A former sheep shed on a working family farm just outside Edinburgh has undergone a £1.9m transformation into a "contemporary luxury wedding and event venue".
The new venue, Cairns Farm Estate, sits on the shores of Harperrig reservoir within the Pentland Hills Regional Park and has overnight accommodation.
It is the result of an idea that first hatched several years ago and was subsequently developed through a partnership between the Hamilton family and luxury venue management and event catering company Hickory.
It is set to host its first wedding on May 22 and already has a diary full of bookings stretching into 2022.
Many of these were made before the main conversion of the sheep shed had started, based on the venue’s location and design plans.
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The 1,200-acre country estate and hill farm is near Kirknewton and around eight miles from Edinburgh. The estate has been in the Hamilton family since 1869. With their three children on-board, the family teamed up with Hickory "to diversify their estate and create a new chapter in its history".
Caroline and Graham Hamilton have led the project with their children taking on individual roles to match their own skills; Joanna as an interior designer, younger son Bobby assisting with finance and funding, and Alistair as project manager and joiner.
Working with Chris Duncan of Mill Architects, local contractors and craftspeople, the Hamiltons developed a modern multi-use wedding and event venue that reflects its agricultural roots and sits naturally in the stunning rural location.
The main venue is built around sheds that were once home to cattle over the winter and sheep during lambing season. Now it is a "stylish and modern contemporary space" which can hold up to 180 guests and includes a ceremony room, main function room, bar, breakout areas, and state-of-the-art kitchens.
Inside, wedding couples enter the ceremony room through horse stalls up-cycled from the farm’s stables while a feature wall, has been hand built re-using stones from the drystone dykes in the old building.
Cairns Farm Estate also features "a range of luxurious on-site accommodation" which can sleep up to 24 guests. This includes Cairns Farmhouse, a 19th-century country house that sits on the edge of Harperrig Reservoir.
Caroline Hamilton said: “This has been an incredible journey for our family; from having the initial idea, to teaming up with Hickory in 2017 then battling on through the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s almost hard to believe that we will soon to be hosting our first wedding in May.
“It’s been a real labour of love, with each member of the family adding their unique skill and personality throughout the planning and the build. We’ve also worked with friends and local crafts men and women, so there’s been a real sense of community and care that’s gone into the project."
Brian Galbraith, managing director of Hickory, said: “Cairns Farm Estate is absolutely spectacular. With its stunning setting, on-site accommodation and its amazing conversion from a country barn into a stylish and flexible modern event space, it’s already attracting huge interest for weddings and events.
"It’s been a pleasure to team up with the Hamilton family and be part of the journey. With the first wedding just around the corner, and many more booked in, we can’t wait to get started.”
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