The Pineapple

A day of mixed sunshine and showers

We took our granddaughters to visit my sister in law and her sons but on the way we stopped off at the Pineapple near Airth and then the Falkirk Wheel. 

The ‘Pineapple’ was a building containing a hothouse which was built into the wall in 1761 by John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore. The hothouse, which was in the ground floor of the building, was used, among other things, for growing pineapples. Additional heat was provided by a furnace-driven heating system that circulated hot air through cavities in the wall construction of the adjoining hothouse buildings. The smoke from the furnace was expelled through four chimneys, cleverly disguised as Grecian urns. The upper floor, which is at ground level when approached from the raised northern lawn, contained two small cottage-like apartments, or "bothies", for the gardeners.  

The Falkirk wheel area was packed with visitors and although I had seen the Wheel in action before, I was still amazed at the incredible simplicity of its design. Well worth a visit if you are ever in the area.