Author reveals remarkable story behind estate’s ruins
1887. When they married, a contract was drawn up stating he would never be entitled to the £ 80,000 fortune that Margaret would inherit one day.
“The marriage was turbulent as David wanted control of the money. In 1910 she divorced him, which was not socially acceptable at the time.
“He moved to England and she lived on at Cammo with her two sons, Robert and Percival.”
He added: “In 1915, Margaret and the boys travelled to New Zealand, Australia and Japan. While they were overseas, their estranged father died.
“It’s not known what happened between Margaret and her eldest son on this trip but Robert refused to return home with them, and went to live in the United States. “She promptly wrote him out
of her wi l l, a decision he would continue to challenge unsuccessfully until his death in the US in 1986.”
Although they continued to travel, Margaret and Percival led a reclusive life at Cammo, only venturing out to get groceries and shop at Jenners.
Headstrong Margaret ended up in the cells overnight after she refused to reveal to the government the amount of funds held by her in banks in America and Canada.
Simon said: “Margaret dressed from head to toe in black, earning herself the nickname the Black Widow. She and Percival were inseparable and would go to Jenners, where staff would bring items to a private room for them to peruse.
“Percival was obsessed with cars. He would drive them until they were done and then dumped them behind the house to rot.
“The pairmight have been quite a sight. She was a formidable woman who stuck to her guns, hence why she ended up in jail for refusing to declare her worth.”
He added: “When she died in 1955, aged 95, Margaret was buried under the lawn to the west of the house. This was the last interment in private ground in Scotland.
“After her death, the estate, which was already very run down, was estimated to be worth £ 500,000 and passed in its entirety to Percival, much to the distress of Robert, who would have probably done a better job of preserving Cammo House than his brother.
“For the next 20 years, Percival let the house go to rack and ruin, letting his 30 dogs run wild and defecate in all the rooms, while he lodged in the gate lodge with the Little family.
“After Margaret’s death, Cammo became the target of looters, who carried off many valuable antiques, furniture and paintings.
“Percival didn’t try to stop the burglars because he was afraid they would hurt his dogs – and one morning he was found tethered to a tree after being attacked by them.”
After his death in 1975, Percival bequeathed the house to the National Trust for Scotland but it was in such a bad state of repair they didn’t know how to proceed.
Twice in 1977, the house was set on fire deliberately by vandals and in 1979 it was semi-demolished.
In 1980, the National Trust giftedgifted Cammo for £1 to Edinburgh District Council. They, in turn, founded the UK’s first wilderness park, a country walking area for the people of Edinburgh.
Simon, whose book is available for pre- order, said: “It’s devastating what happened to that beautiful house. So much social history and architecture lost and destroyed. What remains reveals nothing about its former splendour or the people who lived there.
“I hope my book will help bring the history of Cammo back to life and make the people who visit the estate every day think about the infamous MaitlandTennents who gifted them their park.”