Dundas House Edinburgh Scotland

Dundas House, Edinburgh

Historic Dundas House, New Town, Edinburgh

The house and statue of John Hope, Edinburgh, Scotland. — The house and statue of John Hope

Historic Dundas House in New Town, Edinburgh in Scotland is now the registered office of the Royal Bank of Scotland and its parent company, the NatWest Group.

The beautiful Neoclassical building is a category A listed building.

The building is now a bank. — The building is now a bank

Goods From Japan delivered to your home or business. — Goods From Japan delivered to your home or business

Dundas House, drawn by William Elliott, in 1818. — The house drawn by William Elliott, in 1818

History

Constructed between 1771 and 1774, the residence was originally designed by the renowned Scottish architect Sir William Chambers (1723-1796) for Sir Lawrence Dundas (1712-1781), a wealthy landowner, merchant and politician. Chambers' other well-known commissions in the UK include Somerset House, and the pagoda at Kew Gardens. Chambers was also a founder member of the Royal Academy in London.

The grandiose structure was intended to serve as a private residence, reflecting the wealth and status of its owner. Architecturally, Dundas House is noted for its classical façade, with a symmetrical design and a prominent portico supported by Corinthian columns, embodying the aesthetic ideals of the Georgian period.

Lawrence Dundas' son Thomas Dundas sold the house to the Scottish government in 1794 as he had no desire to live there. It became the Excise House the following year.

In the 19th century, the building's function shifted again when it became the headquarters of the Royal Bank of Scotland in 1825, a role it continues to play today.

In 1834, a statue of John Hope (1765-1823), 4th Earl of Hopetoun, a British Army officer during the Napoleonic Wars, who had served as Governor of the Bank from 1820-23, was placed in the garden in front of Dundas House in . St Andrew Square. A plaque now describes Hope's family ties to slavery and exploitation in the West Indies at the time.

Over the centuries, Dundas House has become a significant landmark, symbolizing the financial and architectural heritage of Edinburgh.

The starry domed ceiling over the banking hall in Dundas House. — The starry domed ceiling over the banking hall in Dundas House

The ornate entrance hall. — The ornate entrance hall

Dundas House Access

36 St Andrew Square, Dundas House, Royal Bank of Scotland Head Office

The nearest railway station to Dundas House is Waverley Station under 10 minutes on foot.

The station has intercity services to London King’s Cross with East Coast via Newcastle and York Station in York, Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Airport (TransPennine Express), Birmingham New Street, and Glasgow Central.

Local and mainline services from the station include trains to Aberdeen, Dunblane, Dundee Station in Dundee, Falkirk, Inverness, Perth, and Fort William with ScotRail. There are also trains to Glasgow Queen Street Station, which is convenient for the magnificent Glasgow City Chambers, just a 3-minute walk away. There is a CrossCountry service to Plymouth via Leeds and Birmingham.

Edinburgh attractions within easy reach of Waverley Station include Edinburgh Castle, the Scottish Parliament Building, and Greyfriars Bobby. It is just a six-minute walk from the station to The National (Scottish National Gallery) and Royal Scottish Academy.

Edinburgh Bus Station is just two minutes away.