Arthurstone is a beautiful mansion located half a mile north of Ardler, in Perthshire. The house was built in the late 1790s for Captain James Ramsay of Hook and passed through many hands before reaching Mr Carmichael’s. The estate was sold in 1838 to Patrick Murray of Simprim, who altered and extended the house. From him, the estate went to Mr Christopher Kerr, who sold it to Mr Carmichael in 1869. Arthurstone was a residential estate, consisting of a large amount of open land, parks and ponds. The house looked out on the Kinpurney and Gask hills, and the property was flourishing with rose plants, shrubs and scarlet berries climbing up around the windows.
One of the first major improvements Mr Carmichael made was bringing gas to the house. While he first thought about using gas from the village of Meigle he figured that it was expensive, as the terrain was not ideal for carrying it the distance to the house. He decided to build gas works on his own grounds to provide lighting to the house.
The most notable alteration made to the house was the removal of a kitchen and larder on the north facing side of the house and replacing them with a library and billiard room. The rooms were built from stone from the quarry and solid oak, much of which had been carved by workmen under Mr Carmichaels request. One man who excelled in working out what was wanted in the wood designs was an Andrew Reckie. Reckie was a talented man and Carmichael stuck by him despite his “overindulgence in alcohol” [i].
Mr Carmichael’s interest in original and thought-provoking art was showcased in his Arthurstone estate. He enjoyed the collection of unique pieces that held personal importance to him. He had portraits of men and women whose lives he was fascinated by, landscapes he admired and scenes which recalled incidents in his life. His collection was built up over time and displayed around his estate.
Mr Carmichael spent much of his wealth on the renovation of this estate and he made many careful improvements to the house itself as well as the exterior and grounds. Arthurstone came to represent the success of 19th Century businessmen and manufacturers; showcasing what could be achieved by people who were hardworking, clever and to some extent – lucky.
[i] Writings on Arthurstone, University of Dundee Archive Services. MS 102/1/3