House of Dun heritage park near Montrose opens to the public

Costumed guides play the roles of three former residents of the house

A heritage park celebrating the history of Angus has opened to the public at the House of Dun country house.

The National Trust for Scotland (NTS) said the £714,000 project to create the park was one of its "most significant" of the year.

The project has created a new home for the Angus Folk Museum collection, which was amassed by Lady Maitland of Burnside in the early 20th Century.

The museum includes about 400 items from the collection.

The House of Dun was first opened to the public in 1989

The NTS said it had "reimagined" the property, which includes a Georgian mansion and a 793-acre estate.

The House of Dun, near Montrose, was opened to the public in 1989.

Visitors can take tours led by costumed guides playing the roles of three former residents of the mansion.

These are aristocrat Violet Augusta Mary Frederica Kennedy-Erskine, house cook Isabella Peddie and William Young, overseer of the estate.

The house is part of a 793-acre estate

The property will also feature multi-sensory interpretations on subjects ranging from toys of the past to hidden Jacobite secrets and agriculture heritage, as well as new cafes and shops.

Designed by renowned Scottish architect William Adam for wealthy lawyer David Erskine, the property was completed in 1743 and bequeathed to the NTS in 1980.

Period features have been retained throughout the property

Iain Hawkins, NTS north east manager, who grew up in Montrose, said he had always been "fascinated" by the House of Dun.

He said: "It's very much a property that is tied to the landscape and it's that multi-layered tale that we're telling in its new form.

"As we all embrace our new post-lockdown freedom we need places like House of Dun even more."

The charity, which also runs Culzean Castle in South Ayrshire, said it hopes to make the project "the Culzean of the East."