Dunmore Pineapple

Christopher Columbus First brought Pineapples to Europe from Guadeloupe in 1493 and where considered a rare delicacy. Associations of power, wealth, and hospitality cemented the pineapple into the culture of the wealthy and artisans and craftsmen adopted the pineapple as a motif in design and building.

Thanks to the European aspirations of the Kings of Scotland at the time, pineapples were among Scotland’s most rare and exotic foods, especially as the natural climate could not support the growth of the fruit.

The origins of the building are contested. It was either built by John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore either before he left for the Americas in 1761 or after his return in 1776 (the date-stone says the earlier but is contested). It is around 14 metres (46 ft) high and is one of Scotland’s finest examples of stonemason’s craft.

Its purpose was as a summerhouse or follie where the Earl could appreciate the view from his estate and as a gift for his wife Charlotte. A wide variety of unusual fruits and vegetables grew in the extensive hothouses and pineapple pits of the walled garden, now a large tree-lined lawn to the southeast.

A hothouse (similar to a greenhouse) was built into the garden wall in 1761. The hothouse received additional heating from a furnace-driven system that pumped hot air through ducts in the wall of the adjoining buildings and was kept at a temperature of around 85f / 30c with a low humidity, perfect for growing Pineapples.

The south-facing ground floor is now covered in stucco (a fine plaster used for coating wall surfaces) and largely overgrown with vines but was originally covered with glass.

The Dunmore Pineapple is considered one of the greatest follies in the Uk and The National Trust for Scotland rents the building out as one of Scotland’s most unique holiday houses!