Newhailes Estate warns walkers of giant hogweed

Newhailes Estate warns walkers of giant hogweed

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Work is under way to tackle giant hogweed which has been springing up around historic Newhailes estate in Musselburgh.


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Bosses at the visitor attraction, which is run by the National Trust for Scotland (NTS), have warned visitors to take care and avoid the plants.

Contact with the sap can cause photodermatitis, resulting in burns and boils on the skin.

They are also urging dog owners to keep their pets on leads around the estate.

The plants will be chemically sprayed over the next few weeks until the problem is under control.

A spokesperson for the NTS said: “Giant hogweed is an invasive species which is widespread across many parts of Scotland. We’re carrying out work to control the plant at Newhailes over the next few weeks and we’re just reminding visitors to take care and avoid the plants. It’s also a good idea to keep dogs on a lead too.”

Newhailes House, which has been owned by the NTS since 1997, fell into disrepair after the Second World War.

It originally dates to the 1680s.

In 1709, the estate was purchased by the powerful and influential Dalrymple family in the form of Sir David, 1st Baronet of Hailes, who served as Scotland’s Solicitor General and Lord Advocate.

In the decades that followed, Newhailes came to be seen as one of Scotland’s most beautiful Palladian-style country houses, set among extensive, landscaped grounds.

It was claimed that the English writer Dr Samuel Johnston described its library as “the most learned drawing room in Europe”.

Newhailes became a centre of attraction for many figures involved in the Scottish Enlightenment and a location for many fevered conversations on society, politics, economics, art and science that helped shape the world.


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