Here comes the Dun: work starts on major project

The project will convert under-utilised space in the house’s courtyard area to create a new home for the Angus Folk Collection. This space will tell the wider stories of the Dun estate, the county of Angus and its impact on Scotland’s history; explore the lives of rural communities; and celebrate the estate’s important natural heritage.

Work on the project was delayed due to the pandemic, but we expect to open the house to the public in mid-June this year. The refreshed House of Dun will feature multi-sensory interpretations on subjects ranging from toys of the past and the Declaration of Arbroath to hidden Jacobite secrets and agricultural heritage, as well as costumed story-telling, new cafés and shops.

The £714,000 project has been made possible thanks to the legacy of Dr Sheila Bain, members of the National Trust for Scotland’s Patrons’ Club, the Angus Members’ Centre and other generous donors who prefer to remain anonymous.

The National Trust for Scotland’s Chief Executive, Phil Long said: ‘It is with enormous pleasure that we’re finally able to begin work on House of Dun. In terms of scale and ambition it’s the largest project that we’re embarking on this year.’

Phil continued: ‘Its reopening will no doubt contribute to the growing interest in the east coast of Scotland as a destination for visitors created by other important cultural landmarks such as V&A Dundee, the newly expanded Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museum, and nearby Glamis Castle and Hospitalfield House.

‘More than any other property, it will bring together everything that the Trust does. House of Dun presents wealth and extravagance alongside agricultural toil, with both as important as the other to the story of Scotland. This place is as much about the manicured, ornamental gardens that surround the Georgian house as it is about Montrose Basin Nature Reserve and its abundance of wildlife. We love this place and we hope to shine a new light on a hidden gem.’

The garden and estate at House of Dun are open daily. We hope to reopen the house and courtyard in mid-June 2021. Please keep an eye on the website for further updates on the project.