WINTON HOUSE OPENS ITS DOORS IN EARLY APRIL
Sat 1ST and Sun 2ND April 2006
Winton House in East Lothian is opening its doors to the general public for a weekend of historical guided tours, light lunches with home baking in Café Winton, picnics in the gardens and woodland walks, and a rare opportunity to see the Seton Armorial, belonging to Winton although usually based in the National Library of Scotland.
On Sunday the walled and terraced gardens are open as part of Scotland's Garden Scheme (SGS) and all proceeds will go to Princess Royal Trust for Carer's and SGS affiliated charities.
Open from 12.30pm - 4.30pm
Gardens and Estate £2.50 per person; under 16's go free.
House Tours £2.50/£1.50 Concessions.
Architecturally, Winton is one of the most important houses in Scotland with its famous carved twisted chimney's and beautiful plaster ceilings. Passed between three important historical families over 500 years - The Setons, Hamilton Nisbets and Ogilvys - the House is filled with an abundance of treasures including Van Dyke paintings, Meissen china and Chippendale furniture.
Still lived in by Sir Francis Ogilvy and his young family the House provides the warmth and atmosphere of a family home whilst remaining a unique, memorable venue for a diverse range of corporate and private events.
The Seton Armorial is a historical book commissioned by George, the 5th Lord Seton, completed in 1591; it was written and painted by hand with an exquisite series of pictures of Scottish Kings and Queens and the Arms of 300 Scottish families.
Today Winton House is an increasingly successful corporate hospitality venue and won a World Travel Award late in 2005, based on votes cast by travel agents worldwide and presented at the Gala Awards Ceremony in London in November. This puts Winton House, one of Scotland's most unique venues for corporate dinners, small conferences and activities, alongside other better known winners like the Old Course Hotel in St Andrews, The Balmoral in Edinburgh, British Airways and even the Paris Ritz.
Our Events and Marketing Manager, commented: "This achievement would not have been possible without the support of our many East Lothian suppliers. We use award-winning local chefs; an excellent local wine merchant who specialises in Michel Laroche wines; local Belhaven beers; Glenkinchie malts; Brammle liqueurs; local musicians; and clay pigeon shooting with Scotland's 19-times champion."
Background for Editors
Winton House is an impressive stately home hidden in the heart of
East Lothian countryside, only half an hour from the centre of
Edinburgh. Winton is perfect for meetings, seminars, dinners, activities
and weddings. Visitors come from across the UK and Europe
and include leading companies like Cisco Systems, Hartfield Life,
ING, Fuji, Citrix Systems Benelux, Mercedes Benz, Microsoft,
Scottish Widows, Barclays Bank, Toyota and PGA of America.
