Email Cairness House enquiries & reservations: bookscotland@madbookings.com
Other places to stay in and around
Fraserburgh
Where elegance and tranquility go hand in hand with comfort and
luxury.
Cairness is one of the finest examples of neoclassical architecture in Britain. This extraordinary building is the crowning achievement of architect James Playfair, completed after his premature death by Sir John Soane.
The house has been largely unaltered, retaining all its original plasterwork and design features and is a highly unusual building, containing many unique elements. The design of Cairness draws heavily on ancient symbolism and the house was almost certainly conceived partly as a grand Masonic temple.
Cairness House Accommodation
Cairness is a large house and yet was built on a very human scale, its rooms commodious and inviting. It is the home of Julio Soriano-Ruiz and Khalil Hafiz Khairallah, and is very much a lived-in and fully functioning household.
The architecture alone and the combination of fabulous interiors, magnificent views of the surrounding landscape and a lived-in atmosphere make Cairness a unique experience for every visitor. You are warmly invited you to share it with us.
Cairness is the finest place to stay in this undiscovered part of Aberdeenshire. Guests can relax in beautiful and comfortable surroundings in what has been described as "the most important Greek revival country house in Scotland".
You can easily explore this exceptionally peaceful and unspoiled part of Scotland while staying in a wonderful house. Mile long empty sandy beaches are only a few minutes away from Cairness, and the historical Aberdeenshire castle trail is within easy reach.
Your bedrooms have fantastic views over the surrounding rolling landscape or over our lawns, and each one is uniquely decorated in period style and furnished with beautiful objects and antique furniture throughout.
Our four-poster beds will make you dream of a bygone era of luxury and calm, and you will experience the exclusive feeling of staying in a very private home.
Wireless internet is available to guests who bring their own laptop computers. Refreshingly, we don't have televisions in the bedrooms - to help you unwind and forget the hassle of the everyday world - but each room has a selection of good reading material.
We very much hope that you will enjoy your time with us, and we will endeavour to make your stay with us as pleasurable and memorable as possible.
General Gordon's Suite
Originally the Laird's bedroom, this spacious bedroom has a large four-poster
bed and comfortable sofa and has windows to the south and west, catching
the golden light of the sunset and enjoying the most stunning views of
the Aberdeenshire rolling country.
The en suite bathroom has a cast iron roll top bath and is decorated with antique prints and green toile de jouy wallpaper.
Mrs Grant's Suite
This room is located at the front of the house and decorated in late Regency
taste, with a charming four poster bed hanged with chintz and a beautiful
bathroom decorated with a soft pink toile de jouy. The room takes its
name after Anne Grant's portrait which hangs over the mantelpiece.
The Castlereagh Room
Foreign Secretary Lord Castlereagh was a friend of Major-General Thomas
Gordon. This charming bedroom has a Regency four-poster bed and looks
over the west of the house with the golden evening light.
Across the hallway, there is a vast private bathroom decorated in the Pompeian manner, given a twist with contemporary art hanging on the walls. With a large cast iron roll top bath and views over to the bell tower, this is the perfect place to soak your cares away..
Exclusive House Lets
Cairness can be hired exclusively for house and corporate parties, either
for just a few days, or even longer. We also provide first class accommodation
as part of your wedding or private function; or simply a stay for a few
days in a grand home in the country.
The house has recently been refurbished to the highest standards and now offers eight stylish double bedrooms. All our bedrooms have complimentary tea and coffee facilities, with wi-fi access.
The house is ideal for house parties for up to 16 guests, but we can offer further independent accommodation in a holiday cottage or apartment.
Self Catering Accommodation
Our historic Gate Lodge is available to let on a self-catering basis.
It has two bedrooms (one double, one twin), bathroom, shower room, large
open-plan sitting room with a modern kitchen.
All our bedrooms offer:
• Luxurious cotton bed linen with feather and down duvets and pillows
• Free Wi-Fi connection
• Complimentary mineral water, tea and coffee
• Ironing facilities available
Private Entertaining
Cairness House is a spectacular venue for celebrations conveniently located
only 45 minutes from Aberdeen and airport, and close to the towns of Peterhead
and Fraserburgh.
