ABBOT HOUSE GARDEN
The Abbot House walled garden is loved by locals and visitors alike and has stunning views across the graveyard to Dunfermline Abbey.
The existing garden was created by The Beechgrove Garden in 1995, recreating a formal 17th-century garden. The original land is likely to have formed part of the graveyard, later followed by the erection of a boundary wall containing a very simple garden.
Part of the garden incorporates a herb garden dedicated to Lady Anne Halkett, who resided in Abbot House in the late 1600s. She was a practising herbal apothecary and midwife and had people flocking from near and far to cure their ailments.
The garden is still planted with herbs that were used in the 17th Century including Quince, Lavender, Sage and Rosemary.
THE SPIRIT OF ETERNITY
The fountain built into the graveyard wall is called The Spirit of Eternity. It is based on a design drawn by the Scottish artist, John Duncan, for Sir Patrick Geddes, the noted botanist and town planner. This was included in the Geddes Plan for Pittencrieff Park and the adjacent area in the early 1900s but was never implemented. The serpent with its tail in its mouth is the symbol of Eternity. The Angel was made by leading Scottish sculptor Tim Pomeroy, who attended Gray’s School of Art from 1976-81.
THE HENRYSON GATES
The Henryson Gates are a tribute to Dunfermline’s most famous poet and scholar Robert Henryson (mid-late 1400’s), illustrating the animals that feature in his fables. Henryson is believed to have been a schoolmaster in Dunfermline, following studies in Glasgow and Paris. He is also thought to have had close connections with Dunfermline Abbey and the Royal Palace. A collection of his work is held in the Dunfermline Carnegie Library and Galleries.
THE SUNDIAL
The Sundial was made by Lesley Alan Reid in memory of the late James Marshall and is made from slabs of Caithness stone decorated with Pictish symbols. James Marshall, a local lawyer and a past Chairman of the Carnegie Dunfermline Trust, was a vigorous supporter of heritage projects, particularly Abbot House. He was a keen hill-walker and many of the stones that he had collected in the course of his walks have been placed under the sundial. The motto around the rim reads ” Tak Tent o’ Time Be Tint ” meaning “Use time carefully”.
