The Temple, Preston Hall

The Temple, circa 1795, was designed by Robert Mitchell in the Classical style and is part of a larger group of historic buildings including Preston Hall, Stables, Gazebos, and the Lion’s Gate. Originally intended as a mausoleum for Alexander Callander, the first owner of Preston Hall, it was never used for that purpose, and was later completed by his brother, Sir John Callander, who added the decorative tempietto to the roof.

The temple is an octagonal building with a bell-roofed tempietto at its summit. It is constructed of dressed sandstone ashlar externally, with random sandstone and red brick internally. A heavy, rusticated base course supports the ashlar exterior. Each elevation features a central archway with plain wrought-iron railings forming a gate to the entrance, and a plain plaque above. Sloping sides are flanked by blind rectangular windows on the ground floor, with smaller blind windows above. A projecting, corbelled course leads to a low parapet, above which is a partially concealed roof with a platformed centre. The tempietto is composed of eight sandstone Tuscan columns supporting an ornate, moulded frieze with a corbelled cornice, topped by a lead cupola with a metal finial.

The temple’s roof structure is timber-framed, with a bell-cast lead roof for the main body and a lead dome for the tempietto; the interior features a red brick dome. Internally, the walls are plain stone and brick, with a flagged floor.

The Temple is located north of the main house, situated at the end of a tree-lined vista and enclosed by a timber fence with wrought-iron railings at each entrance. Historical records, including maps and parish histories, document the temple's design and setting.