House of Dun
The House of Dun is a Georgian house built in 18th century that is set among Victorian gardens and woodlands and adjacent to the Montrose Basin Nature Reserve. It is home to the Hutchison and Stirling collections of paintings and furniture, including 30 paintings by prominent Scottish artists. It was originally built for David Erskine, Lord Dun, from 1730 to 1743 and was home to generations of Erskines until 1947. It functioned as a hotel until 1985.
Guided tours of the House of Dun last just over an hour and talk about the construction of the home while pointing out a variety of ornate plasterwork and period equipment, such as a boot bath from the 1800s. The surrounding gardens are a must-see, as part of the landscape has been reconstructed to what it would have looked like in the 1740s.
Practical Info
The garden and estate surrounding the House of Dun are open daily from 9 a.m. to dusk. The house itself is open March 30-June 30 and September 1-30, Mondays to Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m.; July 1 to August 31, Saturdays to Wednesdays, 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and October 1 to November 29, Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 2:30 p.m. Admission is 10.50 pounds.
Strathtay Buses serve the House of Dun and the Montrose train station is three miles away. It is a 45 minute drive from Aberdeen.