Monimail Tower Project Ltd
Monimail Tower Project Ltd is a small environmental charity that offers opportunities in environmental and horticultural education; carries out organic gardening and woodland work with volunteers; maintains the historic buildings and walls; and models a sustainable lifestyle. It has a small group of residents, 4 acres of walled gardens, 12 acres of woodland and a renovated 13th century tower, once part of a summer palace used by the ancient bishops of St Andrews
Monimail Tower
The tower is a beautiful grade A listed building with three floors over a basement. There is living accommodation on the ground floor, a museum on the first floor, a meeting room (The Blue Room) above and a viewing terrace on the roof. A major programme of works were carried out 20 years ago reinstating the exterior lime harl and applying a naturally pigmented limewash so the tower glows with ochre and raw sienna. You are welcome to visit the museum and roof terrace, please be aware that all visitors enter the tower at their own risk and need to take care on uneven stairs and close to low parapets. Visitors are responsible for their own safety and that of their children. The meeting room is available for hire, please esquire by email.The tower is a remnant of a much larger palace, built in the thirteenth century and used by the Archbishops of St Andrews including Cardinal Beaton. In the 16th century the palace became derelict but the tower was restored, the upper parts of the tower date from this time including the portrait roundels on the parapet.
The estate was sold to Robert Melville in 1592, 100 years later the 1st Earl of Melville built a classical mansion called Melville House to the south of the tower and the palace remains were left as picturesque ruins. However in the 1820’s the land around the tower was turned into the walled gardens and most of the ruins were buried.
Walled garden and orchard
The walls
The garden and orchard walls are 3m to 5m in height and demonstrate very fine examples of whinstone rubble work, with sandstone copes. The walls have been repaired and maintained by the Monimail Tower Project using traditional mortars. In addition there are whinstone walls on the terrace below the orchard and along the boundary of the woodland. These walls are the current focus for repair and we are applying for grant funding.
The high walls enclosing the garden and orchard create a microclimate within them. These warm, sheltered areas are ideal for growing fruit and vegetables. Originally the garden walls contained a heating system and there were glasshouses to further benefit from extra heat. These have been replaced by polytunnels. The walls have been used to grow espalier fruit trees which are still productive today
Orchard
There are approximately 25 fruit trees in the orchard: apples (cookers and eaters), pears, plums, crab apples and crab pears. Two of the apple tress are listed as Veteran trees in Ancient Tree Inventory of the Woodland Trust.
The walls at Monimail were built in 1825, so we are now approaching the 200 year anniversary and are planning a celebration to mark this. Check the events page nearer the time to see what will be happening.
Garden and allotments
It is a beautiful south facing walled garden, which currently hosts a number of allotments and is open to visitors a few times per year. Keep an eye on the blog to see if there are any free spots in the allotment, currently we are full.
The woods
The wood spreads over 12 acres. It is a home to a range of deciduous and conifer tree species. Several speciments, especially yews, were planted by the Melville family at the end of 19th century and are listed in the Ancient Tree Inventory of the Woodland trust. The woods are full of snowdrops, blue bells and wild garlic at various times of the year.
