Increasing Historic Heritage Resilience

The historic built environment of the Inner Forth has been shaped by the rich resources of the area, which is linked to the natural heritage present: from extensive coal and limestone deposits, fertile agricultural landscapes and, of course, the Forth itself, taking products of industry and agriculture around Scotland, the UK and beyond.

Cochrane Hall, Alva: 

The Climate FORTH project worked with Alva Development Trust at Cochrane Hall to increase the climate resilience of the C-listed building.  The hall is a locally important community hub, as well as being recognised for its unique architectural features. Opened in 1929, it was funded by the Cochrane Brothers, who were born in Alva, but subsequently moved to Philadelphia in the United States, where they became successful businessmen.  

 

Whilst Clackmannanshire Council own the listed building, it has been leased by Alva Development Trust since 2018, to advance community development and provide recreational facilities.

 

In recent times, however, the aging windows caused the building to lose heat and feel draughty – especially in winter. In November 2024, with funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, thanks to Lottery players, Climate FORTH and Alva Development Trust enlisted the help of Scottish Window Solutions to upgrade the old windows to new Crittall style windows. The windows complement the look of the hall and will improve the energy performance of the building, too.  

 

The works were completed in time for winter 2024. Cochrane Hall forms part in shaping a route-map to net carbon zero that could be replicated at similar critical community facilities across the Inner Forth and beyond.

 
Valleyfield is a remarkable lost garden, gradually decaying as a consequence of a lack of investment and prioritisation. The site has the potential to become a vibrant destination for the community and visitors from further afield, and along with Fife Council, work has been undertaken to uncover and unlock the heritage of the landscape.

Following months of clearing the site of vegetation and careful stonemasonry works, the Gardener's Cottage structure has now been consolidated and will soon feature a creative arts element to benefit and involve the local community. This artistic activity will share and promote the park's rich history - and links to famous Scottish Botanist, David Douglas (whom the Douglas fir tree is named after).

We encourage you to visit Valleyfield Woodland Park and take part in our interactive audio tour, which has been developed to bring this heritage site to life. DOWNLOAD and enjoy the content, which is available below:

VALLEYFIELD AUDIO TOUR

INTRODUCTION
Welcome to Valleyfield Woods.

The area has changed many times over the years – from grand estate, to industrial landscape, to community woodland. 

Its story reminds us that landscapes can recover, adapt and care for people again, especially when communities work together.

In this tour,  the voice of Scottish botanist David Douglas describes his story and points out features  around the estate.

As you move to different points on the paths, audio will start playing on the izi app.
We’ve also provided more links to extra information and activities in the descriptions on the app.
Thanks for being a nature adventurer and plant hunter.
We hope you will continue to act and care for all the nature you encounter and the beautiful places you live in and visit.
This trail is a Climate FORTH activity and has been brought to you by the Inner Forth Futures partnership and funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

WELCOME / DOUGLAS FIR

 Welcome to the Valleyfield heritage garden trail.  The trail starts at the Douglas Fir in front of you.  
This fir is native to North America and it’s one of the plants I brought over to the UK in 1827 – in fact, it’s named after me. 
My name is David Douglas and I’m your guide today. 
This one may be small, but Douglas firs can grow to be 55m high and live for more than 1,000 years.  
Although they’re not native to Scotland, Douglas firs provide habitat for our native red squirrels and pine martens.  
The seeds are eaten by finches and small mammals and spruce carpet and dwarf pug moths feed on the needles.  
Nature has always been fascinating to me. 
I was born in Scone, near Perth, in June 1799. My father was the stonemason on the new Scone Palace, and I attended the local school with my brothers and sisters.

It was a three-mile walk and many days I never made it as I was much more interested in the countryside, fishing and wildlife.  I would often rescue baby birds and animals to be my pets.
There are many beautiful birds in the garden here. Do look out for red squirrels in the trees.

GARDENER'S COTTAGE

The gardener’s cottage used to have two storeys and was the home to the head gardener of the estate. 
It was built in 1778, (the same year Captain Cook discovered Hawaii).

If you look up, you’ll see the date stone in the top corner. 

Originally it was next to the kitchen garden … now a community orchard.
Humphry Repton, the famous garden designer who planned Valleyfield, believed that kitchen gardens should be close to the house as they brought an understated beauty to the place.
Only ruins remain today, but thanks to work by Fife Council and the Climate FORTH project in 2026, these have been stabilised and the building is now strong enough to cope with whatever the weather throws at it.

ICEHOUSE, ISLAND AND STILLING POND

If you follow the old canal you will come to the icehouse, island and stilling pond.  

The icehouse up on the hillside was used by the Victorians for refrigeration.

It was north facing to keep it cool. 

Blocks of ice were taken in the winter from the canal and crushed, then salt water was added and lastly it was flushed through with fresh water. This process would solidify the ice, so that is lasted for up to two to three years and kept the temperature in the icehouse as low as –12 degrees Celsius. All the meat, poultry and fish for the estate were stored here – using just winter ice and clever design to keep food fresh.

