Dunmore Pineapple

A few hundred years ago, if you wanted to splash the cash and show off your wealth to all your neighbours and pals, then building a folly was all the rage.

However around the same time pineapples were also ridiculously expensive as they were difficult to grow and transport. You couldn't just nip down to your local Asda and pick one up for a quid (or a few shillings). So back then the pineapple was also considered a symbol of wealth and status.

So imagine the absolute swagger and audacity of whoever decided to combine a folly with a pineapple! Someone did and the result is the Dunmore Pineapple.

The Dunmore Pineapple sits within a walled garden in Dunmore Park near Airth in Stirlingshire. It was commissioned in 1761 by the absolute legend called John Murray who was the 4th Earl of Dunmore, however the architect is unknown.

The adjoining walls actually contained glass houses to grow exotic fruits, no doubt including pineapples, and there were also houses for gardeners too. Imagine having live-in help just so you could have pineapple on your pizza!

If you still need to be impressed more then the pineapple stands 14m tall and we read originally it was gilded (covered thinly in gold)!

Another great thing is that the Dunmore Pineapple and walled garden are open to the public if you fancy swinging by for a visit. But it gets even better. You can even have a holiday inside the pineapple!

The pineapple is owned by the National Trust for Scotland, but managed by the Landmark Trust who offer it out for short stay accommodation.

We don't usually promote places to stay, but this one was too unusual to not tell you about. Here is a link to book your holibobs in the Dunmore Pineapple. Pics above from the Landmark Trust.

Another little titbit for you is that John Murray (the 4th Earl of Dunmore chap) had served as Governor of Virginia and when sailors came back from trading voyages in the Caribbean, they would place pineapples on their gateposts to announce their return.

Once you're done here then just around the back of the pineapple is a ruined building called the Elphinstone Tower which is definitely worth a visit.