A day in West Lothian by car to visit two outstanding properties of significant historical, architectural and cultural interest.

House of the Binns, Linlithgow

You should arrive at House of the Binns (EH49 7NA) by 10.00am prompt. We will start with tea, coffee and shortbread before our guided tour begins. Tour lasts approximately 1 hour.

The House of the Binns has been home to the Dalyell family since the early seventeenth century, and it shows, in the best possible way. Built up in stages from the 1610s, the house retains the character of a family home rather than a museum piece.

Following the tour, we will break for a self-pay lunch. Dining options near House of the Binns include Mannerstons Cafe & Farm Shop, or you can travel directly to Hopetoun and enjoy lunch at The Stables.
We will meet at the Hopetoun entrance, where our guided tour will begin promptly at 1.00pm.

Hopetoun House, South Queensferry

Hopetoun House commands a prominent position on the south shore of the Firth of Forth, its sweeping façade and curving colonnades visible for miles. It is, in effect, two buildings occupying the same site. Sir William Bruce began the earlier house in 1699, a restrained and sophisticated exercise in late seventeenth-century classicism that survives largely intact to the rear. William Adam transformed the entrance front two decades later, producing the bold Baroque composition we see today, with further contributions from his sons John and Robert in the state rooms.

The principal rooms are among the most complete Georgian interiors in Scotland, their decoration and furnishings largely undisturbed since the eighteenth century. Our guide will highlight the craftsmanship on show in the entrance hall, the Yellow and Red Drawing Rooms and the state dining room, alongside the conservation work required to keep them in good order.