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When we started out, we didn't even have a kitchen. Our first event, it was just my wife and I, washing up in a Belfast sink
The History of WInton Castle
Winton castle, situated in the picturesque village of Pencaitland, a village in East Lothian, about 12 miles south-east of Edinburgh, is the family home of Sir Francis and Dorothy Ogilvy. It is a castle with a rich and varied history, and multiple layers to its past.
William the Lion, King of Scotland from 1165 granted the lands of Ogilvy in Forfarshire to Gilbert 3rd son of the 2nd Earl of Angus. Around 1400, Sir Walter Ogilvy, a descendant of Gilbert, was made Sheriff of Angus. His sons, Walter and John, founded the two branches of the Ogilvy family. The Ogilvys at Winton are descended from John's line, taking the title Barons of Inverquharity in 1420.
200 years later, in 1626, in return for support to James VI and I, Sir John Ogilvy was given one of the newly created Nova Scotia Baronetcies. This title remains today: Sir Francis is the 14th Baronet of Inverquharity.
The ancestral home is the Castle of Iverquharity, which remained in the possession of this branch of the family for 17 generations. It was sold in 1779 when Sir John Ogilvy, 5th baronet moved to Baldovan, the home of his wife Charlotte Tulliedeph.
In 1920, Gilbert Ogilvy inherited Winton on the death of his aunt, Constance Hamilton Nisbet. He and his family moved from Baldovan north of Dundee, and Winton has been an Ogilvy home ever since.
ScotlandShop were privileged enough to be invited around Winton Castle estate, and to explore its history with Sir Francis Ogilvy, and Events Coordinator Emily Hope. We sat down and had a chat about its rich history and the plans for the future of Winton.
Sir Francis Ogilvy
Sir Francis, thank-you for inviting us to your family home today. As we've explored the castle today, we can see the rich history you've uncovered as you slowly renovate and gently modernise. What's the biggest challenge you face as you work through that process to preserve the history, but make the castle into a healthy business for the future?
When I grew up here, as a child I remember there always being work going on and climbing on the scaffolding around the castle. Nothing's really changed in some ways! There's always work going on, and we are always working to maintain and improve. What has changed is the bar has got higher, and the needs for what have to be provided have also increased. We've worked our way through what's in front of our nose.
When Dorothy and I got married, and we moved here, we didn't know what to do really or where to start. It was [at the time] 4 flats, and we moved into one. There was nothing going on in the way of events. We couldn't really offer anything as there was no kitchen, or loos. This was our family home, that I had moved out of when I was 12, and didn't come back until I was 27, so there was a lot of work that needed doing.
We had three antique fairs booked here, from which the proceeds immediately helped us reinvest that back into Winton. I remember at the time, there was my wife and I washing up in Belfast sink one morning, to keep it all running because we had no other facilities. At the time, the only team we had were joint caretakers and two gardeners. So what you see today, is the result of over twenty years slow restoration. Each time we are able to do an event, we reinvest it back into Winton. We work to do it on an annual basis, without allowing the castle to suck the rest of estate dry, which wouldn't be right. There is however, an endless amount of things we want to do!
When we're away on holiday, people have come back and said it was a bit soulless when you were away. It's not because it's us. It's because it's whoever the family might have been here.
To be able to bring that into present day where it's been a family home that's got a really strong emotional connection, but it also has to it has to earn its keep. How have you managed to maintain that balance of it being both a prestigious castle, but also a family home?
I think that's what people like. They also like the sense that it's the family home. It's not to blow our trumpet in the slightest, but when we're away on holiday, people have come back and said it was a bit soulless when you were away. It's not because it's us. It's because it's whoever the family might have been here. If it's just literally a venue, then it's a commercial thing like a hotel, then it just depersonalizes it. Last time I came back from a holiday in Ireland and summer and it was a sort of reaffirmed to me that if all else fails, what I really have to do is to preserve this as a family home.
