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House of Dun

House of Dun

House of Dun
4.5
10:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Thursday
10:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Friday
10:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Saturday
10:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Sunday
10:30 AM - 4:30 PM
About
The House of Dun is more than just a historic house, the Dun Estate boasts some wonderful walks, lively nature and fantastic views over the Montrose Basin. The Estate has amassed some fascinating features from over the years including an icehouse, the family mausoleum, the ruins of Dun Castle, a Neolithic monument and two walled gardens. During a tour of the house you will find out what life was like for the people living there, both above and below the stairs. One of the keynote features of the property is the astounding plasterwork in the salon. The plasterwork is a real statement by the family, and is teaming with detail and symbolism. With most of the collection on display being original to the house, you can be guaranteed an authentic view of how the people of the house lived. The property also has an excellent cafe and a separate gift shop. The cafe serves cakes and meals that will be suitable for almost anyone’s dietary needs.
Duration: 2-3 hours
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  • Roddy T
    Linlithgow, United Kingdom4 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    House of Dun Victorian Estate Manager shows us round the building
    They have guided tours round the house where the guides dress as someone from the history of the house. Our guide, Colin, was playing the part of a mid Victorian estate manager. He looked every inch the part. Colin came over as well informed and enthusiastic. He was able to answer all our group's questions. Indeed he seemed pleased that we interested enough to ask him things. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit, the best guide I have had in 30 years of going round properties.
    Visited October 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 13 October 2023
  • Jeff
    3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great tour guide!
    Our tour guide (Carol or Caroline, I think) was really entertaining and informative. She was really good with my 8 year old son, making him her helper on the tour, which made his day. It's a really interesting house and Carol was able to bring the history of the place to life. The grounds are a lovely place for a wander as well and it's well worth a family day out. Thanks!
    Visited October 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 14 October 2023
  • Trevor S
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Five-star guided tour!
    The estate was spotless with ample car parking. We got a lovely warm welcome from Fiona in the shop. However the tour guide, who was dressed as a Victorian estate manager, was exceptional. Knowledgeable, funny, and happy to answer numerous questions from our eight-year-old daughter. It was the tour guide that made this a five star visit. I had read reviews of the house tour prior to arrival, however the guide still exceeded my expectations.
    Visited November 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 20 November 2023
  • Bexyates
    Brechin, United Kingdom36 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    One of our favourite places
    Since moving close to the area we have visited on numerous occasions as we love it so much! Beautiful house, stunning walks, amazingly helpful and friendly staff everywhere! The tour of the house by ‘William Young’ was fantastic and they always have events on. The cafe is great, the toilets are warm and spotlessly clean and the shop has lovely stuff! To top it off it’s so dog friendly and my two dogs love it there too!
    Visited November 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 26 November 2023
  • CLE68
    Perth and Kinross, United Kingdom489 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Excellent in every way
    Visited for the first time today - 27.1.24 and went on the guided tour at 1:15 led by Colin. Our whole experience at House of Dun was fantastic. Colin was an exceptional guide - friendly, welcoming, knowledgeable and really brought the history of the house alive. We loved the tour. Fiona was so helpful when we phoned before our visit to check availability of the tour and she was so welcoming when we arrived. Staff and food in the cafe were great. The house, gardens and Folk museum are really interesting and well worth a visit. Longer walks in the extensive grounds are available. We will definitely return. Thank you for a great visit and well done to an exceptional staff team who are a credit to NTS.
    Visited January 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 27 January 2024
  • Lynn B
    6 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Wonderful day out!
    House tour was AMAZING and so were all the staff. I also have to disagree with a previous review; we found the staff in the cafe extremely pleasant. We had a lovely, fresh homemade soup for lunch and good quality coffee. Lovely walks of varying degrees of difficulty; what a wonderful find!
    Visited February 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 11 February 2024
  • Lucy W
    12 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great place to visit
    Visited House of Dun for the 1st time today. Thoroughly enjoyed our visit/tour. Colin was an exceptional tour guide, very informative & kept us entertained. Will definitely visit again. Cafe was also very good, staff very friendly.
    Visited February 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 11 February 2024
  • Yvonne S
    Inverness, United Kingdom3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    An enjoyable day out
    We visited House of Dun yesterday for the first time. We thought it was a beautiful property and our tour guide Colin was a fountain of knowledge and extremely personable. My sister took her 11 year old twin boys and they really enjoyed it too. We had some tasty food in the cafe and followed it with a lovely walk along the well maintained tracks through the woods. Definitely a place we will visit again in the summer.
    Visited February 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 17 February 2024
  • Have dog will travel
    Aberdeenshire, United Kingdom23 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Pleasant Sunny Sunday visit
    We decided to visit on a sunny Sunday and was not disappointed. Our guide, who was the charater of the Estate Manager from the Victorian times, was amazing. Very informative, friendly and very knowledgeable. Had a lovely lunch in the cafe too. Only disappointment was when we took a walk to the church. The family graves are in a mess, bearly readable, moss growing on them and rotting leaves all over. They have painted the fencing which makes me wonder why they wouldn't tidy the whole area.
    Visited February 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 19 February 2024
  • Robert W
    9 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Visit to House of Dun
    Coffee in the small coffee shop and short bread great. Tour around the house with Colin dressed in character a must. Good information and facts. Interesting House and gardens. Enjoyable event.
    Visited February 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 24 February 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

