[1] The estate is set against a backdrop of mountains, hills and rich lush lowland.

Dunira was the home of Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville, although the house he built was replaced in the 19th century.

The name Dunira comes from the Scottish Gaelic Dùn Iarath, meaning "hillfort at the west ford".

[3] In 1802, Dundas was elevated to the Peerage of the United Kingdom as Viscount Melville and Baron Dunira.

[3] His son Sir David Dundas had the house, which flooded regularly, demolished and rebuilt to the design of William Burn, who also constructed the terraces.