"in case of nuclear attack"

Walked from Peebles to Cardrona first thing.   Lovely walk down the Tweed, passing opposite Kingsmeadow House.  

Kingsmeadows House was built at cost of £600 for Baronet Sir John Hay of Smithfield and Haystoun and his family. His second son Adam, a banker, later extended the house and the estate. 

It was bought in 1920 by Harry Mitchell of the Mitchell tobacco manufacturing family of Linlithgow and was later used as an emergency maternity hospital during the second world war. 

Standard Life bought it in 1952 as a temporary office “in case of nuclear attack” and also to store duplicates of key records.   After that they used it to provide subsidised holiday accommodation for staff.    

What is going to happen to it now is not clear.