Venlaw

[1] The site was formerly occupied by a 14th-century fortification founded by the Hay family, known as Smithfield Castle, which was destroyed in the 18th century.

The present house was built for Alexander Stevenson, Sheriff Deputy of Peebleshire, on the site in 1782.

[2] In 1948, new owners Alexander Cumming and his wife, Jean Brownlee, intended to convert the property into a hotel but were unable to pay "development tax", levied on people turning a private house into a business.

[2] Venlaw Castle Hotel opened in 1949 and remained in the family until November 1997, when it was bought by the Ross Clan.

It is now home to eight beautiful, privately owned, apartments, with three more modern ones being housed in a new annex to the side of the original building.