Old Moray House
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
Surnames/tags: House_History Cowan
The Cowan Family In 1793/4 Charles Cowan leased the 'British Linen Court, Canongate', as a tea and paper warehouse. They had two sons, Duncan and Alexander, and a daughter, Margaret. After Charles's, then his wife's death, his sons managed the family businesses including those based in the Linen Hall.
A print of a painting by Kenneth McLeary dated 1839 shows the Cowan family in the garden of Moray House. They lived in considerable prosperity and had done much to maintain the house and its famous garden. The Thomas Shepherd prints of 1829 also show the improvements the family made to the house and the garden.
The family used the Cromwell Room (south facing) as a drawing room, and the Balcony Room as a music room. A door in the north east corner led to the Cowan's study.
The railings were put up around the Balcony in 1842 to avoid risk of an accident when Queen Victoria drove up the Canongate on her way to the castle. It is possible that the Balcony originally had a stone balustrade.
In May 1845 Alexander Cowan gave up the family's lease.
https://www.ed.ac.uk/education/about-us/maps-estates-history/estates/old-moray-house/history
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