Construction of Kinross House began in 1685, one of the most important neoclassical Palladian mansions built in Scotland, with a historic view of the Castle where Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned. The house was landscaped and planted with a formal garden before construction so it would be set in a mature landscape and was Sir William Bruce’s greatest masterpiece. In 2011 a total renovation, a ‘labour of love’ of the house and the original formal gardens was started, allowing the present day drama of space, sky and horizon to retain its impact.

Gleneagles has been home to the Haldanes since the XII century and the backdrop to the family’s centuries-long struggle to survive the great sweeps of Scotland’s history - from the religious controversies of the XVI and XVII centuries to the Darien Scheme and the Act of Union, from the Jacobite rebellions to the development of the East India Company, and much more.

 James and Angelica, the 29th generation of Haldanes of Gleneagles, invite you to share in their (often humorous) family tales, through a private tour of the various rooms and collections displayed around Gleneagles House.

Application Form and Details click here

We will visit Arniston House, Gorebridge where we will have a tour of the house by the owner, Althea Dundas Becker, and her daughter. .  There is something rather special about the actual owners showing us around their home.The house was designed by William Adam and is well known for its collection of paintings - Raeburns, Nasmyths etc.  

Arniston House and grounds, a family home for the Dundas family for 450 years has been described as one of the most important William Adam houses in Scotland. On the guided tour the family take great pleasure in sharing anecdotes of the Dundas legacy and story of Arniston, its period furniture, china collections and in particular the wonderful paintings by Raeburn and Nasmyth.

Rosslyn Chapel was founded in 1446 by Sir William St Clair and completed by his son. The beauty of the chapel’s setting and with practically every surface carved in an outstanding display of craftmanship, the mysterious symbolism of its ornate stonework lent itself to Dan Brown’s film The Da Vinci Code in 2003. The expert guides will share some of the Chapel’s history and legends and explain the main features inside with stories of the intricate carvings.

(Photo Arniston House by Ali Constable)

Our final Garden Visit for this year takes place on WEDNESDAY, 9th JULY at 2.00 p.m. at STRALOCH, ENOCHDHU - by kind permission of Mrs. Maggie Lascelles.  The cost for the afternoon is £10 and will include a delicious tea!

Please could you let Claire know if you would like to visit this beautiful garden? Her Mobile number is: 07702582905

Directions will be sent out as soon as Claire has confirmation of numbers.

Application here

Join us for this special visit to Brechin Castle where we will have a conducted tour of the beautiful interior of the 17th Century Castle followed by a tour of the spectacular gardens.

The timetable for the afternoon is as follows: -

Arrive at the astle at 1.00 p.m.  (own/shared transport).

1.30 p.m. Guided Tour of the interior of the Castle

2.30 p.m. Tea

3.00 p.m.  Guided Tour of the Gardens

4.30 p.m. Depart for home.

Cost is £25 per person

Coach departs Broxden 8.45 a.m.  Arrive Aberdeen 10.45 a.m. Coffee and Butteries followed by Guided tour of highlights of the Gallery.  12.30 p.m. - 1.30 p.m. Lunch.  In the afternoon we hope to visit St Machar's Cathedral.

3.00 p.m. (approx) Leave Aberdeen  5.00 p.m. Arrive Perth - Broxden.

Cost for the day is £60 per person.

Application Forms here

Machany House, Auchterarder PH3 1NW

By kind permission of Mr John Robertson

 On Wednesday 14th May 2025 at 2pm – 4pm

 Cost £10 per person (includes tea and cakes) cash only please.

Proceeds going to St Kessog’s Episcopal Church, Auchterarder.

 Contact: Claire Paton 07702582905 to book your place(s).

 The garden is informal with open lawns which allow space to appreciate the majestic specimens of Wellingtonia and Douglas Fir, Rhododendrons, azaleas and much more. A woodland walk, an original goose pond and a tranquil stream add much to the charm of this lovely garden.

We will meet at the Mortuary Chapel for a Guided Tour starting 2.00 p.m. – followed by a Guided Tour of the refurbished Gardens and Fernery at Hospitalfield.  Tea will be served in the Garden Café.

Total cost for the afternoon to include tea £25 – payable on the day.

We will meet at the Church at 1.30 p.m.  Dr. Ann Smith will give us a

Guided tour and history of ‘The Kirk of The Bible’. Many interesting features and very worthy of a visit.

WEMYSS CASTLE GARDENS – Tour of Gardens with owner Mrs. Charlotte Wemyss.  Walled Garden, Woodland Garden – Large collection of Montana Clematis – sculpture and architecture.

£7.50p. per person – cash only payable on the day please.

Refreshments will be served in the Castle Gardens

Please meet at Car Park - 1.30 p.m. for 2.00 p.m. start.  Coffee on arrival.

Guided Tour of the House - Antonia Laurence  will give us a guided tour – with emphasis on the collection of paintings.  Opportunity to walk in the grounds up to The Binns Tower - spectacular views (dogs allowed)

NTS Members go free.  Non NTS Members – please pay £10 cash on the day.

