Described as the "most bizarre building in Scotland" this is a summer house built in 1761 with a first floor of cantilevered masonry in the shape of a realistic, prickly pineapple which is 45 feet high. Four chimneys are disguised as stone vases on top of an adjoining wall because the summer house was heated by a furnace which circulated hot air through cavities in the wall. There are 16 acres of gardens with an orchard and the property has been restored by the National Trust for Scotland - and can be rented as a holiday home!
Dunmore is just off the A905 road between Falkirk and Stirling. Parts of nearby Airth Castle (pictured above) date from the 14th century. Sir William Wallace rescued his uncle from the English in an earlier castle built on the same site. The present castle was built by the Bruce family but was burnt by King James III in 1488 before the Battle of Sauchieburn (during which he was killed). The castle was restored by his son, King James IV. The castle is now a hotel. The small village of Airth was supposedly founded by William the Lyon and although it is now a few miles from the river Forth, it was once a port and contains a number of 18th century buildings. There is a derelict church there with an aisle from around 1450.
