Mavisbank House

Sir John Clerk's father, the first Baronet of Penicuik, planned a house on the Mavisbank estate in the late 17th century, for which a drawing of 1698 survives.

[6] The foundations were laid in 1723, with construction entrusted to the mason and contractor John Baxter Senior, with stone carved by William Sylverstyne.

[9] Ownership of the house remained uncertain, however, as Stevenson had sold portions of the property to three possibly fictitious persons in the United States.

[14] In 2008, Historic Scotland examined two options: stabilisation of the building as a ruin; or creation of a "developer's shell", which could be sold and completed by a third party.

[15] The Mavisbank Trust continues to work with the community, Historic Scotland, Midlothian Council and Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust to find a sustainable future for Mavisbank which respects its natural and built heritage value whilst providing greater access to the local communities.

A local campaign group, Friends of Mavisbank, has been formed with the aim of promoting some limited architectural intervention, while improving public access to the estate.

[16] In 2016, Historical Environment Scotland removed Mavisbank House and garden from their Scheduled Ancient Monument list.

In May 2024, the Trust was awarded a grant of £5.3 million by the National Heritage Memorial Fund, to be used to stabilise the building and to enable up-to-date surveys of its condition to be made.