The newly restored Penicuik House has learnt how to move forwards without forgetting how to look back.
Penicuik House, a former stable block and now a 16-bed abode available for private rent (currently only in its entirety), sits within a seven and a half acre sprawling estate just a short 30-minute drive from Edinburgh. Its story today is not one of careful preservation locked away in a private trust or museum, but of regeneration, as the Clerk family who built the estate over 300 years ago understand its heritage to be something living, evolving, and deeply entwined with the land around it.
Once, it was Old Penicuik House that stole the limelight. Built in 1654, it stood as one of Scotland’s earliest Palladian masterpieces and became a magnet for Enlightenment thinkers, artists and eminent guests across more than two centuries. That chapter ended abruptly in 1899, when a roof fire burned for two weeks, leaving behind only the monumental stone shell and a rambling wildflower meadow over what was once the formal lawns. The blaze burned slowly enough for nearly everything inside to be saved – statues, pianos, chimneypieces, paintings, even curtains – while guests famously paused for a tea party on the lawn as the smoke mingled with the skyline. The photographic proof now hangs inside the newly revived house.
Much of what once defined Penicuik’s interiors lives on. Hundreds of artefacts – rescued, and largely catalogued by Scottish museums over a decade – have found their way back into daily view, with hundreds now housed within the restored stable block itself.
The Vibe
Photo by Alexander Baxter
The New Penicuik House is designed as a replica of a Roman temple, centred around an Italianate courtyard garden with a trickling fountain at its centre by John Clerk (the original family patriarch who may have brought over the first Rembrandt to ever arrive in Scotland). However, a well-loved family home takes precedence over the proud Scottish estate; you can enjoy the property’s storied past without sparing any of the cosy home comforts you crave after long winter walks around the heather-kissed highlands – a cinema room and roaring fires included.
Created with designer (and family friend) Charles Orchard, the space has clearly been lived in, with clever attention paid to where the light hits in morning and evening, and to the kinds of spaces large families and groups enjoy spending time in.
A fully stocked bar is flanked by a duo of centuries-old Scottish swords, vases of fresh flowers decorate the foyers, while a painting of the current owners’ great aunts is hung above the stairs. Around the house, roaring fires can be lit in the original fireplaces (including in many of the bedrooms), so an alluring smoky scent drifts down the brightly-painted corridors every evening.
The Rooms
Photo by Alexander Baxter
The 16 rooms are located across the first and ground floor (the latter being the most accessible) of Penicuik House, and face outwards across the estate for a feeling of total privacy. Each is a double room with an ensuite, but no two are the same. The family worked closely with interior designer Charles Orchard to select different fabrics and palettes to suit the atmosphere of each bedroom, hand-selecting vintage furniture, decorative objects, and artworks from Old Penicuik House to accompany them. I stayed in Imperiali, which overlooks the front of the house, across to the American gardens on the way to the ponds. Awash with pale green, blue, and pink tones, the interior has an innocent charm about it and is centred around a large window and cushioned window seat. Alongside swathes of warm blankets, I found books of Robert Graves’ poetry, framed life drawings, a French ceramic dish, and a flower-painted vintage writing box, as well as modern amenities including a Nespresso machine, TV, Roberts radio, and a blue-tiled bathroom stocked with Verden toiletries.
The Food + Drink
Photo by Alexander Baxter
While the team looks after the site – with a host only a Whatsapp away during your stay – the house is set up for guests to have as much (or as little) freedom and independence as they wish. The airy family-style forest-green kitchen is perfect for self-catering with your group, or for watching the chefs from Edinburgh Catering Company prepare your meals (from brunch to comforting staples, summer BBQs, and three-course evenings) to enjoy in the adjacent dining room or to heat up in your own time.
Photo by Alexander Baxter
Everything here is organised however you like it. We dined on seared hand-dived scallops and cedar plank salmon with langoustines, hasselback potatoes, grilled lemony greens, and Highland venison fillets under candlelit iron-wrought chandeliers, next to a roaring fire in the banquet hall-like dining room.
The Little Extras
Photo by Alexander Baxter
Tucked across the courtyard near the belltower, find the house’s Mud Room where a stack of Le Chameau wellington boots lay available to borrow, alongside a rail of Patagonia rain coats in varying sizes. Just like the rest of the house, this spot is decorated with a fascinating display of old hunting gear, mummified fish, and even a wooden boat.
The To-Do List
Photo by Alexander Baxter
The landscape which extends from the Highland foothills down to the river is an important part of Penicuik’s restoration project, and your to-do list during your stay. Driven by the Enlightenment idea that nature is supposed to make you feel something, these grounds are an important part of the whole atmosphere of the estate. Come rain or Scottish shine, meander through the American Gardens – with a scattering of rare species from America and China that bloom vibrantly each May – up to the hand-dug High Pond that in the summery months offers an invitation for wild swimming next to the old boat house. The team also have plans to re-introduce fish into the ponds for fishing, with dreams of launching a floating sauna too. Down the valley at the Low Pond, you might stumble across the Penicuik Curling Club which pops up approximately every five winters when the water freezes over.
Current restoration plans aim to double the current footprint of trees from 400 to 800 acres, helping to foster nature corridors in partnership with local environmental groups. Hike a few of the 15 trails (with a guide if you prefer), followed by afternoon tea in Penicuik House’s upstairs lounge.
Photo by Alexander Baxter
Massages, select spa treatments, and yoga sessions can also be arranged on site by liaising with the team at least a week before arrival. Come evening, pause for a game of Blackgammon under lamplight at one of the tables set up waiting, arrange for a gin tasting with Lind & Lime at the bar, or snuggle up in the Cinema Room amongst the flurry of plumped up pillows and flick through the generous stack of board games.
All images © Penicuik Estate, photos by Alexander Baxter
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