Venue

A mansion located 2 miles (3 km) south southwest of Montrose, the present Dunninald Castle was built in the Gothic-revival style to the designs of architect James Gillespie Graham (1776 - 1855) for Peter Arklay in 1824.

Little remains of the first castle on this site - Black Jack's Castle, built in the 15th century for the Gray family. The second castle, an earlier Dunninald Castle dated from the 17th century and was also home to the Grays.

The beauty of Edzell was a statement of the prestige of its owners, the Lindsays.

The stylised walled garden was created around 1604. Adorned with heraldic sculptures and carved panels, the architectural framework surrounding the garden is unique in Britain. 

The garden also includes walled flower and nesting boxes and a delightful summer house.

Highlights

In 1898, Lieutenant Colonel Robert William Inglis gifted the Inglis Memorial Hall and its library to Edzell. The former library, which is considered to be one of the best preserved examples of a Victorian public library in the United Kingdom, has recently been restored and opened as a visitor centre. The library is open on most Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays from 2 - 4pm during July and August.

Situated 8 miles from Arbroath and 7 miles from Forfar on the A932, the House of Pitmuies is a category A-listed classically-styled mansion house that dates back to the late 1500s, though the grander west-facing front is believed to date from the 1680's and was "modernised" to the 18th century standard some two hundred years later. In the grounds, a Pictish stonecross slab bears witness to an earlier period of habitation and the name "Muies" is reputed to be that of a Viking raider who was killed here.