Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / United Kingdom / St Andrews / Rufflets Hotel
Rufflets Hotel
St Andrews, Fife, United Kingdom · Independent · Accessible Luxury
Rufflets is a country-house hotel on the edge of St Andrews, gardens, fine dining, and golf-country rooms in Fife.
- 24 rooms
- Opened 1952
- Neighborhood: Town Centre
- Architect: Donald Mills
About Rufflets Hotel
- It was built in 1924 as a private home for Anne Brydon Gilroy, widow of a Dundee jute baron, designed by architect Donald Mills, her initials still on a keystone.
- The land was known as 'Ruch Flets,' or rough flat lands, since 1642 when it belonged to the Priory of St Andrews.
- In 1952 George and Margaret Cook with Anna and James Meldrum converted the mansion into one of Scotland's first country house hotels.
- It remains family-owned into a third generation and celebrated its centenary as a private home in 2024.
History
Rufflets was built in 1924 as a private home for Anne Brydon Gilroy, widow of a Dundee jute baron, to a design by Dundee architect Donald Mills – her initials, ABG, still adorn a keystone. The land had been known as 'Ruch Flets,' or rough flat lands, since 1642, when it belonged to the Priory of St Andrews.
In 1952 the turreted mansion was bought by George and Margaret Cook with Anna and James Meldrum, who converted it into one of Scotland's first country house hotels. It remains family-owned into a third generation, set in ten acres of gardens near St Andrews, and celebrated its centenary in 2024.
Restaurants and bars
- Rufflets Brasserie — Restaurant
Experiences
- Afternoon Tea — Afternoon Tea is served between 2pm and 4.30pm daily.
- Croquet — Battling it out with colleagues over a polite game of croquet, offered as a meeting with a difference.
Amenities
- Croquet lawn for team games
Awards
- AA Four Red Stars (2025)
Open Rufflets Hotel in the atlas for live weekend rates, photos, and the full folio.
More hotels in St Andrews
- Old Course Hotel, Golf Resort & Spa — Marine & Lawn · Accessible Luxury
- Fairmont St Andrews — Fairmont · Core Luxury
- Rusacks St Andrews, a Marine & Lawn Hotel — Marine & Lawn · Core Luxury