The Doune of the Rothiemurchus is the Laird’s family home. The house stands beside the original hill fort or ‘Dun’ which gives rise to the modern name – The Doune. The Doune dates from the 16th Century when it was probably built by the Shaws, and has seen much extension and renovation ever since.

Patrick Grant moved to the Doune in the 1560’s and erected the marriage stone at the Doune after his marriage to Jean Gordon. The first extension to the house occurred in 1780 with the addition of a dining room, then in 1803 a library with cellars below and bedrooms above were built to form a Georgian front to the house. In 1876 the 9th Laird of Rothiemurchus, Sir John Peter Grant, added a staircase, morning room, more bedrooms, a new kitchen wing and third floor to the original house.

After these renovations there came a period of time when the Grants were not resident at the Doune. For a decade in the 1920’s and 1930’s, the house was let out to Lord Darnley and for five years before WWII, the Doune was run as a hotel by the Edinburgh firm Gifford & Bailey. In 1939 the house was requisitioned by the army for the duration of the war. On the soldiers departure, the Doune fell into dereliction.

This fascinating building was almost lost to ruin until renovation work began in 1978. The 17th and present laird, Johnnie Grant, and his family returned to the Old Doune to take up residence in 1991. Current renovation work aims to restore the house to its former glory, inside and out.

Today, the Doune receives visitors from all over the world, largely because of the fascinating stories told by Elizabeth Grant in her Memoirs of a Highland Lady. You can visit the Doune house on a Behind the Scenes Land Rover Tour, or indeed a Highland Lady Tour.