Sarah and I were heading up to Midmar, to visit Sarah’s cousins for a few days. Due to coronavirus, it has been a few years since last visited.

On our way up, we popped into National Trust for Scotland‘s House of Dun. The house lies just outside Montrose.

It was a bit of a wet afternoon when we drove up the drive to the entrance.

Entering the courtyard, you are met with a Georgian country house built by William Adam for David Erskine, Laird of Dun.

The estate was the home of the Erskine family between 1375 and 1980.

That said, work was begun on this particular house in 1730.

To enter the house you book tickets on a tour. So, Sarah and I quickly popped into the cafe for some lunch and then made our way over to the meeting point for the next tour.

We were greeted by this gentleman in period costume.

A knock on the door and the door is opened by second costumed guide, ‘Isabella’ the cook.

We are taken around her Georgian kitchen and pantry.

We were informed the house isn’t actually as large as it might seem. However, the absolute maximum use of available space is made to make it appear bigger than it really is.

The house went some internal remodelling and modernisation by Lady Augusta Fitzclarence, who was the daughter of William IV and the actress Dorothy Jordan, following her marriage to John  Kennedy Erskine.

Perhaps the finest aspect of the house is the spectacular plasterwork by Joseph Enzer in the saloon . complete with hidden Jacobite symbolism

There are both classical scenes and family emblems, and hidden Jacobite symbolism, which magnified the importance of the Erskine family for their guests to admire.

Lady Augusta Fitzclarence was also responsible for bringing in the family furnishings and enhancing them with her embroidery and woolwork.

After visiting the house we headed outside to the formal gardens.

The gardens have been restored by the Trust to the original design as laid out to the designs of Lady Augusta in the 1840s.

The courtyard building are now home to the Angus Folk Collection. This is new visitor experience, celebrating the people of Angus and bringing their stories to life.

This 1723 sundial on the lawn is actually older than the house itself, but it was also made for Lord Dun.

These stone steps and pillars, yew hedges and parterre were all also added by Lady Augusta, though the urns on top of the pillars are actually modern reproductions.

The view from the south terrace provides an excellent down to the Montrose Basin and beyond.

Finally, lining the walls are pears and Scottish varieties of apples, which have been trained as espaliers. 

Finally, it was time to move on. It had been a brief visit and we hadn’t had time to take in the estate, nor take a walk down to Montrose Basin. However, brief though this visit may have been, it had been an enjoyable one. Recommended!