Whether you are looking for a special setting to celebrate a wedding anniversary, birthday party or a family reunion, Cairness can be exclusively yours, from the moment your guests arrive to the final sweep down the driveway.
The Drawing Room at Cairness can sit a maximum of 60 guests for a function and 22 can be seated comfortably at a long table in the Dining Room for a meal or a corporate meeting. 30 guests can be seated in the dining room at separate tables and 40 guests can also be seated for a meal in the vast Georgian kitchen.
Receptions for up to 120 are also possible in the main reception rooms or during the summer on the beautiful lawns in the company of our peacocks.
Corporate Events
Cairness is an impressive venue for business lunches, board meetings,
conferences, presentations and business entertaining. Being on the north
side of Aberdeen, the house is within easy reach of the Aberdeen Exhibition
& Conference Centre when linking to larger events in the city.
The arrangement of rooms is perfect for hosting both large and small groups.
We offer:
• Formal and informal rooms for meetings and training sessions.
• Complimentary light refreshments throughout the day for delegates
and guests.
• Beautiful private grounds, including a secluded 5-acre walled
garden, for team-building exercises and outdoor activities.
• Spectacular surroundings, ideal for photo shoots and product launches.
• Proximity to wonderful sand beaches and the renowned Cruden Bay
and Fraserburgh golf courses for leisure excursions.
• Easy road links from Aberdeen airport (40 minutes away).
• First-class catering for either large buffets or formal dining,
with an emphasis on local produce.
• Socially responsible venue: your event will help conservation
efforts at an historic house of local and national significance.
• Special offers for mid-week and off-season bookings.
• 5-star overnight accommodation for delegates, with 6 bedrooms
available, all with en suite or private bathrooms.
Further accommodation is available in a separate cottage with two double bedrooms.
Dream Weddings
Cairness is the ultimate venue in North East Scotland for hosting your
dream wedding and reception. You can hold a ceremony for up to 60 guests
in one of our State rooms and receptions of up to 120. Alternatively,
a marquee can be erected in our grounds with the house as backdrop and
enjoying far-reaching views into the Buchan countryside.
Your family and friends will enjoy a two- or three-night stay at Cairness during your wedding, with the State Bedroom reserved for the bride and groom.
Cairness is the ideal venue for second-time, smaller weddings and civil
partnerships, and we can comfortably seat 30 at round tables in the Dining
Room for a family dinner or wedding breakfast. For larger groups, the
Georgian Kitchen can seat up to 40 guests.
Photography is also offered at the house and on our grounds as part of your wedding or independently as part of your wedding elsewhere. We can recommend these photographers:
. Susan Renee
. Angela Campbell
In addition we would be able to help you with marquee hire providers, a choice of first class caterers, wedding planners, florists, car hire etc. What could be better than spending the biggest day of your life in the company of friends and family in one of the loveliest and most romantic houses in Scotland!
Attractions and Activities
National Trust Properties in Aberdeenshire, all within easy reach of Cairness
House:
• Castle Fraser, Kemnay
• Craigievar Castle, Alford
• Crathes Castle, Banchory
• Drum Castle, Royal Deeside
• Fyvie Castle
• Pitmedden Gardens
Other Local Attractions:
. The Scottish Traditional Boat Festival - Portsoy
• Ugie Fish House in Peterhead
• The Banffshire Coast
• Museum of Scottish Lighthouses in Fraserburgh
• Fraserburgh Heritage Centre in Fraserburgh
• Aberdeenshire Farming Museum and Aden Country Park at Mintlaw
• Duff House in Banff
• Arbuthnot Museum in Peterhead
• Delgatie Castle in Turriff
• Marine Aquarium in Macduff
Whisky Distilleries:
• Glenfiddich
• Glen Garioch
• Glendronach
• Strathisla
Golf Courses near Cairness
. Cruden Bay Golf Club
• Royal Tarlair Golf Club
• Inverallochy Golf Club
• Fraserburgh Golf Club
• Peterhead Golf Club
• The Duff House Golf Club
• Cullen Golf Club
• Turriff Golf Club
Fishing and Shooting
Scotland is renowned the world over for its fine shooting and fishing
in breathtaking and unspoilt scenery. Shooting and fishing can be arranged
in a couple of large estates within driving distance of Cairness which
offer first-class game.
