The lap of luxury

Gavin D. Smith finds out more about Albert Roux's latest Scottish venture.

Greywalls Hotel at Gullane, in East Lothian, stands close to the shores of the Firth of Forth and 17 miles from Edinburgh. It has been lavishing attentive country house hospitality on its guests since 1948, and a visit makes it obvious that practice clearly makes perfect.

This magnificent property was designed as a holiday home by the fabled architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, and remains the only surviving house he designed in Scotland.

The gardens of Greywalls, which are still a striking feature, were planned by Gertrude Jekyll, who collaborated with Sir Edwin Lutyens on many country house projects.

Greywalls was created for the Hon. Alfred Lyttelton, who was a keen golfer, and it was therefore constructed virtually within putting distance of the 18th hole of the historic Muirfield Golf Course. The exclusive Muirfield club is the oldest in Scotland, having been founded in 1744, and has been based at its present location since 1890.

Greywalls was subsequently purchased from the Lyttelton family in 1905 by William James, who went on to expand it considerably. King Edward VII was a friend of the family and was a house guest on several occasions. A permanent legacy of His Majesty's time at Greywalls is a bedroom located in a corner of the garden, and converted from what was traditionally known as ‘The King's Loo,' as this lavatory facility was built for Edward's visits!

1924 saw the house acquired by Lt Col Sir James Horlick, part of the dynasty that created the famous malted m...

To read the rest of this article you can do any of the following.

• By : Gavin D. Smith
• In : Hotels
• Issue : 52
• Page : 22
• Words : 1,178