The most important country house in Buchan, Cairness is also one of the finest examples of neoclassical architecture in Britain. Home to writer and journalist Khalil Hafiz Khairallah and painter and art historian Julio Soriano-Ruiz, Cairness was largely forgotten and neglected for 60 years. The house is at present being lovingly restored.

This extraordinary building is the crowning achievement of architect James Playfair, completed after his premature death by Sir John Soane.

With fine plaster work and the first Egyptian room in Britain, Cairness is a highly unusual design and has a unique place as a missing link in British architecture.

From the front Cairness resembles an austere classical palace; from the back, the house is a massive granite fortress. The main roof is crowned by 51 cast iron chimney pots in the shape of fluted Doric columns weighing some 200 kilos each.

The design of Cairness draws heavily on ancient symbolism and the house was almost certainly conceived partly as a grand masonic temple.

Behind its imposing façade, the house belies a human scale interior that is welcoming and friendly in spite of its 18th-century classical formality.

The architecture alone and the combination of a world-class collection of furniture and works of art, fabulous interiors, magnificent views of the surrounding landscape and a lived-in atmosphere make Cairness a unique experience for every visitor.

Cairness has been until now a very well kept secret; a truly extraordinary architectural experience shared by very few.

We warmly invite you to come and share it with us.