Prestonfield House

55.936426°N 3.157475°W / 55.936426; -3.157475

Prestonfield House
General information
LocationPrestfield Road, Edinburgh
Opening1960s
Other information
Number of suites23
Number of restaurants1
Website
www.prestonfield.com

Prestonfield House is a five-star boutique hotel located in Prestonfield, Edinburgh.

Prestonfield House was originally built in 1687 by architect Sir William Bruce,[1] and was once considered a wealthy rural estate, but in recent decades has come to serve as a hotel.

Although it falls on the small side as an establishment, having only 23 rooms, Prestonfield House is well renowned by hotel and hospitality critics.[2][3]

The hotel is situated on grounds at the foot of Arthur's Seat, and it also owns a large roundhouse, which was previously used for keeping horses. The stables were repurposed and are now used to host events, including the Taste of Scotland festival.[4]

History

Originally known as Priestfield, the site was once a wealthy monastery, founded in 1150 by Henry, Earl of Northumbria.[5]

In around 1510 Walter Chepman built Priestfield House on the site. Thomas Hamilton, Lord Prestonfield was clearly living in the house in 1607, when he adopted Prestonfield as his title as a Senator of the College of Justice.[6]

James Dick bought the house in 1671. This was burned down during an anti-Catholic riot in 1681. Dick employed Sir William Bruce to design a replacement building, which was then renamed Prestonfield, distancing it from its Catholic connections.[7]

The house remained the home of the Dick baronets for many centuries.

In 1751 the house was inherited by Sir Alexander Dick[8] from his elder brother William and his eccentric wife Anne Dick. The Dick family continued to modify and improve the estate, adding paintings, a grand new staircase with reception rooms and a porte-cochère. Most notably, the stable house was built in the 19th century, as designed by James Gillespie Graham.

The estate was converted for use as a hotel in the 1960s and, in 2003, the hotel was bought by restaurateur James Thomson.

  • Prestonfield House, as viewed from Holyrood Park
  • Prestonfield House, as viewed from the grounds
  • Lavish internal décor
  • Dick family portraits inside the House

References
  1. Porter, Darwin; Prince, Danforth (2009), Frommer's Scotland (11 ed.), Frommer's, p. 101, ISBN 978-0-470-47075-6
  2. "PRESTONFIELD - Updated 2019 Prices, Hotel Reviews, and Photos (Edinburgh)".
  3. "Luxury 5 Star Boutique Hotel, Edinburgh | Prestonfield House Hotel". www.prestonfield.com.
  4. Taste of Scotland.
  5. "Luxury 5 Star Boutique Hotel, Edinburgh | Prestonfield House Hotel". www.prestonfield.com.
  6. An Historical Account of the Senators of the College of Justice
  7. "Luxury 5 Star Boutique Hotel, Edinburgh | Prestonfield House Hotel". www.prestonfield.com.
  8. "Dick, Alexander" . Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.


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