We will depart The Binns and make for New Liston House which has a well-preserved 18th Century parkland/designed landscape. Robert Adam designed the house.  (£5 per person).

Photo Credit: David Ross and Britain Express

VISIT TO MARCHMONT HOUSE, GREENLAW TD10 6YL

WEDNESDAY, 22nd MAY, 2024

Marchmont House is an imposing Grade A listed Palladian mansion built in 1750 by the 3rd Earl of Marchmont. The interior is one of the finest in Scotland and retains many of its original features including the magnificent George 11 period plasterwork by Thomas Clayton.  Our visit to Marchmont will take in Guided Tours of the House and Sculpture Park and will include Coffee on arrival and Lunch in the Old Kitchen Gallery. This visit will be a wonderful opportunity to see the Award-Winning restoration which has been carried out since 2012.  Do join us – and bring a friend! For application form click here

The subject of our Winter Lectures in January, 2024 will be ‘The National Trust for Scotland’- with categories to include Care and Maintenance of the properties and displaying of Collections.

With this in mind, we have arranged a short morning visit to THE HOUSE OF THE BINNS – seat of the Dalyell family from the early 17th century – and home of the late Tam Dalyell until his death in January 2017.

The House of The Binns was the first COUNTRY HOUSE to be handed over to The National Trust for Scotland in 1944 – with the wish that ‘Binns be preserved for the benefit and enjoyment of the nation’.

The cost for the visit is £10 per person to include coffee on arrival and a Guided Tour of the house. NOTE:  NTS members go free.

We plan to CAR SHARE on this occasion but if there is demand, a Minibus has been reserved and Claire will confirm arrangements and extra costs when numbers are known.

To reserve your place for the visit please contact Claire on 07702582905 or email to tastvisits@gmail.com

*Waiting list*

The Burrell Collection is one of Europe’s most beautiful museums with a staggering 9,000 objects! Since The Burrell’s re-opening in March 2022 after major refurbishment, the Burrell team have put together some of the highlights which we can look forward to seeing during our visit – these will include stained glass, Ming Dynasty Vases, portraits, sculptures, carpets armour and much more! 

Application Form here

THE ARTS SOCIETY TAYSIDE
VISIT TO BLAIR CASTLE
‘CASTLE COUTURE 1740 – 1844’
WEDNESDAY, 12 TH OCTOBER, 2022 at 2.00 p.m.

Our visit to Blair Castle will take place on WEDNESDAY, 12th OCTOBER from 2.00 p.m. - 4.00 p.m. In addition to viewing the current Exhibition ‘Castle Couture 1740 – 1844’ (historical clothing of the 18th and 19th Centuries including a Jacobite dress which has been hidden away for 250 years) we will have a private viewing of Lady Evelyn’s Lace collection accompanied by the in-house Archivist. (Lady Evelyn was the 7th Duke’s daughter). This visit should be of interest to members as it precedes our three January Lectures (2023) whose theme will be ‘A stitch in Time.

Tea and Coffee will be served in the Café following the visit

The cost per person is £30.00p.

Numbers are strictly limited to 20 for the visit.

PLEASE NOTE: We will use our own transport/car share.

TO BOOK YOUR PLACE FOR THE VISIT
PLEASE CONTACT ME (CLAIRE PATON) ON - 07702582905
OR EMAIL AT: tastvisits@gmail.com
CASH PAYMENT FOR YOUR TICKET SHOULD BE MADE TO ME ON ARRIVAL
AT THE CASTLE CAR PARK

Claire Paton – Visits Co-ordinator

Details to follow

Due to the ongoing uncertainty of the Covid pandemic restrictions this visit is CANCELLED

Due to the ongoing uncertainty of the Covid pandemic restrictions this visit is CANCELLED

Rediscover Ancient Egypt……….

Mummy-mask of gilded and painted linen and plaster cartonnage, depicting Montsuef wearing a lappet-wig: excavated by A.H. Rhind in the tomb of Montsuef at Sheikh Abd el-Qurna, Thebes, Early Roman Period, c.9 B.C.

…. Explore East Asia………

Woman's robe of white silk painted with design of plum blossom and embroidered with plum, bamboo and cranes in coloured silk and in gold-wrapped thread:  Japan, 1800-1868

Delve even deeper into the Collections

For full and further information and details of how to apply to join this exciting and informative visit please click here.

The latest Exhibition “Russia, Royalty and the Romanovs” explores the relationships between Britain and Russia and their Royal Families from Peter the Great’s visit to London in 1698 through to Nicholas II.  Portraits, sculptures, photographs, archive documents and masterpieces by Faberge contrive to make this a fascinating Exhibition.

At St Cecilia’s Hall, we will see one of the finest collections of Harpsichords in the UK.  The visit will end with a Recital.

To find out more about the visit and to apply please click here.

Dr David Gerrard (harpsichord player) at the end of his recital in St Cecilia's Concert Hall.

This is full. Any new applications will join a waiting list.

Click here for application form

Visit to Hunterian Musuem and Art Gallery. 

