Dunrobin Castle

About the museum

Dunrobin Castle has been the seat of the earls and later the dukes of Sutherland since the earldom was created in 1235. The oldest part is a fortified square keep. In 1845 Sir Charles Barry remodelled the building in a French-influenced Scottish Baronial style, and he also laid out the formal gardens in the 1850s, modelled on Versailles. A fire in 1915 destroyed much of his interior, and Sir Robert Lorimer then redesigned the tops of the main tower and clock tower.

With 189 rooms the castle is the largest great house in the northern Highlands. During the First World War it served as a naval hospital, and from 1965 to 1972 it was used as a boys' boarding school. Today visitors follow a self-guided route through furnished rooms.

The museum in the grounds began as a summer house built for the Earl of Sutherland and was later extended by the third duke. It still keeps its Victorian and early 20th-century arrangement and holds Pictish symbol stones and cross-slabs, hunting trophies from safaris, ethnographic items, particularly from Africa, archaeological finds, geology displays and material on gold panning at Kildonan and on the Brora coal mine.

Highlights

• Furnished rooms of a 189-room castle
• Formal gardens laid out in the 1850s
• Museum of Pictish symbol stones and cross-slabs
• Hunting trophies and ethnographic collections
• Displays on gold panning at Kildonan and Brora coal mining

Permanent exhibitions

• Dunrobin Castle museum – A Victorian summer house turned museum, with Pictish stones, hunting trophies, ethnographic items, archaeology and geology displays.
• The castle rooms – Self-guided route through the furnished rooms of the Sutherland family seat.

Admission & discounts

The ticket covers the castle, the museum and the gardens and is valid all day. Online booking is recommended; tickets can also be bought on arrival.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The castle is a historic building and some areas cannot be reached by wheelchair users or visitors with limited mobility; wheelchair access to the gardens can be arranged on request. No wheelchairs are available to borrow. Visitors are advised to contact the castle before a visit to discuss their needs. Dogs are not allowed in the castle or formal gardens except assistance dogs.

Kids & families

• Baby changing facilities

Children under 6 enter free. Pushchairs can be used in the grounds but must be left in the cloakroom for the castle and are not allowed on the upstairs tour; front baby carriers are fine, back carriers are not. Baby-changing facilities are available.

Getting there & parking

The castle is about 50 miles north of Inverness on the A9, half a mile north of Golspie.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Coat check

Tearoom for castle ticket holders (no reservations), gift shop, and a cloakroom where pushchairs must be left.

Events & venue rental

As far as we know, the museum does not rent out spaces for external events.

The castle is not available for private functions, including weddings.

Plan your visit