Arniston House

Arniston House stands near Temple village in Midlothian as a grand Georgian mansion. William Adam designed the main part in 1726 for Robert Dundas, who later became Lord President of the Court of Session. John Adam, William’s son, added the western third in 1753. The estate once belonged to the Knights Templar and became a royal hunting park in the Middle Ages. The Dundas family has owned it since 1571, when George Dundas bought the land. The house reflects the Dundas family’s rise from 17th-century improvements to 18th-century grandeur. Robert Dundas the elder commissioned the new mansion after serving as Solicitor General and Lord Advocate. William Adam, already working nearby at Mavisbank, created a larger design but ran short of funds. His son John completed the western wing years later. In 1872, Wardrop and Brown added a new entrance hall to the north front. Inside, the house shows William Adam’s two-storey saloon with plasterwork by Joseph Enzer. The Adam brothers designed the Rococo dining room and drawing room. Family portraits by Sir Henry Raeburn and Allan Ramsay line the walls. Outside, a semi-formal park designed by William Adam evolved into a softer landscape by Thomas White. The garden includes a formal area from the 19th century on the site of an earlier wilderness.