Broxmouth Park

Broxmouth Park is an 18th century mansion situated in East Lothian in Scotland. It was built at the site of the 1650 Battle of Dunbar, where Oliver Cromwell led his troops to victory over a Royalist Scottish army.

Broxmouth Park history

After the execution of Charles I in 1649, Scotland declared loyalty to his son, Charles II. The English dispatched an army to Scotland and, after weeks of manoeuvring and futile negotiations, the two sides met at Dunbar.

Although initially in the stronger position, the Scottish redeployed their forces allowing Cromwell to take advantage of the tactical situation and engineer a Parliamentarian victory. It was claimed that as many as 3,000 Scots lost their lives, and many more died later in prison or during forced marches. Broxmouth Park also is the site where Sir William Douglas’s gravestone lies after he was killed in the battle.

The mansion at Broxmouth Park itself was built for the Duke of Roxburghe in the late 18th century, with Queen Victoria paying a visit in 1878 when she planted a cedar tree in the grounds. She also had an iron staircase built at the back of Broxmouth to look over the grounds, the site of the famous battle and Cromwell’s Mount – from where the general directed his victory.