Black Barony

Black Barony, also known as Blackbarony, Barony Castle, and Darnhall, is a historic house at Eddleston in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. The house is currently operated as a hotel, and is protected as a Category B listed building. Nearby is the Great Polish Map of Scotland, a large relief model of Scotland.HistoryThe remains of a 16th-century tower house, built by the Murrays of Blackbarony, form the oldest part of the building. Sir Alexander Murray, 2nd Baronet, purchased the nearby estate of Cringletie in 1666. Sir Archibald Murray, 3rd Baronet (died c. 1700) was a soldier and from 1689 served as "Sole Master of Work, Overseer, and Director-General of their Majesties' buildings" to King William II and Queen Mary II, filling the post which had been vacant since Sir William Bruce's dismissal in 1678.The house was extended in the 18th century, resulting in the present facade. In 1771 Black Barony passed to the Murrays of Elibank, who retained ownership until 1930. Further enlargements were made in the 19th century, and in the first half of the 20th century the house was converted to hotel use. As of 2012, the hotel is operated by the Mercure Group, part of Accor Hotels.