Dundas Castle is a 15th-century castle, with substantial 19th-century additions by

William Burn William Burn (20 December 1789 – 15 February 1870) was a Scottish architect. He received major commissions from the age of 20 until his death at 81. He built in many styles and was a pioneer of the Scottish Baronial Revival, often referred ...

, in the

Dalmeny Dalmeny () is a village and civil parish in Scotland. It is located on the south side of the Firth of Forth, southeast of South Queensferry and west of Edinburgh city centre. It lies within the traditional boundaries of West Lothian, and ...

parish of

West Lothian West Lothian (; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, bordering (in a clockwise direction) the City of Edinburgh council area, Scottish Borders, South Lanarkshire, North Lanarkshire and Falkirk (council area), Falkirk. The modern counci ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. The home of the Dundas family since the Middle Ages, it was sold in the late 19th century and is currently the residence of politician and businessman Sir Jack Stewart-Clark. The tower house and the adjoining Tudor-Gothic mansion are listed separately as Category A buildings, and the grounds are included in Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland. Dundas Castle South Front with Porch

History

The name Dundas comes from the Gaelic ''dùn deas'', meaning 'south hill' or 'pretty hill'. In the 11th century, the lands of Dundas, along with other land in Lothian, were granted by King Malcolm Canmore to paternal first cousin Gospatrick, the earl of

Northumbria Northumbria () was an early medieval Heptarchy, kingdom in what is now Northern England and Scottish Lowlands, South Scotland. The name derives from the Old English meaning "the people or province north of the Humber", as opposed to the Sout ...

, who had come north to escape

William the Conqueror William the Conqueror (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), sometimes called William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England (as William I), reigning from 1066 until his death. A descendant of Rollo, he was D ...

. The lands of Dundas passed to his great-grandson Waldeve, who granted them to his kinsman Helias in a charter dating from around 1180. Helias took his surname from his lands, becoming the first of the Dundas family. The Dundases and their cadets would later come to own much of Mid and West Lothian. In 1416, James Dundas obtained a licence from the

Duke of Albany Duke of Albany is a peerage title that has occasionally been bestowed on younger sons in the Scotland, Scottish and later the British royal family, particularly in the Houses of House of Stuart, Stuart and House of Hanover, Hanover. History ...

(then the effective ruler of Scotland) to build a

keep A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residen ...

. This keep was extended in 1436, making it into an L-plan. The Keep served both as a home in times of peace and a fortress in times of war. Regent Arran gave a tip to workmen building the "Place of Dundas" in July 1544. On 13 August 1553 in the great hall, James Dundas gave his infant daughters Elizabeth and Jane gifts of silver plate.

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...

is known to have stayed at Dundas Castle around the time of the Battle of Dunbar in 1650. A statue of him remains standing outside the Keep. In 1818, James Dundas had the 17th century portion of the building pulled down and rebuilt in a Tudor-Gothic style by the renowned architect

. Burn also designed many churches and this influence is visible throughout the building. Burn's designs for the main state rooms allow for huge windows that look out on to lawns and parkland outside. The building and extensive gardens had cost so much to construct that the Dundases were forced to sell the castle and lands in 1875. The buyer was William Russell. It was again sold in 1899, when it was bought along with five farms and of agricultural land by Stewart Clark, the owner of a

Renfrewshire Renfrewshire () (; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. Renfrewshire is located in the west central Lowlands. It borders East Renfrewshire, Glasgow, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire and West Dunbartonshire, and lies on the southern ba ...

textile company and a respected philanthropist. Clark's son, John, took the double-barreled surname 'Stewart-Clark' in honour of his father, and he was made a

Baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

in 1918. During the Second World War, Dundas Castle served as the headquarters for protecting the Forth Bridge. Since 1995, the castle's owner has been Sir Jack Stewart-Clark, the great-grandson of Stewart Clark. Sir Jack was a

Member of the European Parliament A member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been Election, elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the European Coal and S ...

between 1979 and 1999.

Facilities

By the time Sir Jack inherited the property from his mother in 1995, it had deteriorated substantially. He initially considered selling it, but instead chose to embark on a programme of restoration. The Keep, uninhabited for over 300 years, had its parapet rebuilt and its stonework restored, and it was installed with electricity, heating, toilets and a kitchen. The dry rot in the castle itself was removed, and the drawing room, library and dining room were redecorated. The castle is now a 5-star exclusive venue, often used for weddings. In the grounds of the castle is a holiday cottage called the Boathouse, situated on the shore of Dundas Loch. It is a 4-star self-catering venue. Dundas Castle is a member of Unique Venues of Edinburgh and Luxury Edinburgh

Film and TV location

Dundas Castle has been used as a backdrop in films ''The Little Vampire'' (2000), ''Summer Solstice'' (2005), and '' Book of Blood'' (2009). It appeared in The Weeknd's music video ''

Popular (The Weeknd, Playboi Carti and Madonna song) "Popular" is a song by Canadian singer the Weeknd, American rapper Playboi Carti, and American singer Madonna. It was released on June 2, 2023, through XO and Republic Records, originally serving as the second single from '' The Idol, Vol. 1'' ...

'' (2024) during the 15 second mark. It has also been used for adverts for Arnold Clark and T4’s links between shows.

Gallery

File:MA(1829) p.316 - Dundas Castle - John Preston Neale.jpg, 1829 drawing by Thomas Shepherd File:The Honeymoon Suite - geograph.org.uk - 543908.jpg, The Boathouse File:Dundas Loch - geograph.org.uk - 543903.jpg, Another view of the loch File:Parkland, Dundas Castle. - geograph.org.uk - 44285.jpg, Part of the grounds File:Dundas Castle Estate - geograph.org.uk - 543831.jpg, Entrance to the estate File:Wheatfield, Westfield Farm. - geograph.org.uk - 44287.jpg, The edge of the estate, with the Forth Road Bridge in the background

References

External links

* * {{coord, 55, 58, 31, N, 3, 24, 53, W, type:landmark, display=title Castles in Edinburgh Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes Category A listed buildings in Edinburgh Country houses in Edinburgh Listed castles in Scotland

Castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...