Now we've got a whole bunch of jobs that we want to keep going, and it all makes sense, but it's a really weird place to come back from holiday to and say 'home, sweet home'. You come round the corner and you see this enormous silhouette. You sometimes wonder what people were thinking of when they built a place like this! But it was built in a completely different period, built by people who were really close with the with the monarchs of the time. The sons were thick as thieves with with the Stuarts. Married Robert the Bruce's sister, given land by the King, rescued Queen of Scots, did fancy ceilings in their honour!
Back then they had huge estates. Winton was just one of essentially five estates and probably the smallest of all of those. And this was just bought for the second son as 'what's John going to have'? The question became then, how do you make something that is inherently from a different period, but therefore, because it's of a different period, of interest and relevant for today's world? And provide all the mod cons that people look for and the comforts with it, whilst not throwing out the baby with a bath water? And we're still working our way there, which is part of the journey of Winton.
I look back at some of the earlier stuff we did and, it's not horrific, but we were very much playing at the whole thing, because that's all we could afford
As we were looking around earlier, it's apparent you've uncovered various parts of the castle, and explored and uncovered many original pieces of architectural features, that were previously lost or covered up for generations. How do you keep going with that?
We really haven't got torn into these rooms here yet at all. There's bits where every time we do this, we get a bit more adventurous and a bit more money to invest. We probably do it a little bit better than some of the earlier stuff we did. It's not horrific but we were very much playing at the whole thing because that's all we knew we could afford. Ultimately, I want people to walk into a room and you have a sense of, 'well, this is from 1480' and you just are transported into that era, whilst not being made to sit on a really hard uncomfortable piece of furniture.
How do you balance that and show that, so we're not total purists? So that it's a place where you come in a visit and see something actually, because it's a home? It needs to be practical, and Emily and colleagues need to be able to run it efficiently so that the whole thing can work. So that's the kind of juggle. There's not a really helpful manual that we've read that tells you how to do it. You kind of go with what's in front of you.
You feel that there's so much history and now you're the custodian, you don't want to screw it up. But also don't get too serious and hung up about it. People are not going to come here if this is just a dull museum. It has to have have a bit of life about it.
How have you evolved Winton into a hospitality business?
Well this place was built for hospitality really. It was for showing off to those that could afford it. But to find its modern relevance for today how do you make it contribute to society? I really don't want Winton to be just a place of parties. Everyone loves a party, and we do it really well, but I get probably much more satisfaction when a national company or international company comes here and wants to really think about what they doing and why they're doing it. When you're sitting, especially in this room, but fundamentally into winter, and generally the jackets are off, they're staying overnight.
That's marvellous from my perspective, because you live in the place like it was meant to be lived in. So you're forced to think on a on a different plane. That gives us a buzz, and for me that actually it's playing its part.
The farmland is growing great crops, lovely food and we condense the distance from field to fork, so that actually you can see that we're growing beef here, and actually here it is on your plate.
What about Winton gets you up in the morning? What excites you about it?
It's not just the house, it's the whole the business. The estate, the whole entity. I've commissioned a survey of waterways because I want to improve it. It's a lifeline all the way through. I saw it with David's Loch. But on the the far side of it, it's not great and there's there's been no fish there historically. But after we've been working hard on the area and the preservation, I asked a specialist linked with fishing and water and conservation to do a survey of the waterways. He stands on the bridge and goes 'ooh ooh!' He's excited about the new fish and plant life that's immediately visible. That's indicative of of a whole lot of other animal and plant life and healthy water that we're working on here. We now have 18 miles of hedges, 11 miles of waterways, 9 ponds and 22 miles of tracks.
So how do I get an scenario across the whole length of the place, where this is as vibrant as we can make it for biodiversity generally? How do we get it so that it's in harmony with the local communities, so that they appreciate it, and we don't abuse their goodwill by neglecting things? It's finding harmony across the board. If we can have a sort of cacophony of sound from nature, that's a wonderful thing, but we can't let the pendulum swing only that way because we've got people who have livelihoods. So there's this interaction and integration that gets me out of bed. The farmland is growing great crops, lovely food, and we condense the distance from field to fork so that you can see we're growing beef here and actually here it is on your plate.
