Grotto, Newhailes, Musselburgh is a Grade B listed building in the East Lothian local planning authority area, Scotland. First listed on 27 November 1990. Grotto.
Grotto, Newhailes, Musselburgh
- WRENN ID
- frozen-gutter-cobweb
- Grade
- B
- Local Planning Authority
- East Lothian
- Constituency
- Edinburgh East and Musselburgh MP: Chris Murray (Lab)
- Country
- Scotland
- Date first listed
- 27 November 1990
- Type
- Grotto
- OS grid reference
- NT 325 727
- Coordinates
- 55.94263, -3.08157
- Source
- Historic Environment Scotland listing
Description
The Grotto at Newhailes, located in Musselburgh, dates from around 1785 and is part of the pleasure grounds commissioned by Lord Hailes in the 1780s. This square plan rocaille grotto is situated within woodlands to the north of Newhailes House. Currently, it is roofless, and one wall is in a state of dereliction as of 1989. The exterior features sandstone rock-faced rubble walls, interspersed with tufa blocks, and iron rods support the overhanging blocks at the eaves level. The entrance includes a rounded-arch doorway with a coarsely vermiculated surround.
Inside, the grotto was once adorned with decorative sea shell patterns mounted on timber panels, though only remnants of this interior decoration remain scattered in the surrounding woodland.
Local climate
Grotto, Newhailes, Musselburgh receives an average of 960 mm of rain a year. This makes it wetter than 74% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 52% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 39 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 74% of listed buildings. Of these, 23 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.
Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
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- No EPC on record for this property
- No sale records on file
- No related consent applications matched
- Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
- Flood risk assessment
- Radon risk assessment
- Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
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