Dalhousie Castle

Cockpen, United Kingdom

Dalhousie Castle was the seat of the Earls of Dalhousie, the chieftains of Clan Ramsay. The patriarch of the clan was Simundus de Ramesie (Simon of Ramsey), an English knight of Norman descent from the Huntingdonshire village of Ramsey. Simundus, a vassal of David, Earl of Huntingdon, followed his lord to Scotland in about 1140, when David inherited the Scottish crown. He is considered the founder of the Ramsay clan and the first to have lands at Dalwolsey.

The first castle at Dalhousie was constructed by him. The red stone castle is situated in a strategic spot overlooking the River Esk. The drum tower, the oldest part of the current structure, an L Plan Castle, dates to the mid 15th century. The majority of the current castle dates to the 17th century. There was originally a dry moat surrounding the castle. The moat was later filled in but partially excavated in the late 20th century.

Dalhousie Castle has seen much history. King Edward I (Longshanks) stayed at the castle on his way to meet Sir William Wallace at the Battle of Falkirk. In 1400, Sir Alexander Ramsay withstood a six-month siege at Dalhousie by English forces led by King Henry IV. Oliver Cromwell used the castle as a base for his invasion of Scotland. Many Earls of Dalhousie have taken an active part in British political and military leadership.

Around 1800, Walter Nicol designed the new layout of the walled garden.

At the turn of the 20th century, the seat of Clan Ramsay was moved to Brechin Castle, although the Ramsay family continued to retain ownership of the castle until 1977. At the time of the sale, Dalhousie had been in the same family for more than eight centuries, longer than any other castle in Scotland. Throughout the 20th century, the castle was leased out to a series of tenants, including a boarding school. In 1972, the castle was converted into a hotel. In 2003, Dalhousie Castle was purchased by the Von Essen Hotels company.

On 26 June 2004, a major fire erupted in the castle's roof area. The building was evacuated and the Lothian and Borders Fire Brigade were called to extinguish the blaze. The damage was significant but limited to a relatively small area of the building, and no major structural damage occurred. The damage was repaired and the hotel resumed normal operations.

In April 2011, Von Essen Hotels fell into administration. In March 2012, it was announced that Robert Parker, owner of Doxford, Eshott and Guyzance Hall in Northumberland, had purchased Dalhousie Castle for an undisclosed sum.

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Cockpen, United Kingdom
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Details

Founded: 15th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in United Kingdom

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.3/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Sarah Thompson (2 months ago)
Review of the spa. The whole spa is very tired and tatty, extremely cold, and very limited in space. Desperately in need if a refurbishment. The relaxation room is particularly awful , but the changing room is a close second fir badness with lots of black mould in the showers. The facilities are limited and difficult to use, the day we went the lacomiun was not Working, the steam room is tiny, and the hydrotherapy pool cold, on top of which you have to get out if it to press the start buttons fir the jets which switch off frequently. The massage treatment was OK, but the room in not particularly nice. No sense of luxury anywhere.
matthew brierley (2 months ago)
We stayed in one of the Superior Suites for New Year, and there were not enough words to describe how fantastic and beautiful the suite was. Each member of staff was there to help with anything they could, every part of the experience was absolutely faultless. From breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, evening meals, organised activities, every part was simply amazing. Cocktail classes, laser clay pigeon shooting, birds of prey, whisky tasting, the list goes on. The food was off the charts and beautiful in every way possible.
Carole Godin (3 months ago)
Stayed for a 3 day Xmas break and absolutely loved it. Great food and excellent service. The gala dinner was superb. Helpful and friendly staff. Our room was on the top floor with fantastic views and loads of space. Everything you need and spotless. Would definitely recommend.
Oli Hutt (3 months ago)
The staff were all great - very friendly and helpful. But as nice as the setting is, it's over-priced. The food in the Dungeon restaurant was very nice, but pricey for what you got. The rest of the food (breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the Orangery) wasn't very good. Very bland and cheap ingredients. The sauna wasn't working and based on the other reviews it never is. Some of the furniture is falling apart and I don't mean the old furniture - I'm aware it's an old castle - but a couple of the chairs in our room were really falling apart and we had to get someone to come and fix the taps in the bathroom (which they did very quickly and the maintenance person was really helpful). I don't want to understate just how great all the staff were; everyone we saw or spoke to was wonderful. The place just needs a bit of investment to justify the prices. At the moment, I wouldn't recommend it.
Riley Souza (3 months ago)
This castle is nothing short of amazing. Top notch staff, views, location, etc.. I 1000% recommend staying a couple nights here. When you do ask for Jon to give a tour through the hidden passage ways. He is Super knowledgeable of the castle. The Kitchen staff was superb and very patient with my kids. Food was really good!
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