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4.5
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JennieB58
Southampton, UK90 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2021
What an amazing experience from start to finish!! Warmly welcomed, at the ticketing booth, we were instructed where to go for our house tour to start and the group was nice and small so you saw everything. All the fascinating guides/actors were really bringing the story alive, and so considerate to my deafness in these mask wearing current circumstances, and everyone was just so engaged and interesting all the way through. From the kitchen to the dining room, to the butlers quarters then into the family rooms, the whole thing was one of the best tours I have done, and very reasonably priced too, given we paid almost twice as much at Scone Palace for a quarter the experience! The coffee shop was good value too and the shop was full of interesting items, and nice to find it not too over-priced. The gardens are beautiful and and you can wander around everything but the house tour for free. Heartily recommended
Written 22 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

K8Amy
Aberdeen, UK9 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2023 • Family
We visited today with a 9 year old and 7 year old and went on the tour of the house where our tickets outlined we were applying for a job within the house. The guides were friendly, well-informed, and remained in character, telling us all about the family history and the roles of the staff throughout the ages. At the end of the tour, we were rewarded with a penny as a fair salary for our work, which was lucky as we ended the tour by a visit to the fairy garden complete with a wishing well.

We would highly recommend, and we will return again in another season to see the changing flowers within the gardens.
Written 4 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

kenmlove
Glasgow, UK281 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2021 • Couples
Came today with my husband enroute to a little break in Aberdeen. The 1pm tour was full but the lovely lady in the shop/booking office took our number and said she would call if they had any cancellations. 10 mins later she called and we were able to join. She was so friendly and explained in detail how the tour worked. She even took us outside and showed us where to go.

The tour was fantastic and we had 3 incredible guides, all in costumes and all in character for the whole tour. Each of them where incredibly knowledgeable and the man was also very funny. They were also very kind to an older deaf lady and her daughter and showed real class and customer service skills.

The house is lovely as are the gardens. Really enjoyed hearing all about the history and the murderous uncle.

Keep up the great work and thank you for making us feel so so welcome.

Ken & Nick
Written 29 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Paul Stallard
2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2022
Probably our best standard of tour guide yet, at an NTS property. We've been NTS members for years now and we never tire of visiting The House of Dun. The staff always try so hard to make everyone's visit an absolute delight - they never disappoint!!
I think we were the first to tour the house at 11:30 on Wednesday April 20th this year. It was just us two and Mr Allen in period dress. A very interesting, informative and entertaining tour which even saw us access the room where bits and bobs are stored in the left hand door as you end the tour - in there is a wonderful decoupage screen of unknown origin but which is fantastic work and it's a pity it isn't on display.
Thanks again and we'll see you again before too long we hope - meantime the two 1p pieces from 1900 that we were gifted as we left, are safely stored.
The Chef wasn't well but we'll get a meal next time.
Well done and thanks again.
Written 21 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sarah H
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2022 • Family
I would highly recommend this place, for a start the tour guide was first class, he fairly acts the part and keeps you interested. The women in the gift shop was extremely nice and welcoming. We have been there 2 times already and we will definitely be making it a 3rd time I really feel highly about this place!!!
Written 28 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Mike A
Dundee, UK1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2023 • Couples
So glad that we decided to drive up to Montrose and visit The House of Dun. We booked an hours tour and were met by Colin who played the role of Mr Young the Handyman/ Gardener. He was quite brilliant at playing the part. He was extremely well informed and articulate and told the story snd history of the house in an informal and entertaining way. He certainly made the tour a most entertaining experience. I would highly recommend a visit to this house as the furnishings and artefacts are extremely well maintained as are the many outbuildings, walled garden and grounds, cafe and amenities. Well worth a visit.
Written 25 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ross and Eleanor
Keith, UK72 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2022 • Family
Gorgeous house and grounds with interesting exhibitions. Very helpful staff. We explored the grounds and the exhibitions in the side building but did not explore the house because it was a sunny day and we didn’t want to leave our dog in the car (although she was welcome everywhere else and we completely understand why dogs cannot go in the house). The only thing which took the shine off our visit were the awful garage -style sandwiches in the cafe, especially as the scones and cakes were delicious. However, we loved the honesty shop and enjoyed doing the jigsaw we bought!
Written 6 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

John D
Irvine, UK192 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2024 • Family
This was a return visit for use, having really enjoyed the last trip. This is a National Trust for Scotland property, free to members. Highly recommended joining as we recouped our annual membership fee visiting properties over this single weekend. We spent a bit more time walking in the extensive grounds and gardens this time, and enjoying views over the Montrose Basin. The Angus Folk Museum is in the courtyard of the house and well worth a look around. The highlight of the visit though was the tour of the actual house (admission to the house is only tour). This was done by a guide in character (this time it is was the housekeeper). The tour lasted around an hour, starting on the ground floor before going upstairs and finishing 'below stairs' in the basement. The guide was fantastic - enthusiastic and knowledge with a clear passion for the house. I picked up different information this time from previously and it's clear that there is so much to talk about in each room that every visit will probably be different depending on guide and audience.
Written 17 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Graham J
Dundee, UK9 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2022
The house and gardens are really well-maintained and presented. The tour of the house was a fascinating visit, brought to life by the very informative tour guide, who was dressed and acted as a character of the time, Mr Young. There were still plenty of flowers in bloom in the formal gardens, despite it being the middle of October. The cafe provided very welcome drinks, cakes and light lunches on a cold day. All in all, a really enjoyable visit. Thanks to all the NTS team at the property. We'll be back!
Written 17 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

bdon257
Morpeth, UK5,445 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2021 • Couples
We visited The House of Dun for the first time and enjoyed a guided tour of the house by three members of staff in period costume. The tour was interesting, informative and humorous the staff were knowledgeable and pleasant throughout. The house benefits from still possessing around 80% of its original furniture and artefacts. It is a lovely property and is certainly worth a visit.
Written 8 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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HOUSE OF DUN (2024) All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

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