Grotto, Arniston House

This is a mid-18th century grotto, built as an asymmetrical, rustic feature set into a hillside. It is constructed from randomly arranged, unhewn stones with round arches featuring rusticated dressings.

The south elevation, which is the principal face, is four bays wide and asymmetrical. There is an arched recess in the second bay from the left, topped with a carved stone panel. A central niche is positioned above an inscribed panel dated 1644, bearing the Latin inscription "QUID SIS QUID FUERIS SEMPER MEDITERIS OMNEM CREDE DIE TIBI DILUXISSE SUPREMUM". Niche seats are located on the left and right walls. Small niches with decorative nailhead keystones and imposts are set in the outer left and right corners. A barrel-vaulted tunnel leads northwards, extending to the penultimate bay on the right. The north wall rises above the hillside to form a parapet.

The north elevation features a droved, coursed sandstone archway with an open pediment, containing a carved panel with the Latin inscription "HELITEBINE DULCES ETIAM SI CREDIS AMOENAE".

While the exact date of the grotto remains unclear, it was likely built later in the 18th century when the Arniston grounds were landscaped. It has been suggested that some of the carved stones and panels incorporated into the grotto originated from the earlier Old Arniston House (recorded in a separate listing) and possibly from Parliament House in Edinburgh. Lord Chief Baron Robert Dundas collected architectural fragments from Parliament House and incorporated them into structures at Arniston, alongside other pieces acquired by Walter Scott for Abbotsford.