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Inglewood House, is an Arts and Crafts style Jacobean mansion house built in 1895, located on Tullibody Road, Alloa, Scotland. It is currently a luxury boutique Hotel with restaurant and spa.

Background
On 11th November 1895, Alexander Forrester Paton signed an agreement to buy land at Inglewood, Alloa. The sum of £5,500 purchased some 20 acres of land from the Earl of Mar and Kellie on which the new Forrester Paton family home was built.

Architects, Sydney Mitchell and Wilson (Scottish architects) designed the Jacobean mansion in the Arts and Crafts style. In addition to their commissions in Alloa, this firm designed many important public and private buildings throughout Scotland. The house was accessed via two impressive avenues, one of which had spectacular gates. Each avenue started at one of the gate houses, one built for the Head Gardener and the other for the coachman (Now East and West Lodge). Inglewood House stands on a low rise from the road leading from Alloa to Tullibody and commanded superb, uninterrupted views over agricultural land to the River Forth and beyond.

Inglewood house was competed in 1901. Alexander Forrester Paton (1853-1915), his wife Jean (1952 – 1921) and their children Ella, Alexander, John, Mary and Ernest moved in to enjoy their new home. When Jean died in 1921, John Paton, his wife and their children Ian, Doreen, Anne and Jean moved into Inglewood. The eldest son, Alexander did not inherit the house, as he had previously been gifted Gean House, which can be found just to the west of Inglewood, as a wedding present from his parents. Gean House was designed by William Kerr and built in 1912.

Paton Family
John Paton, founder of the firm of Patons, came to Alloa from the Easter Pitgober Estate and set up his first woolen spinning mill on the Brathir Burn in 1814. From that small business developed a world famous brand which became a household name with mills as far afield as China and Tasmania. From John Paton’s children grew a dynasty of Thomsons, Thomson Patons, Forrester-Patons and Procters. As the family business, in which they were all involved, grew more successful, they became wealthier and their homes grander. Most of their splendid mansions have survived today, though what became the Patons & Baldwins Empire eventually declined and ended when Kilncraigs closed in 1999.

The business began as two separate companies, founded in the late 1770’s by John Paton and James Baldwin of Halifax, England. Both individuals had separately formed their businesses using the spinning mule developed by Samuel Crompton. Both companies produced mainly yearns for commercial knitting machines.

The two companies merged in 1920, Patons and Baldwins, and diversified into producing wool for home knitters as well as publishing knitting patterns under the “Paton Rose” and “Baldwins Behive” and other trademarks. By the mid-1930s, the company had establishments across Scotland and the North of England, including factories at Billingham and Jarrow, and also in Canada, New Zealand, and a large factory in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia. The Paton family were regarded as generous benefactors in the town of Alloa, where they provided funding for a significant range of public building projects, including the town hall, public libraries, a school, a swimming pool and gymnasium.

Architecture & Design
Architects, Sydney Mitchell and Wilson (Scottish architects) designed the Jacobean mansion in the Arts and Crafts style. In addition to their commissions in Alloa, this firm designed many important public and private buildings throughout Scotland. The house was accessed via two impressive avenues, one of which had spectacular gates. Each avenue started at one of the gate houses, one built for the Head Gardener and the other for the coachman (Now East and West Lodge). It stands on a low rise from the road leading from Alloa to Tullibody and commanded superb, uninterrupted views over agricultural land to the River Forth and beyond. Set in 20 acres of land, Inglewood House also has its own duck pond and woodland. Inglewood House was finished internally by the famous Glasgow Company, interior designers and skilled cabinet makers, who are best known for designing the interiors for Skibo Castle in the Scottish Highlands.

Inglewood House incorporates many stunning interior features including a two storey galleried reception hall complete with full height stained glass window and minstrels’ gallery, ornate cornice work, decorative staircase and balustrade, south facing stone balcony and a timber Victorian conservatory. Additionally, large inglenook fireplaces form a decorative feature throughout in many of the rooms, and a practical means of retaining fireside heat.

Inglewood House is a category A listed building.

After the Patons
The Forrester Patons were devout Christians. Alexander Forrester Paton himself was a leading light in the temperance movement in Scotland. His son, Dr Ernest spent most of his life in India where he worked as a missionary. Another son, John, became a Moderator of the United Free Church of Scotland. This, perhaps, accounts for the fact that john gifted Inglewood to the Church of Scotland in 1948. The house was then used as an eventide home until its closure in 1992.

In 1995, Ceteris, acquired the now semi derelict house from the Church of Scotland. The house was renovated and many features were restored to their original glory. In June, 1997, the Moderator of the Church of Scotland, the Right Reverend Sandy MacDonald officially opened Inglewood House Business and Conference Centre.

In August 2014, Inglewood House was purchased from Ceteris to be converted into a luxury boutique Hotel with restaurant and Spa.

Inglewood House and Spa
In September 2014 work commenced to turn Inglewood House into a luxury boutique hotel with restaurant and spa.

The hotel features a restaurant, bar, private dining room, 2 large function rooms, 6 stunning bedroom suites, full spa & gym and a hairdressers within the original house. Within the grounds, 10 log cabins will be created to provide additional accommodation.