Shooting in this part of Aberdeenshire is mainly pink-footed geese, duck, pheasant, partridge, rabbit and roe deer, and the shoots offer both formal and rough shooting with driven days of up to 8-10 guns. Lunches are normally on the estates during a day’s shoot, and we can provide a splendid formal dinner party at Cairness on your return in the evening.
We can also provide informal dinners and lunches as part of your stay here in the beautiful Georgian kitchen. Parties are ideally designed for between 6-12 people, but we are also happy to arrange stays for fewer guests, or individuals staying on a bed and breakfast basis.
Rough shooting can usually be arranged, and sometimes, at short notice, but for formal driven shoots it is necessary to book well in advance.
History
Cairness was built in the 1790s by Charles Gordon of Cairness and Buthlaw
as the heart of a 9,000-acre estate. The Loch of Strathbeg, today an important
RSPB nature reserve, was once part of the Cairness estate.
Built on an ancient settlement, the first Cairness House was a smaller mansion designed by Robert Burn and completed in 1781. It was adapted and enlarged a decade later into the house we see today by the architect James Playfair..
The second laird, Major-General Thomas Gordon (1788-1841), was a great Philhellene and friend of Lord Byron. Throughout the Greek War of Independence (1821-28) he offered his unwavering support to the Greeks and in 1832 wrote his celebrated History of the Greek Revolution.
The Gordons of Cairness lived here until 1938 when the house was sold to Ethel, Countess of Southesk. After the war, Cairness was used as a farmhouse and later was turned into bed sits, falling into steady decline. Since 2001, it has been undergoing major restoration and has become once again one of the great houses of Scotland.
DIRECTIONS
Cairness is situated near the villages of St. Comb’s and Lonmay,
about a quarter of a mile west of the B9033 (Ordinance Survey reference
NK 038 609) and about three miles from the main A90 Aberdeen to Fraserburgh
road.
The nearest airport is Aberdeen (Dyce), about 45 minutes by car:
From Aberdeen (50 minutes)
Take the A90 from Aberdeen and at the Toll of Birness, take the left turning
signposted to Fraserburgh.
About 4 miles north of Mintlaw, the A90 meets the A952 again at the Cortes
Junction (next to a garden centre).
Turn right here back towards Peterhead and about 15m on the left you will see a smaller country road signposted to Cairnbulg and Inverallochy and Lonmay Parish Hall. Take this turning and stay on this road for about 2 miles (do not take the turn to Cairnbulg and Inverallochy): you will see Cairness from a distance on high ground.
The road eventually passes the park walls and the main entrance gates are on the left side of the road just opposite St. Columba’s church. The gate piers have sphinxes on top of them.
From Fraserburgh (5 minutes)
Take the A90 towards Aberdeen for about 4 miles until the road forks at
the Cortes Junction. Take the left-side of the fork, towards Peterhead,
and about 15m on the left hand side take a small country road marked Cairnbulg,
Inverallochy and Lonmay Parish Hall.
Continue on this road for 2 miles (do not take the road to Cairnbulg and Inverallochy). Entrance to Cairness on the left hand side of the road opposite St. Columba’s Church by Lonmay Cemetery.
From Peterherad (10 minutes)
Take the A90 towards Fraserburgh. About 2 miles after Crimond, take the
B9033 road to St. Comb’s on the right. Continue along this road
for 1 mile and take the left turning signposted to Cortes and Lonmay Parish
Hall.
You will see St. Columba’s Church about 100m in front of you – the entrance to Cairness is across the road on the right.
Email Cairness House enquiries & reservations: bookscotland@madbookings.com
