Seminars and company events
Ardross Castle is hired on an exclusive basis to corporate and private clients, with the Great Hall seating up to 130 guests and the castle sleeping up to 41. The estate lies in Ross-shire, just north of Inverness in the Scottish Highlands, on the banks of the River Alness. A company that wants a private retreat, a dinner for its board or a celebration for its staff hires the parts of the castle and grounds it needs rather than a packaged product. The castle is not a hotel and does not let single rooms, so it suits groups that want the house to themselves.
The site gives no list of meeting rooms or technical equipment for conferences, so organizers planning working sessions should agree the layout and equipment with the estate before booking. The castle is also used as a location for film and television productions.
Weddings and receptions
Weddings are the main event the estate describes. Ceremonies can take place indoors in the Great Hall, or outdoors in the grounds and formal gardens when the weather allows. Drinks are served on the terrace or in the gardens, and the formal Italian garden and the walled garden give the couple quieter places for photographs. The castle does not sell pre-packaged weddings: couples build the day with their own suppliers. The bedrooms and private suites can be used by the wedding party to get ready.
Rooms and capacities
The Great Hall is the main room for both the ceremony and the wedding breakfast, with up to 130 guests at round tables or in a formal layout with a top table. Its Minstrels Gallery holds a DJ for the evening. Outside, the terrace, the formal Italian garden and the walled garden take drinks receptions and photographs. Tables and chairs for the ceremony and the meal are provided.
Accommodation
Exclusive hire weddings include accommodation for up to 41 guests over two nights, usually the night before and the night of the wedding. Extra nights can be added, subject to availability. Other guests stay in the surrounding area or in Inverness.
Catering
The castle is hired as it stands, without in-house catering. Organizers bring their own caterer and bar service, and the caterer has to bring its own cooking equipment. Flatware, tableware and glassware are also supplied by the client.
History and setting
The 1st Duke of Sutherland bought Ardross in the late 18th century and built a hunting lodge there. Alexander Matheson acquired the estate in the 19th century and had the architect Alexander Ross remodel the house in the Scots Baronial style, keeping the earlier mansion and adding about 30 rooms. In 1898 the estate passed to C. W. Dyson Perrins, who brought in electricity, extended the pinetum and commissioned the formal garden on the east front from Edward White, with statuary and ironwork by the Bromsgrove Guild and rockwork by Pulham and Son. The estate was broken up in 1937. The McTaggart family bought the castle in 1983 and restored both the house and the gardens, which sit within more than 100 acres of parkland.
Getting there
The castle is north of Inverness, in Ross-shire, and there is ample parking on site for guests arriving by car. Inverness Airport is the nearest airport for guests flying in.