The properties are all in good order, and affordable to rent or providing a place where people can run business. and the whole hospitality side works and there are no glass ceilings. There's a sense of it being a family and where there's a sense of ownership that is healthy and doesn't become stifling. Then it's about learning from nature. How does nature work out there? I get inspired by nature. I'm trying to have a sense of fullness here, but still in harmony.
It does come back to this thing of harmony. It is harmony and efficiency.
That brings me on to nearly my last question. I'm curious to know what you want to pass on with Winton in the Ogilvy dynasty. What will your defining passing gesture be to the next generation?
That's an interesting question. It's one that I'm we are wrestling with at the moment because we're trying to write a business plan. I was asked by someone who's done management consultancy and he says 'what's in your top box'? The main thing that you want to do? How will you know if you've achieved what you want to achieve, if you haven't defined it before you set out? So we're on that journey, because we've been working on it for a long time. I want Winton to be a thing of great beauty, and want it to be functional so that it it operates. You've got a riverbed that has got new spawning fish in it. You've got a business that works for the needs of today.
How do we have soils that play their part? How do we have trees that are playing their part? How do we have a community that's playing its part? I would imagine, common throughout the land, as most people in my situation, want to hand the place on in a state that is as good as it can be, improved from when they took it on. And I guess that simplistic thing hasn't changed. I want to be as transformative as possible for environmental benefit and for local economy, as well as retaining it as a home and for all the people that live around here.
And finally, we would love to know about your family tartans, and which is your personal favourite?
It has to be the Ogilvy Ancient Weathered, with the old traditional vegetable dyes. My father's kilt is in this tartan and I love the muted tones.
Events at Winton Castle
We also spoke with Emily Hope, who is one of the events coordinators at Winton, a little bit about the events side of the castle.
The catering companies that we work with only use local and seasonal produce which helps supporting the local economy and reduces food miles.
How does Winton Castle incorporate sustainability into its operations and events?
Winton Castle incorporates sustainability into its weddings and events through a variety of eco-friendly practices. The castle utilizes renewable energy sources, such as biomass boilers and LED lighting, to reduce its carbon footprint. We do our best to emphasize waste management with comprehensive recycling and food waste programs. The catering companies that we work with only use local and seasonal produce which helps supporting the local economy and reduces food miles.
In addition to this, we never use single use plastic for our events, and always use reusable dishes or biodegradable, where possible. All of our staff are local to Winton or Edinburgh, and we have a lot of staff that live on the estate as well. For our guests, we also encourage the use of public transportation where possible, and also have electric charging points provided. Additionally, the estate promotes biodiversity through sustainable land management and the creation of wildlife habitats, ensuring a responsible and environmentally conscious event experience.
What are some of the most memorable events you have organised at Winton Castle?
I have worked here at Winton since November last year, and have seen many events during the different seasons. We host around 30 weddings a year and do a mixture of corporate events and private activities here on the estate, so trying to choose is difficult! One of the most interesting Weddings I have worked since being here, would have been the Scottish/Indian wedding of Neha and Ben. We hosted around 230 people here at the castle for a full day of celebrations, with two wedding ceremonies, lunch and an incredible dinner in a marquee, with a DJ and our incredible bar team. There was colour all over the castle and the gardens and the love that everyone shared for the couple was immersive. It was amazing to see and be a part of for the staff here at Winton.
One of our most memorable corporate groups that we have hosted here came from Spectra in 2018 in which Winton hosted over 250 people from incentive groups for a pack filled day of activities! The visitors tried their hand at clay pigeon shooting, air rifle target shooting, fly casting, archery, falconry, bush craft, men at arms and off-road 4 x 4 driving. We also had a barbecue and hog roast were served up on the croquet lawn for lunch, and bars revived participants with local brews from Edinburgh Gin, Knops Brewery and Innis & Gunn. It was a great day out for the visitors, and due to the lovely weather and clients, the staff really enjoyed the experience.
Thank-you to both Sir Francis, and Emily for their time at Winton Castle. If you'd like to learn more about Winton, its history and its activities, you can get in touch with them here:
or visit their website here:
