St Margaret’s Hope (Admiralty House)

Occupants 1916 to 1996

Occupants of St Margaret’s Hope with note of distinguished visitors and mention of ‘works’ items – 1916 to 1996

31 May 1916	St Margaret’s occupied on lease by Lady Bradford (wife of Vice Admiral Bradford) comprised: Dining Room, Smoke Room, 6 Bedrooms, 3 Servants Bedrooms, Food Cellars, Kitchen and Pantry. Electric light by oil engine on premises, shed for motor car, 2 cottages at Lodge and 5 other cottages. Rent £130 pa.
June 1916	Estimate prepared for: taking down east side of house and rebuilding; alterations to rooms and redecoration; improvements to cellars, roads, drains and fencing; installing central heating system and. building new motor garage – total £17,500. Landing stage £1,000.
9 June 1916	St Margaret’s offered for £11,500.
June 1916	North Cliff – taken as temporary residence for C-in-C Sir Frederick Hamilton GCVO KCB, furnished, at £40 per month. (This had been occupied by Admiral Hood)
7 July 1916	Admiralty approved expenditure of £10,500 on St Margaret’s.
13 July 1916	St Margaret’s, including the furnishings, taken over under provisions of the Defence of the Realm (Consolidation) Regulations 1914. Cottages similarly taken over on 18 July 1916.
23 August 1916	Tender of £426 accepted for heating and hot water installations. Electric bulbs and wiring (Callenders) £52.15.0Plumber work accepted (Cochrane, Leith) £261.1.3Fixing kitchen ranges (Carron Co) £83.19.9
December 1916	Lodge, originally 2 houses, altered and occupied by the gardener to the C-in-C. The Welldean Cottages numbered 5, and one house was temporarily occupied by the gardener. This house has since been altered to provide Battery and Engine Rooms, as well as providing one extra bedroom to the adjoining house which is occupied by the C-in-C’s Butler. The third house has been formed into a garage. The fourth and fifth houses are unoccupied.
February 1917	Work on C-in-C’s Jetty stopped owing to difficulty of obtaining labour and urgency of need to complete Port Edgar.
March 1917	Flagpole and Tabernacle approved at cost of £152.
April 1917	North Cliff House vacated by C-in-C. Davits fitted to Jetty (ex HMS TRIUMPH). St Margaret’s occupied by C-in-C Sir Frederick, Hamilton GWO KCB. Rateable value £210.
July 1917	Turf for gardens brought from Hawkcraig, Aberdour (name of gardener D Mason)
4 October 1917	Admiral Sir Frederick Hamilton GCVO KCB, died.
3 October 1917 to 24 Mar 1919	Succeeded by Admiral Sir Cecil Burney GCMG KCB.
October 1917	Proposal to convert a bedroom over kitchen on the first floor into a bathroom for female servants at cost of £45 rejected. Sink and cupboard installed for £20!
November 1917	Approval to purchase house.
February 1918	Purchased by Admiralty at £5,500 plus £540 for buying out the Superiority of Feu (charged to Vote 10 subhead 9). Disposition dated 6 and 8 June 1918. Vendors W C Elder and his son, W H Elder. Superiority purchased from the Trustees of the late Henry Aitken and Mrs Margaret Orr.
June 1918	Conservatory to Smoking Room added at cost of £159.10.0.
August 1918	Tennis Court added £96 (En-Tout-Cas). Marking tapes and pins £25. (Converted to all weather surface in 1986).
February 1919	New fireplace in Drawing Room proposed at £250 Folding doors in Drawing Room £ 75 Enlargement of Servant’s Hall £130 Stable for pair of horses £150
March 1919	Admiral Sir Cecil Burney vacated on 24 March 1919, having installed a bath (now in the Orkney suite) for £7.10s at his own expense! 31 March 1919 to 27 Feb 1922 Succeeded by Admiral Sir Herbert Heath KCB.
March 1919	Approved for fireplace £250 Draught-proof curtains £ 44 Servants hall improvements £200 Stable £356 Total £850 Work Completed May 1919.
November 1919	House visited by the Shah of Persia. Screen erected in footman’s room £12.10.0.
September 1920	Landing steps and approach road constructed at cost of £630.
May 1921	Proposal to increase size of laundry at £115. Stable door widened at cost of £17. House visited by HIH The Crown Prince of Japan.
October 1921	Annual costs of maintenance for previous 3 years, £564 pa.
January 1922	House connected to Admiralty mains at cost of £763.
22 Feb 1922	Admiral Sir Herbert Heath vacated house.
March 1922	House occupied by Captain Noble RN (Chief of Staff) on abolition of post of C-in-C Coast of Scotland and decided to sell or lease house. Advertised in Scotsman, Glasgow Herald and Times. With reduction of the Navy in Scotland the house was let to a private tenant from 22 May 1922 – Mr J G Watson. Tenant died 31 December 1931. His widow terminated lease on 15 May 1932 but subsequently decided to take a new lease until approximately 15 May 1938.
15 May 1938 to 19 November 1938	house re-modernised at a cost of £1,364.
