Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / United Kingdom / Bonnyrigg / Dalhousie Castle Hotel & Aqueous Spa
Dalhousie Castle Hotel & Aqueous Spa
Bonnyrigg, Midlothian, United Kingdom · Independent · Accessible Luxury
It remains Scotland's oldest continually inhabited castle, set within 11 acres of parkland on the banks of the River Esk. The castle's lineage dates back to the 13th century as the seat of the Ramsay Clan, famously hosting King Edward I, Mary Queen of Scots, and Queen Victoria. After centuries as a private residence and a brief stint as a boarding school, the fortress was converted into a luxury hotel in 1972.
- 35 rooms
- Opened 1972
- Neighborhood: Hopefield
About Dalhousie Castle Hotel & Aqueous Spa
- The 13th-century castle was the seat of Clan Ramsay for roughly 800 years, the longest single-family castle ownership in Scotland, until it was sold in 1977.
- It withstood a six-month siege by Henry IV's forces in 1400 under Sir Alexander Ramsay.
- Guests over the centuries included King Edward I in 1298, Mary Queen of Scots in 1563, and Queen Victoria in 1840.
- It became a luxury hotel in 1972 and remains Scotland's oldest continually inhabited castle.
History
Simundus de Ramesie followed David I to Scotland around 1140 and took land at Dalwolsey. William Ramsay of Dalhousie is on the Ragman Roll of 1296. Edward I slept in the castle in 1298 on his way to defeat William Wallace at Falkirk. In 1400 Sir Alexander Ramsay held a six-month siege against Henry IV's forces; a drum tower followed. The red-stone residence visitors see took shape around 1450 from stone quarried across the South Esk.
Mary, Queen of Scots, visited in 1563. Sir George Ramsay received a royal charter in 1618; his son William became Earl of Dalhousie in 1633. William later fought for Parliament and commanded at Marston Moor in 1644. In 1648, after a siege, Oliver Cromwell used the castle as a lowland base. Queen Victoria came in 1840. Clan Ramsay held the seat some eight centuries, longer than any other Scottish castle family, until they moved chiefly to Brechin and sold in 1977.
A boarding school occupied the fortress before it opened as a hotel in 1972, still called Scotland's oldest continually inhabited castle. Von Essen bought it in 2003; after that group's 2011 collapse, Robert Parker purchased it in March 2012. The Aqueous Spa and dungeon dining room sit inside Ramsay walls on eleven acres above the river.
The setting
9 miles from Edinburgh city centre.
Restaurants and bars
- The Dungeon Restaurant — Restaurant
Amenities
- Dungeon Restaurant (2 AA Rosettes)
- Aqueous Spa with hydro pool and treatments
- Falconry and Archery on estate grounds
- Themed historical suites and four-poster beds
- Event and wedding venues with a private chapel
- Complimentary Wi-Fi and luxury Temple Spa toiletries
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