Dundas Castle

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Dundas Castle 2007

Dundas Castle is a castle in the parish of Dalmeny in the West Lothian administrative division of Scotland . The 15th century castle with extensive additions from the 19th century had been the seat of the Dundas clan since the Middle Ages , who sold it at the end of the 19th century. The current lord of the castle is the politician and businessman Sir Jack Stewart-Clark .

history

The name Dundas is derived from the Scottish Gaelic Dùn Deas (English: southern hill or beautiful hill). In the 11th century, King Malcolm III. the lands of Dundas and other areas in Lothian to Gospatric, Earl of Northumbria , who had fled north to escape William the Conqueror . After his death, the lands of Dundas fell to his grandson, Waldeve , who bequeathed them to his relative Helias around 1180 . Helias got his last name from his lands and thus became the progenitor of the Dundas family. The Dundases and their descendants would later own large areas of Mid and West Lothian .

In 1416, James Dundas received a license from the Duke of Albany , then effective ruler in Scotland, to build a donjon . This donjon was expanded in 1436 so that it became a residential tower with an L-shaped floor plan. The donjon served as a home in peacetime and as a fortress in war. There is evidence that Oliver Cromwell stayed at Dundas Castle in 1650, around the time of the Battle of Dunbar . A statue of him still stands outside the donjon today.

In 1818 James Dundas had the parts of the building from the 17th century torn down and rebuilt in the Tudor-Gothic style according to plans by the famous architect William Burn . Burn also designed many churches and his influence can be seen throughout the building. Burns' plans for the parade rooms included huge windows that looked out over the lawns and parkland outside.

The construction of the buildings and the extensive gardens had cost so much that in 1875 the Dundases were forced to sell the castle and the lands. The buyer was William Russell . The property was sold again in 1899, along with five farms and 6.1 km² of land to Stewart Clark , a respected philanthropist who owned a textile company in Renfrewshire . Clark's son, John, took both of his names in honor of his father; so his full name was John Stewart-Clark . In 1918 he was appointed baronet.

During World War II , Dundas Castle served as the headquarters for the protection of the Forth Bridge . Since 1995 the castle was owned by Sir Jack Stewart-Clark, the great grandson of Stewart Clark. Stewart-Clark was a member of the European Parliament from 1979 to 1999 .

Renovations and conversion to a hotel

Loch Dundas in winter

When Sir Jack inherited the property from his mother in 1995, it was pretty shabby. He initially wanted to sell it, but then decided to start a restoration program. The donjon , which was uninhabited for over 300 years, received a new parapet and its walls were restored; electrical lines, heating, toilets and a kitchen were installed. The brown rot in the castle itself was removed, the drawing room, the library and the dining room were redecorated. The castle is now a 5-star hotel that is often booked for weddings.

There is a holiday home on the castle grounds called The Boathouse , which is near Loch Dundas. It is considered a 4-star self-catering establishment.

Dundas Castle is one of the Unique Venues of Edinburgh and Luxury Edinburgh .

Location for film and television

Dundas Castle was used as a backdrop in the films The Little Vampire (2000), Summer Solstice (2005) and Clive Barker's Book of Blood (2009). It has also been in commercials for Arnold Clark and connections between T4 shows from Channel 4 used.

Gallery images

  • Drawing by Thomas Shepherd (1829)

  • The Boathouse

  • Another view of the lake

  • On the property

  • Entrance to the property

  • On the property line with the Forth Bridge in the haze in the background

Individual references and comments

  1. ^ Iain Taylor: Place-names of Scotland . Birlinn, Edinburgh 2011.
  2. ^ Rev. John Anderson: The Scots Peerage . David Douglas. 1906. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  3. ^ A b History of Dundas Castle . In: Website fon Dundas Castle . Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  4. ↑ Victoria Masterton: Dundas Castle owner Sir Jack Stewart-Clark on his drive to be a success . October 16, 2013. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  5. ↑ The source calls James Dundas "Henry Dundas". But a contemporary source calls him "James Dundas".
  6. ↑ Dundas Castle . In: Gazetteer for Scotland . Retrieved June 27, 2017.
  7. ^ European Parliament MEPs . Eu Parliament. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
  8. ↑ 5 Star Exclusive use venue . VisitScotland.com. Archived from the original on August 1, 2008. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
  9. ^ Dundas Castle on Unique Venues of Edinburgh . uniquevenuesofedinburgh.co.uk. Archived from the original on March 12, 2012. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved June 27, 2017. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / uniquevenuesofedinburgh.co.uk
  10. ^ Dundas Castle on Luxury Edinburgh . luxuryedinburgh.com. Retrieved September 13, 2010.

Web links

Commons : Dundas Castle  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 55 ° 58 ′ 31 "  N , 3 ° 24 ′ 53"  W.