Fascinating material providing a missing link in the history of Arbroath’s Hospitalfield House has emerged in perfect time for a special open doors event this weekend.
The papers, undiscovered for decades, are set to take the spotlight at an open day on Sunday when visitors can take the opportunity to access the grand rooms of the house, the Hospitalfield grounds and see a number of other attractions.
The Patrick Allan-Fraser papers were found behind an old metal chest during a review of the reserve collection and director Willie Payne described the find as the “ultimate cross reference” in a significant chapter of the Hospitalfield story.
“This discovery is completely out of the blue. They were found down the back of one of the fixtures which has a sizeable lid and may have slipped down behind it when it was opened,” he said.
“Some of the material is in poor condition, but the exciting stuff is in good condition.”
The hope is that the papers, once fully documented, will help provide a relatively intact narrative of the transition from Major John Fraser the last of the males in the family to Patrick Allan-Fraser, who acquired the estate through marriage.
Included are details of transactions which were carried out in relation to Hospitalfield at a time when women were not allowed to hold title to property. Among those was the permission given for a railway running through Hospitalfield, an issue which later led Patrick Allan-Fraser to launch a lawsuit.
The day will also feature a selection of high calibre arts and crafts exhibitors. The kitchen will have sandwiches and refreshments on sale and members of the HOPE Garden Trust will be joining the event.
Tours of the house will take place hourly and the Arbroath Abbey Timethemes group will be performing twice for visitors, along with a talented young Russian pianist.
The last open day in March was a huge success, with 250 visitors arriving to explore Hospitalfield’s curiosities.For more information visit www.hospitalfield.org.uk