SWMRopium – by Elizabeth Hunter
A mansion where William Wordsworth and Sir Walter Scott are believed to have smoked opium has been put on the market.
Barony House in Lasswade, near Edinburgh, has been put up for sale, marketed by Ellisons Property for offers over £1.8 million.
Poet and playwright Sir Walter Scott lived in the house from 1799 to 1805 – and fellow poet William Wordsworth was a regular visitor, alongside his wife, Mary Hutchinson.
Scott was still working in the legal field at the time, renting the property for £30 per year and spending his summers there.
The six-bedroom home has four bathrooms and six reception rooms – with a lounge where the poets are believed to have shared an opium pipe.
A representative from Ellisons Property described the property as “a remarkable detached property with three separate phases of build.
“The oldest part, dating to the eighteenth century was the home of the famous Scottish poet, playwright, historian, Sir Walter Scott.
“The grounds and gardens which stretch to approximately 4.5 acres are perfectly manicured, and the electric gates and circular driveway give this period property a true sense of place and grandeur.”
Mark Ellison Coulter, founder of Ellisons Property, told the Herald: “Historically it is absolutely mindblowing. William Wordsworth, Mary Hutchinson, his wife, Sir Walter Scott smoking opium in the lounge is quite a good story. That’s what they did back in the day.”
ENDS
