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House Of Dun & Montrose Basin Nature Reserve
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House – Collections
Gardens – The Wider Estate
Nature at the property
Nature Conservation at the property
Joseph Enzor Plasterwork
The House features superb plasterwork by Joseph Enzor and this forms the chief glory of the interior of Dun. Enzor is also noted for work at Ariston House and Yester.
The allegorical programme is complex and invites overt and cryptic Jacobite interpretations – a kind of Jacobite DaVinci Code.
Royal Connections
Lady Augusta Kennedy-Erskine was the daughter of William IV and the beautiful actress Mrs Dorothy Jordon and the House of Dun contains many Royal mementos
Gun and Rod Collection
The 19th Laird of Dun was a very keen sportsman and two rooms have been assembled to illustrate the all-too-often unacknowledged importance that field sports played in the life of a country house. The gun room boasts a fine punt gun by Westley Richards and a seven-barrelled rifle by Samuel Nock among this fine collection.
Angus Handloom Weavers
The South carriage-house has been converted and leased to Mr Ian Dale. The proprietor of Angus Handloom Weavers, and the last handloom linen weaver working in Britain. This trade once so extensive on the east coast of England and Scotland has now been replaced by machine-looms. The workshop produces and sells a wide range and attractive range of linens of traditional design which Mr Dale also supplies to customers all over the world.
Contact: Mr Ian Dale 01674 810255
Miniature Model Theatre
The former Stillroom houses ‘Mr Riach’s Performing Theatre of Arts’, presented to the Trust in 1988 by Mr Timothy Brown of Gargunnock. Begun in the 1830’s by Mr Brown’s great-grandfather, the miniature theatre provides a view of family entertainment in the days before gramophone, radio or television.
The Legend of the Sword in the Stone
Long ago a good and loyal knight returned home to Angus from the crusades. On his return, however, he learned to his horror that a fellow knight had cruelly deceived his wife into believing he was dead and had married her, claiming this to be her husband's dying wish. The good knight and his dishonourable friend took up their swords and, at the crucial moment when our hero seemed sure to lose his life, his true love took his sword and with it killed his enemy. The sword passed through the villain's body and lodged itself into a fir tree where it remained as a reminder of a time when justice was seen to be ‘Dun’. Feel free to test your knightly strength and see if you can dislodge the sword from the sculpture commemorating this famous local legend.
Ancestral Tourism
Recent archives found in the House contain family trees dating back to 1260 which have yet to be determined as authentic.
Montrose Basin
Fishing
River South- Esk – salmon/sea-trout beat
These salmon and sea-trout fishings are available on the left and right banks of the River South Esk at Bridge of Dun. Marker posts divide the beat into six sections. The pools are known as ‘Viaduct’, ‘Thornbush’, ‘Midstream Flats’, ‘Hurl Pots’ and ‘March Pool’ . Spring tides can reach roughly halfway up the beat which is approximately three-quarters of a mile long. The river is 25-35 meters wide, largely on a gravel bed, and much of it can be fished by wading. Two croys are in position, near to the eastern extremity on the North Bank. A ghillie patrols the Trust’s Dun beat. Bailiffs from the South Esk District Salmon Fishery Board also visit the river from time to time.
• Salmon fishing season 16 Feb to 31 Oct. Please contact North East Regional Office: 01330 833 225 for further details
Archaeology
Gallowes Knowe
The Erskine Family and the Dun Estate were a Symbol of Authority in the area. As you pass along the main drive and look to the right into the farmer's field you might notice the small fenced off area in the field which is known as Gallowes Knowe.
The National Trust for Scotland cares for Gallows Knowe so that people can continue to give it new meanings, linking past, present and future. Gallows Knowe was built 3500-4500 years ago as a burial mound. Since then, people have thought about
It in different ways and put it to different uses. The mound has played a role in community identity, power and authority. It has also been a symbol of the rights of certain people to call this place their own.
In the medieval period, Gallows Knowe may have been used as a place of execution for crimes of theft and manslaughter. The tradition that the mound was the execution site for the medieval Barony of Dun was recorded by nineteenth-century surveyors mapping the countryside around the House of Dun. The Barony was a large territory administered by the Lord of Dun. Gallows Knowe may have been chosen because it lay very close to the site of Dun Castle the lord's seat of power. The mound is also highly visible from the public road to Montrose. It would have been an obvious warning to passers-by of the punishment awaiting wrong-doers. The medieval Baron Court may also have been held here. This was a sort of parliament and court of law. It settled minor disputes among neighbours as well as passing judgement on more serious crimes. Monuments like Gallows Knowe were often used for important gatherings in medieval times. They provided an impressive setting for ceremonies. Their association with an ancient, unknown past meant they were seen as very powerful places.
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