A Unique Truly Victorian Estate.
A Unique Truly Victorian Estate.
HISTORY OF DUNGARTHILL
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Built in the age when industrial fortunes were poured into country manors, it still stands with the details, proportions, and presence that marked that era. This is no modern imitation dressed to look the part — the fireplaces, panelling and details belong to another time, and they have never been replaced. Behind them lies a story that runs from Dundee’s jute mills to Perth’s whisky dynasty, a line of wealth and ambition that helped shape latest century.
Built on Jute
Dungarthill House was built in 1889 as a wedding present for Albert Edward Cox, heir to the Dundee jute dynasty. At that time, Dundee’s Camperdown Works—run by Cox Brothers—was the largest jute mill in the world, employing around 5,000 workers. Its 280-foot Italianate chimney, added after the American Civil War, became as recognisable to Dundee as the Eiffel Tower was to Paris.
Life in Dundee, though, was far removed from life at Dungarthill. While the barons escaped to country houses in private railway cars, the city’s mill girls and young mothers worked the looms until the day they gave birth. By the turn of the century, women made up 43% of the city’s workforce — an extraordinary figure in Victorian Britain — and earned a reputation for toughness that outsiders frequently wrote about.
Source: Cox Brothers Ltd, MS66/II/12/1(1), Dundee University Archives
The Whisky Heiress Arrives
In 1947, the Cox family sold Dungarthill to Hugh and Irene Dewhurst. Irene was the daughter of John Alexander Dewar, Baron Forteviot, and granddaughter of John Dewar, who founded Dewar’s Whisky in Perth.
The Dewars had transformed Scotch from a variable local drink into a global product. In the 1880s, Irene’s uncle Tom Dewar risked £14,000 — to double the firm’s annual profits — on a world sales tour across 26 countries. By 1896, Dewar’s was the global market leader. Annual profits rose from just £1,321 (1880) to £59,000 (1900) and passed £1 million after a major merger. In 1897, the family built Aberfeldy Distillery, still active today and just 30 minutes from Dungarthill.
Post-War Scotland
When Irene and Hugh moved in, Hugh had just returned from army service, and Irene had spent the war years with their children in Wales. For them, Dungarthill was not a grand statement but a stable family base in Perthshire after years of upheaval.
Both families made their mark. The fireplaces, cornices, and panelled rooms are pure Victorian Cox. The tie to Perth whisky, and Aberfeldy just down the road, is Dewar. Together they connect the house in two Scottish industries that brought Scotland to the world.
Modern Day
Current managers Sean & Hannah have lived on site since early 2022 and they are your point of contact from now, throughout the booking process, during, and after your stay. They look after the house, grounds and business for the owner – who visits Dungarthill regularly and loves to hear about how many happy memories Dungarthill helps to create for so many families and groups.
A Victorian Home, Yours to Live In
Most big houses for hire feel modern once you step inside. Dungarthill House has retained it historic charm. The scale and setting come from another era, but the spaces work for today — long tables that seat everyone, fires to gather round, grounds to spill into. It’s history that still functions, whether you’re marking a birthday, pulling a family together, or hosting a retreat.
Uncover Scotland from Dungarthill