Please note that this visit is now closed - waiting list only.  (Please contact Claire Paton direct if you wish to be added to the waiting list)

The William Hunter Tercentenary Exhibition explores the contexts in which Hunterian Founder, Dr William Hunter (1718-1783) formed his collections.  We are fortunate to have secured the Deputy Director of the Hunterian, Mungo Campbell, who will guide us round this important Exhibition.  

For further information and application form please click here.

One hundred years ago this year, legislation was passed allowing women over thirty with property to vote, and women to be elected into Parliament. The first female MP was elected that year.
Our visit to the Scottish Parliament celebrates these momentous anniversaries.
Fiona McDougall, Art Curator & Exhibitions Manager, and the Events Team at Holyrood have created a unique day for the Arts Society.
The day will start at 11am. We will have a buffet lunch in the beautiful Members’ Room and before and after lunch attendees will be divided into groups for:
- The Art Tour
- The Architecture Tour
- The Literature Tour
The day is open to Members and their guests and the cost is £40.
 

Click here for an application form

Elements 3 - Festival of Jewellery, Gold & Silver in Scotland

Elements is an annual festival of gold and silver in central Edinburgh, incubated by the Incorporation of Goldsmiths and Lyon & Turnbull Fine Art Auctioneers.

The Elements festival comprises an exhibition, a variety of events and a selling fair showcasing some of the UK’s most exquisite work in silver and jewellery. The Incorporation and Lyon & Turnbull have a heritage of producing, exhibiting and selling work at the highest level. 

Elements is held at Lyon & Turnbull’s showroom in central Edinburgh.

A visit has been arranged for members of The Arts Society Tayside on Thursday 2nd November, 2 – 3.30pm.  Tickets are £5 and include tea/coffee.  

The National Museum of Scotland 

11:30 Welcome and introduction to Bonnie Prince Charlie and the rise and fall of the Jacobites 
12:00 Conserving the Jacobite collections
12:30 Q&A  
12:45 Guests depart for Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobites exhibition.

Click here for further information The Arts Society Scotland & N.Ireland 

Morning: in The Captain’s Room Dollar Academy (by kind invitation of the Rector, David Kaplan) Lecture: Amanda Herries “Japanese Gardens in The West; 100 Years of Eastern Influence”

Lunch.

Afternoon: Visit The Japanese Garden at nearby Cowden Castle. 

Click here for further information The Arts Society Scotland & N.Ireland 

Hospitalfield is an Arts and Crafts house in Arbroath dedicated to contemporary arts and ideas – a place to work, study and learn. Our visit will include a tour of the house, the Studios, the Grounds and Fernery (the only building of its kind on the east coast of Scotland). In the afternoon, we will visit the Mortuary Chapel. 

For an application form and further deatils please click here 

For further information click here

5pm Lecture - The Extraordinary Life and Times of Caravaggio by Andrew Graham-Dixon at The Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh

6.30-8.00pm - Private view of the exhibition 'Beyond Caravaggio at The Royal Scottish Academy

Click here for further information NADFAS Scotland & N.Ireland 

This much anticipated visit to the refurbished Dumfries House will include a guided tour of the house, a two course lunch with wine followed by a guided tour of the gardens. 

Click here for an application form.

Founded in 1985, the Chippendale International School of Furniture is now one of the world’s leading independent furniture making and furniture design schools. Every year their cabinet making courses buzz with up to 24 student furniture designers learning the best of traditional and modern furniture making. Students learn by doing – a practical approach. Each student has their own workbench and they learn from experienced tutors and from each other.

The earliest reference to a church in Haddington dates from 1139. Founded as a Collegiate Church in 1380, and taking over one hundred years to build, the church was largely ruined during the mid-sixteenth century Siege of Haddington. The building is not only an inspiring place of worship for its congregation, but one of the riches of the Lothians.

8.45 am  Coach departs Broxden Park and Ride

9.00 am  Coach departs Kinross Park and Ride

10.30 am Arrive Chippendale International School of Furniture - coffee/tea/ pastries on arrival followed by tour

12.15 pm Lunch – Maitlandfield House Hotel

1.45-3.00 pm Tours St. Mary's Kirk

3.15 pm  Depart

4.45 pm Arrive Kinross   

5.00 pm  Arrive Perth

Cost: £48.00 per person

Applications to: Claire Paton, Lethangie, Kinross KY13 9EY.

Tel: 01577-863 431 mob: 07514 071 121 Email: tdfasvisits@gmail.com

Refunds can only be given for cancellations made before Thursday 3rdNovember.

Click here for Application Form

New Lanark quickly became known under the enlightened management of social pioneer, Robert Owen. He provided decent homes, fair wages, free health care, a new education system for villagers and the first workplace nursery school in the world. 2016 marks the bicentenary of the establishment of the Institute for the Formation of Character which was the social centre of the community. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, New Lanark has been beautifully restored as a living community, which welcomes visitors from all over the world. 

This tour behind the scenes at Scottish Opera took us to the Wardrobe Section with Wigs, Scenery production and Painting, and Carpentry workshop. We were also able to sit in on a rehearsal for the production of Carmen. On the way back to Perth we stopped off to see the Kelpies.