Cringletie House Hotel, Peebles - Deactivated

History

It is said that the word Cringletie derives from the name Crelenge, a landowner who lived in the area in the 13th century.

From 1600 to 1861 - Sir Alexander of Black Barony

More information appears in the history books and archives around 1600. Sir Alexander Murray of Black Barony obtained a Crown charter of the lands of Cringletie in 1666, and had a house built for his second eldest son. This house is the first Cringletie House.

From 1861 to 1971 - The Wolfe Murrays & The Sutherlands

Three centuries later, the house was in a sorry state of disrepair, and its owner, James Wolfe Murray, decided to replace it with the present house.

A new house was designed by the then famous Scottish architect David Bryce. Bryce has many stately homes and mansions to his name. It was completed in 1861 and the Wolfe Murray family took possession of it. Cringletie has many features typical of Bryce's work, such as the distinctive, small towers at the corners of the top floor.

In 1904 a new family name appears - The Sutherlands. Elizabeth, one of Wolfe Murray's daughters, married Sir George Henry Sutherland. To commemorate the marriage an artist was commissioned to paint the ceiling in the drawing room. It is based on an Italian painting and personalised to include the monograms of the couple G E S.

In 1921, James Wolfe Murray's grandson (Captain George Wolfe Murray) leased Cringletie to his brother-in-law, Sir George Sutherland. Sir George modernized the house - enlarging rooms, adding bedrooms and bathrooms, and transforming it from a Victorian family house to a much grander country house.

Other improvements made by Sir George and his son, Lt-Col. Arthur Sutherland, included planting trees and thousands of daffodil bulbs around the grounds.

From 1971 to 2003 - From Country House to Country House Hotel

In 1971 Historic Scotland recognized the architectural importance of Cringletie House when they granted it grade B listed status. In later years the Walled Garden and the dovecote were also listed.

Cringletie House first became a hotel after Stanley and Aileen Maguire bought it in 1971. Over the next 27 years, the Maguires developed Cringletie into a popular and highly acclaimed country house hotel. Aileen was the head chef, famous for her Sunday lunches. Their head gardener Nick Cross developed the walled garden into a spectacular vegetable and herbaceous paradise, well known throughout the Borders.

The Maguires retired in 1997, and sold Cringletie. Sadly, the house and grounds were neglected by the new owners, and the hotel's reputation declined until the present owners, Jacob and Johanna van Houdt, bought it in 2003.

From 2003 to the Present - Major New Refurbishments

Jacob and Johanna embarked on extensive renovations of the inside of the house, advised by Simpson and Brown architects in Edinburgh. They also started an ambitious programme to improve the grounds, including replanting woodlands, building woodland walks, and restoring the splendour of the historic walled garden.

The result of their work is the luxurious hotel you see today, combining the charm of the house's Victorian heritage with the comfort and convenience of the 21st century.

Note: To honour the history of the House and its inhabitants, the current tartan in the hall and staircase is a mixture of the Murray and the Sutherland tartans. It was created for us by McKay in Durham. The check is taken from the Murray tartan, the red line made a little softer and the blues and greens are derived from the Sutherland tartan.

Food & beverage

The Cringletie dining room is the perfect dining getaway, quality, unpretentious excellent food in just the right atmosphere for city dwellers, as well as visitors to Peebles and Scottish Borders. Expect a relaxed and enjoyable experience with a fine dining feel, good size portions beautifully presented.

On Sundays the kitchen brigade in cooperation with the front team serves up a 7-course tasting menu with matching wines and drinks. This event commences at around 7.30pm each Sunday. Our restaurant manager will present each course in turn highlighting the ingredients and preparation techniques used in creating the dish.  The perfectly matched drinks with each course will be explained and why it goes so well with this particular dish.  Cost for this feast is £111.00 per person including free accommodation in a classic room.

Children are more than welcome to eat in the restaurant; high chairs are available and we offer a children’s menu called Huggie’s Friends. Of course they are also welcome to make their choices from the dinner menu.

Normal dinner is served daily from 6.00pm to 9.00pm but please keep in mind that over the winter from November until March the hotel and therefore also the restaurant is closed on Mondays after check-out and Tuesdays.

The dinner menu is a seasonal menu using produce and products that are readily available in those seasons.  The menu is a table d'hote menu with a choice of five starters, five main courses and five desserts.  The cost for this three-course menu is £37.50 per person including after dinner coffee/tea with tablet.

Grounds & Gardens

As you approach Cringletie House for the first time, you will get a foretaste of its beautiful grounds and gardens - sweeping manicured lawns, acres of mature woodland, grazing sheep, a pitch and putt course and, behind the house, the famous walled garden with its 400-year-old yew hedge, reputed to be the oldest in Scotland.

Explore the 28 acres further and you will find a delightful river and waterfall, a historic dovecote, woodland walks, outdoor sculptures and a croquet lawn.

Guests can play boules or outdoor chess in the walled garden and you may even spot badgers or owls in the woods at dusk. Come here in the Autumn and see the children gather their own conkers from the chestnut trees.

The walled garden also houses a splendid vegetable patch, a children's play area with climbing frame and trampoline and areas for growing home grown vegetables which is served freshly picked in the restaurant throughout the year.

Whether you explore Cringletie's grounds for yourself or just enjoy the delightful views from the bedrooms and public rooms, we guarantee you will be uplifted by their beauty, whatever the season.

Other facilities

Wifi is available throughout the entire house and is free of charge.

Guests can enjoy the peace and quiet of the lounge to read their papers in the morning over a lovely coffee.