At Dundas we like to ‘tick boxes’. If you were to ask the Dundas team members which boxes the installation of our new minstrels' gallery would ‘tick’ you’d get a few different answers…
The Croquet Match by Sir John Lavery, 1893... I’m something of an art fan and in particular have always been enthralled by 19th century portraits and landscapes. The Castle has an impressive collection and at every turn there is another beautiful picture to enjoy. My favourites include ‘The Orchard’ hung in the Summer Bedroom, the Portrait of Sir Jack’s Sister, ‘Norina’ which you can see in the Drawing Room and of course ‘The Croquet Match’ painted by Sir John Lavery, which is on display in the Dining Room.
The Ivories catch Jill's eye... As a young girl I enjoyed tinkling on our family piano and when I was aged 8, my parents encouraged me to have piano lessons. From there it became a dream of mine to play on a grand piano. Aside from the stunning surroundings and wonderful interiors, one of the first things to catch my eye when I joined Dundas Castle, was the beautiful grand piano in the Drawing Room. I was simply itching to play it!
WW2 leaves its mark on Dundas... There is one part of the castle that has always enthralled me and that is the roof of the Auld Keep. The Auld Keep was built in 1416 by James Dundas as granted by Scotland’s effective ruler at the time, the Duke of Albany. Because the Auld Keep is very much the way that it was when it was built, you really feel as though you are part of the history and can easily envisage what it must have been like to live in the medieval tower when it was built.
There are many ways to create an event that will leave people talking. The content, of course, is primary as that is the main reason that the conference has been organised. The delivery of the content is what will help the participants remember what they are being presented and the theme is what will bring the two together to make the event work. An event planner will want to create an event that not only stands out from the rest, but provides a positive atmosphere that will be conducive to a successful conference.
The Castle is pleased to announce the completion of the latest 6 month project to enhance the castle and the guest experience... With the heavy snow fall that we experienced at the end of 2010 there were concerns over the wellbeing of the 12 llamas that we have here on the estate. Originally hailing from South America, our furry friends are more used to the Chile climes rather than the chilly ones. To remedy the situation the castle has been made into a llama friendly home. We are actively encouraging the llamas to come indoors into the castle when the weather is unfavourable.
One of our hallway chairs is leaving today to embark on a road trip to Skye. Our chair was talent spotted by Edinburgh based Locations 365 who provide location and production services for TV ads, films and events. Locations 365 were charged with finding a high backed solid wooden chair that is to be used in a Whisky advert for a Lithuanian client.
We’ve had an eventful year this year - we’ve been joined by 2 new members of the office team, 2 new members of the operations team, 4 new llamas, 1 new stable roof and celebrated our 1,000th wedding. And it doesn’t stop there...
We are feeling very festive here at Dundas Castle now that the tree is up in the hallway. Each year we choose our tree from the Hopetoun Estate and this year we have another full and perfectly formed tree hand picked by Marty, our Head Groundskeeper.
Our Marketing Manager, Siobhán Leith, returned safe and sound from a snowy but fantastic HIT Scholarship at De Vere’s Cameron House at the start of December. Siobhán spent 4 days staying at the hotel and working with the sales and marketing team to experience some of the running and back ground work that goes into the hotel.
Our Assistant Operations Manager, Ricarda Plews has just returned from a 3 day trip to Lausanne in Switzerland where she attended the Lausanne Hotel School. Ricarda was awarded a highly sought-after HIT Scholarship (Hospitality Industry Trust) which gave her a place at this prestigious school with likeminded scholars from all over Scotland.
We know that event organisers have to walk that fine line between creating an event that is inspiring and a little bit different, and yet is also tried and tested so that there are no ‘unwelcome surprises’. With this in mind we have launched some new and exciting activity packages that can be combined with a successful event held here at Dundas Castle.
At Dundas Castle we pride ourselves on creating something that little bit different for our client parties and the 2010 party was no exception. The theme this year was ‘Four Seasons in One Day’ and 180 clients were invited to enjoy the Castle on a warm summer evening on the 17th June. In partnership with our preferred suppliers who co-sponsored the event we created an evening that our guests will never forget. Little did our guests know that they were being invited to a venue party that had never been created before!
Sir Jack Stewart-Clark, owner of Dundas Castle is always adding to his collection of fine art and antiques. His most recent purchase was two new Grandfather clocks that have pride of place in the main house.
Sir Jack Stewart-Clark writes an introduction for the monthly 'Luxury Edinburgh' newsletter.
One of my favourite books is called ‘The Railway Man’. It was written by Eric Lomax and brilliantly describes his quiet traditional upbringing in Edinburgh and his subsequent but terrible experiences under the Japanese as a Prisoner of War. 
Luxury Edinburgh is a collaborative group of Edinburgh’s leading venues, hotels, retailers and visitor attractions. Dundas Castle is delighted to be part of this group along with other members such as Martin Wisharts’s restaurant, the Sheraton Grand Hotel and the retailer Harvey Nichols. By working together Luxury Edinburgh is able to offer exceptional, exclusive and tailored access to luxury.
Dundas Castle in Edinburgh is opening its doors to outdoor wedding ceremonies....
Recently Dundas Castle was proud to host the meeting of the 11th British Irish Council where leaders of the Devolved Administration including the First Minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond, attended a dinner along with leaders from Ireland and Wales.
As a traditional ‘5* Exclusive Use’ venue, Dundas was the perfect choice to host this prestigious event as the dinner was to have a Scottish theme.
