Construction began on the house in 1894 by the Sinclairs of Freswick and Dunbeath. It was bought in 1948 by Commander Clare and Lady Doris Vyner, the latter a close friend of Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, who stayed at the house in 1953 after the death of King George VI.

 

Situation

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The House of the Northern Gate sits in a commanding position on Dunnet Head at the southern end of the Dunnet Estate which comprises the majority of Dunnet Head (with the RSPB plot and a neighbouring estate making up the northern and eastern most parts of the headland). To the north is the Dunnet Head lighthouse and views to Orkney, to the west is Dunnet Bay and the Atlantic, to the east is the Pentland Firth and to the south is St John's Loch and the village of Dunnet.

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Construction

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The house was built by Mr Thomson-Sinclair of Freswick. Building work began in 1894 and was completed in around 1906. The Sinclairs are a very important clan in this part of Scotland with the chiefs of Clan Sinclair (formerly St Clair) being the Barons of Roslin as well as the Earls of Orkney and Earls of Caithness.

 

Upon Mr Thomson-Sinclair's death, the house passed to his nephew, Admiral Sir Edwyn Alexander-Sinclair, who lived at Dunbeath Castle and who also owned the Freswick and Keiss Estates. Sir Edwyn was a Scottish Royal Navy officer, notable for firing the first shots of the Battle of Jutland, and for leading a squadron of light cruisers in the Baltic to support independence of Estonia and Latvia in 1918 to 1919. The house remained in his ownership until the death of the admiral in 1945, when the crofts on the estate were sold.

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The last croft to be sold was that of Mary Anne Calder. Her cottage is now a museum.

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The house was the first in the surrounding area to be electrically powered using a steam generator in a stone outbuilding that is still on site. It also pumped water from the nearby Well of Lerygeo to tanks in the roof of the house.

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Visit of the Queen Mother

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Subsequently, the house and estate were purchased by Commander Clare and Lady Doris Vyner. Lady Vyner was a close friend of Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, and invited her to stay at the house in 1953 after the death of her husband, King George VI.

 

During her stay, the Queen Mother looked east out of one of the upper floor windows and spied the tower of the recently vacated Barrogill Castle, 3 miles away. Upon enquiring about the castle, a visit was arranged to view it. It was owned by Captain Imbert-Terry and a deal was struck to buy the rather dilapidated castle and Longoe Mains farm. The Queen Mother renamed it the Castle of Mey, its original name and set about an extensive refurbishment. She would then spend summers at the castle, The tradition of these annual visits has been continued by HRH King Charles each August.

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The Royal Yacht Britannia brought Queen Elizabeth II and the royal family to Dunnet in 1955 when she disembarked from the yacht and landed by a royal barge at Dwarwick Pier just below the house.

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These events featured on "The Crown" on Netflix in Season 1: Episode 8.

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Later owners

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Commander Vyner held the House and Estate for two decades to 1967 and since then it has been a hotel, a private residence and nearly became a recording studio for Led Zeppelin.

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Recent renovations

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In 2018, the house and estate were purchased by a branch of the Dunnett family whose ancestors left the area six generations ago.

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The house was in need of significant renovations and the family spent three years repairing and renovating the house. Throughout, the priority was to return the house to its original grandeur and also to bring the house up to the highest levels of modern comfort and environmental consciousness while respecting the house's long history.

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The team of contractors and local tradespeople performed a magnificent feat. The harling (plasterwork) which had been repaired with non-porous cement was entirely removed and relaid, the Caithness stone roofing slates were removed and, where necessary, replaced with locally salvaged slates and all 53 windows were replaced. Outside, a walled garden and gym was added, the lochan dredged and old garages removed. Inside a complete refurbishment was undertaken using original materials where possible (floors, doors, plaster castings) and sympathetic replacements where necessary (such as heritage style light switches). The rooms themselves have been decorated in an elegantly traditional style with Farrow & Ball paints and a combination of Scottish and French furniture.

 

In 2021, we were honoured by a visit of HRH King Charles (then HRH the Prince of Wales or, as he was known in Scotland, the Duke of Rothesay).  His Royal Highness' visit marked the end of the main phase of renovations. It was a blustery and rainy day but the King enjoyed seeing the house that his grandmother had stayed in and meeting the Dunnett family and many local tradespeople who contributed to the works.