22 July 1937 to 3 August 1939	House occupied by Rear Admiral E C O Thomson GB DSO, known as the Rear Admiral and Commanding officer Coast of Scotland.
3 August 1939 to 14 Apr 1942	House occupied by Admiral Sir Charles Ramsey KCB.
15 April 1942 to 1 June 1944	House occupied by Admiral Sir Wilbraham Ford KCB KBE.
1 June 1944 to 16 July 1946	House occupied by Admiral Sir William Whitworth KCB DSO. Known as Flag officer Scotland and Northern Ireland.
17 July 1946 to 30 June1948	House occupied by Admiral Sir Frederick Dalrymple-Hamilton KCB.
1 July 1948 to 31 July 1950	House occupied by Vice Admiral Sir Ernest Archer KCB CBE. House was then temporarily vacated as Flag Officer Scotland and Northern Ireland and Admiral Superintendent’s posts became one, and Vice Admiral Sir Angus Cunninghame Graham. KBE CB, the then Admiral Superintendent, continued to live in Castlandhill House. St Margaret’s was converted into two Married Quarters. The Chief of Staff, Captain R J 0 Otway-Ruthven DSO RN took up residence in one half on 15 September 1951 and Commander (S) I G Mason RN in the other half on 15 October 1951.Captain Otway Ruthven vacated on 28 July 1952 and was succeeded by Chief of Staff Captain R B Honnywill RN on 3 August 1952.Commander Mason vacated his portion on 17 September 1953 and was succeeded by Commander (S) R T Owen OBE RN on 20 September 1953.
November 1953	St Margaret’s House again required for a Flag Officer; Chief of Staff, Captain Honnywill, vacated his portion on 12 November 1953, and Commander Owen his portion on 17 November 1953.
15 February 1954 to 28 February 1956	House reconverted to a single residence and Rear Admiral W G A Robson CB DSO DSC, Flag officer Scotland, lived temporarily at Castlandhill House during reconversion, moving into St Margaret’s on 15 February 1954.
1 March 1956 to 29 Jul 1958	House occupied by Vice Admiral Sir John Cuthbert KBE CB.
10 March 1956	House renamed from St Margaret’s Hope to Admiralty House.
30 July 1958 to 28 November 1959	House occupied by Vice Admiral J D Luce, CB DSO OBE.
3 December 1959 to 19 September 1961	House occupied by Vice Admiral Sir Royston Wright KCB DSC*.
19 September 1961 to 25 June 1964	House occupied by Vice Admiral Sir Arthur Hezlet KBE CB DSO* DSC, as Flag officer Scotland and Northern Ireland.
26 June 1964 to 19 July 1966	House occupied by Vice Admiral Sir David Gregory KBE CB DSC*.
19 July 1966 to 18 Jun 1968	House occupied by Vice Admiral Sir John Hayes KCB OBE.
12 October 1967	Visit by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh who lunched at Admiralty House.
18 June 1968 to 5 May 1970	House occupied by Vice-Admiral Sir Ian McGeoch KCB DSO DSC.
9 May 1969	Visit by HRH Princess Alexandra.
5 May 1970 to 18 July 1972	House occupied by Rear Admiral D A Dunbar-Nasmith CB DSC.
10 July 1971	Visit by HM Queen Elizabeth, the Queen mother, who lunched at Admiralty House.
18 July 1972 to 14 Aug 1974	House occupied by Rear Admiral M N Lucey CB DSC.
14 Aug 1974 to 30 June 1977	House occupied by Vice Admiral Sir Anthony Troup KCB DSC*.
19 July 1976	Lieutenant The Prince of Wales lunched at Admiralty House.
27 November 1976	HM Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, lunched at Admiralty House and planted a tree.
30 June 1977	House occupied by Vice Admiral Sir Cameron Rusby KCB, MVO.
25 November 1979	House occupied by Vice Admiral Sir Thomas Baird KCB.
27 Jan 1982	House occupied by Vice Admiral R R Squires.
6 December 1983	House occupied by Vice Admiral Sir Nicholas Hunt KCB, LVO. Extensive interior redecoration.
1 October 1984	HM Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, lunched at Admiralty House and planted a tree.
10 May 1985	House occupied by Vice Admiral Sir George Vallings KCB 20 October 1986 Admiral Sir Nicholas Hunt KCB LVO, CINCFLEET and CINCHAN hosts lunch for Lord Carrington Sec Gen of NATO and Major NATO Commanders at St Margaret’s Hope.
20 October 1987	House occupied by Vice Admiral Sir Jock Slater KCB, LVO.
8 May 1988	HRH Lieutenant The Prince Andrew, Duke of York stayed overnight before joining HMS Edinburgh.
27 June 1988	HM The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh lunched at St Margaret’s Hope during visit to the Royal Navy at Rosyth.
6 February 1989	HRH Lt The Prince Andrew, Duke of York and HRH The Duchess of York lunched at St Margaret’s Hope and planted a tree.
14 February 1989	House occupied by Vice Admiral Sir Michael Livesay KCB.
17 April 1991	House occupied by Vice Admiral Sir Hugo White KCB CBE.
11 Nov 1992	House occupied by Vice Admiral C C Morgan.
1996	House handed over to the Scottish Executive and then leased out to a private company, Universal Steels.

compiled from Bob Cubin’s notes.

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