Today we use electricity to keep food cold. The icehouse reminds us that good design, shelter from sun, and seasonal thinking can reduce our energy use.

The stilling pond on the east side of the decorative canal was a half-moon shape. On the west side of the canal was a boat house. 
The ladies of the house loved to take boat trips around the island and then picnic on it when the weather was good.  

WALLED FLOWER GARDENS

Sir Robert Preston – often locally known as Sir Bob – was the millionaire of his time. He married Elizabeth Brown and when they moved into Valleyfield House, he employed the world-famous romantic garden designer Humphry Repton to create a pleasure garden for his young wife and all the famous friends who would visit him.

This is the only Repton garden design in Scotland and so is of great historical and heritage importance. He designed this walled garden and canal you have arrived at. The walled garden was mainly for ornamental flowers.  These high walls trapped heat and blocked cold winds, creating a warmer microclimate. 

Today, gardeners still use shelter, trees and walls to grow food in a changing climate. Sir Bob owned the local coal field, so his coal was used to heat the wall to enable fruits and delicate plants to thrive. To have pineapple pits, and their fruits, was a real status symbol for any aristocrat. 

The Valleyfield estate was one of the early Scottish estates to experiment with heated pineapple pits. Some of these pits used bio-heat (heat from the ground) as well as coal heat to help the pineapples flourish. Of course, now it’s known that burning coal creates climate emissions and contributes to global warming.

It’s important for us to find renewable energy sources.

ARCHWAY

Repton’s famous quote of “the thorn is the mother of the oak” has become a tenet of rewilding, where thorny plants are used to protect young native saplings from overbrowsing by rabbits and deer. 

In this garden, Repton used bigger structures to stop rabbits and deer from destroying young plants. He designed three ha-has around the estate. These are ditches with a vertical stone or brick wall on one side up to 7 ft tall, and a gentle grass slope on the other. 

Cleverly, from inside the garden, they appear invisible — so the landscape looks open and uninterrupted. The Repton archway you can find is just near to one of the ha-has close to the walled garden.   

I’ll always be grateful to Sir Bob – he took me under his wing and let me read all the botanical books he held in his library. 

Even though I didn’t stay on at school, I was always curious and always loved learning about nature.  In fact, I learnt so much here I was recommended to work at the botanic gardens in Glasgow and from there I went onto work for the Horticultural Society as a plant hunter. 

WALK ALONG THE CARRIAGEWAY (up to the site of the big house)

This carriage way, lined with trees, was the grand entrance welcoming guests to the big house. The garden designer Humphry Repton wanted to create a scenic route to the house over two ornamental bridges. I would watch the carriages come in for parties and dinners. 

Sir Bob loved to entertain, especially at Christmas. It took eight men to carry the special Christmas pies into the dining hall. Walter Scott famously described Sir Bob as the size of two men, but with the appetite of three. 

He was known for his hospitality and was generous in sharing his food with his workers. Guests to Valleyfield included people like the painters Alexander Nasmyth and J. M. W. Turner, politicians including  Henry Dundas and writers like Sir Walter Scott  as well as the famous diarist traveller James Boswell. 

Although Boswell died before my time here, little did I imagine, I would become a famous traveller like him.  

It was while working for the horticultural society that, to my surprise, I ended up travelling the world to places no European had been to before. It was a fantastic opportunity but a dangerous exercise. 

On average, plant hunters did not survive more than a year at that time.  I travelled across America’s rough terrain for days with little food or water.  I met tribes of Native Americans, both friendly and hostile, and learnt their language.

 They thought me strange for collecting plants and nicknamed me Grass Man. I had to navigate fast-flowing rivers and frozen waste lands. 

My canoe once broke apart in rapids, and I lost four years of my work. That was not a good day. 

VALLEYFIELD HOUSE (site of)

The big house was built by Preston’s father between 1750 and 1770, but was not completed. 

Humphry Repton suggested building a new wing on the left-hand side of the house to make it symmetrical. 

This was completed in 1818.  

The house and estate were eventually sold to the East Coal Company in 1909. 

After the roof was taken off to avoid paying taxes, the house sadly decayed, and it was demolished in 1941.  

The rubble from the house was used to extend the docks at Rosyth as part of the war effort.

END OF THE TRAIL (back to the cottage) 

In 1833  I noted that “…We can be carried into regions where we contemplate the most glorious workmanship of nature, and where the dullest imagination becomes excited. We can travel through distant lands and become acquainted with the complexions and the feelings and the characters of mankind, under every form of life.” 

Today, my contributions are all around us. I brought back over 250 plants to the UK changing our landscape for ever. 

They included flowering current, lupins, California poppy and the Douglas fir which they named in honour of my work.  

Some of the plants I brought back thrived beautifully. Others taught us important lessons about how introduced species can change ecosystems. 

My work transformed gardens and forests throughout the world. The fir trees I brought back now cover the hills of Scotland and are used in the forestry industry for building.  

Congratulations you have come to the end of the trail! 

This trail is a Climate FORTH activity and has been brought to you by the Inner Forth Futures partnership and funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, thanks to Lottery Players.