Prestonfield House


Prestonfield House is a five-star boutique hotel located in Prestonfield, Edinburgh.
Prestonfield House was originally built in 1687 by architect Sir William Bruce, 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.
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.

History

Originally known as Priestfield, the site was once a wealthy monastery, founded in 1150 by Henry, Earl of Northumbria.
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.
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.
The house remained the home of the Dick baronets for many centuries.
In 1751 the house was inherited by Sir Alexander Dick 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.