Fife - Hill of Tarvit Mansion House and Garden

The mansion at Tarvit (2.5mi/4km to the south of Cupar) has been faithfully restored by the National Trust for Scotland. Sir Robert Lorimer designed the property for the wealthy railroad executive and art collector Frederick Sharp. The original building, the work of Sir William Bruce (1696), did not meet the needs of the new owner who required more room for his collection of fine furniture, tapestries, Chinese porcelain, Dutch masters and paintings by Raeburn and Ramsay.

The Edwardian south side of the country house overlooks Lorimer's terraced gardens. Flemish tapestries (17th century) and Scottish and English oak furniture (17th/18th century) adorn the wood- paneled hall. French furniture in the Lounge displays hints of Roccoco, while the Georgian Dining Room has a distinctly Palladian atmosphere. Scotstarvit Tower on the estate dates from 1579.