “As an architecture practice deeply invested in the region’s heritage, we have proudly worked with The National Trust for Scotland to preserve a significant piece of local heritage on the Mar Lodge Estate.”
