Traquair House, Traquair | Scottish Borders
Traquair House was once a royal hunting lodge. Mary Queen of Scots, who was a keen huntress, would spend time here during her visit in 1566. Her bed and possessions can be seen at the house, including the cradle where she rocked her baby son, James, to sleep.
Traquair House is Scotland’s oldest inhabited house. It is filled to the brim with history: it originally was a defensive tower house and eventually became a luxurious family residence. It has been lived in for over 900 years and has been visited by 27 Scottish Kings and Queens!
The Stuart family have been living at Traquair House since 1491. Staunch Catholics, they were supporters of the Jacobite Risings of 1715, 1719 and 1745. It comes as no surprise that Traquair House often played residence to Jacobites. You can only begin to imagine the secrets whispered between the walls!
Traquair House was once a royal hunting lodge. Mary Queen of Scots, who was a keen huntress, would spend time here during her visit in 1566. Her bed and possessions can be seen at the house, including the cradle where she rocked her baby son, James, to sleep. He went on to become King James of Scotland [VI] and England {I].
Today, you can visit Traquair House and go on a tour of the residence. You can also stay here as they operate a bed and breakfast. They even have a brewery- the 300-year old Traquair House Brewery! You can sample their ales and also explore their shop and museum.
They also operate as an event space, so you can get married here. Occasionally they have events at the grounds, including a dog’s day out and Medieval Fayre weekends. You can check their website for more information.
Traquair House is located close to the start of the path that takes you to the Cheese Well and Fairy Well, so you could easily plan these two activities in the same day.
Where to find Traquair House
What3Words: ///tangling.hazel.plugged
Latitude / Longitude: 55.608358, -3.0639800
