Hospitalfield House

The feel

Sitting eminently within its 40 acre estate, the old Hospital of St John the Baptist has evolved over its 800 years into a superb location for a quiet, beautiful and exciting wedding. Within the Arbroath town bounds, overlooking the North Sea, and yet invisible to most passers-by, Hospitalfield has a secret feel, a feeling of great intimacy.

The main body of the House with its central core dating back to the early thirteenth century and two wings of the fourteenth and seventeenth centuries, were refaced and embellished with naturalistic carvings in the mid nineteenth century, combining with the great bartizan tower to create a fairy-tale set worthy of the most prestigious wedding.

Inside, the medieval ceiling height of the entrance gives way to a light penetrating stairwell which takes guests onto the principal floor leading to the public rooms through doors set in red sandstone walls. The double height Picture Gallery, which makes a spectacular setting for a wedding banquet, or the ceremony itself, is emblazoned with heraldry from bygone marriages over the centuries of occupation by the Fraser family, and spectacular wood carving, some of the finest in Scotland.

Equally impressive is the Drawing Room which accommodates small wedding ceremonies of up to 60, resplendent with sixteenth century Flemish tapestries and an elaborately carved ceiling of plant life from the estate. Small family groups of up to 16 can be entertained for dinner in the adjacent Dining Room which is located within the family accommodation built for the first of the Fraser family in 1664.