Mr Haldane’s Hermitage: Re-discovering a Late 18th Century Immersive Poetry Tableau at Airthrey Estate, Bridge of Allan, Stirling, a Case of Disguising East India Company Profits

Abstract

This article explores a previously unrecorded, late 18^th century grotto in the grounds of the former Airthrey Estate, Stirling (now Stirling University) that appears to have been constructed to provide the physical setting for an immersive rendering of Oliver Goldsmith’s poem The Hermit (also known as ‘Edwin and Angelina’ from Chapter 8 of Goldsmith’s novel the Vicar of Wakefield where it is described as ‘ballad’). The article describes the structure and its history and places it in context of then fashionable Scottish garden design trends.