Visit

Group Visits

We welcome groups to Paxton House. Bring your group to discover our Georgian interiors, collections of art and furniture, spacious grounds, industrial archaeology and wildlife.

group tours

Discover Paxton House

Paxton House, one of the finest examples of Neo-Palladian architecture in Scotland, was completed in 1763 for Patrick Home of Billie, a member of one of the most important families in the Scottish Borders, with the primary aim of impressing a Prussian lady he aspired to marry. This was sadly not to happen and Patrick never lived in the house.

Our tour of Paxton House, led by one of our trained guides, will follow the story of how the house was built, and later bought by Patrick’s cousin Ninian Home in 1773. Ninian has his own rags to riches story; from a disinherited father through travels in America and the Caribbean to his mixed fortune derived from sugar fuelled by the transatlantic slave trade.

Group tours

The Tour

The tour explores 14 open rooms, each restored to reflect both the Georgian and later history of the house. It will also reveal the history of our significant collections of furniture by Thomas Chippendale the Elder and Younger and William Trotter, one of the largest publicly accessible collections in the world, with items returned to the locations they may have occupied in the history of the family. Paxton House is also home to Scotland’s largest private Picture Gallery with impressive paintings by leading artists such as Raeburn, Peploe and Redpath, lent to us by our partner The National Galleries of Scotland.

Standard tours can be booked on an exclusive basis (more than 12 visitors) or for smaller numbers (under 12 visitors) incorporated into our daily tour schedule. Standard tours last about 75 minutes.

Specialist Tours

We also offer specialised tours which focus on particular areas of the collection. Tours look at architecture, art, furniture, grounds design, gardens and the recently restored Georgian water supply system. Our specialist tours last around 90 minutes and can be linked to a variety of catering options either before or after your tour.

Specialist Tours

Architecture Tour

The house was designed in the neo-Palladian style by John and James Adam with later interiors by Robert Adam and is one of the finest examples of their work. The Adam firm was also responsible for the design of Patrick Home’s other house at Wedderburn Castle.

Specialist Tours

Art Tour

Patrick Home was a significant collector on at least two Grand Tours and purchased part of Consul Joseph Smith’s art collection on the latter’s death in Venice in 1770. The house contains significant Scottish and Continental art as well as being a partner gallery for the National Gallery of Scotland in displaying over 40 pieces from their collections.

Specialist Tours

Furniture Tour

From 1774 to 1791 Ninian Home fitted Paxton House out almost exclusively from the various firms of Thomas Chippendale the Elder and Younger. Together with items purchased by Patrick Home for Wedderburn Castle, around 120 of the remaining items form a recognised, significant national collection of such furnishings. From 1814 George Home also acquired 40 items of furniture from William Trotter, the top Scottish cabinet maker of the time, and the 30 remaining items form the largest collection of his work in the country.

Group tours

Group Organisers/Coach Drivers

Discounted admission rates
Fast track entry into the house
Free entry and refreshments for the group organiser
Free entry and refreshments for the coach driver
Free entry for Blue Badge Guides
Free coach parking
Free wheelchair hire (must be pre booked)
Group tours

Refreshments

Whether your group wants to grab a quick bite to eat or enjoy a more leisurely dining experience, we can cater for all tastes and budgets for our group tour bookings. We cater for both sit in options either in our Stables Tearoom or Hayloft Gallery or take away drinks and snacks from the Gift Shop to enjoy outside in our grounds and gardens or en route home.

Please get in touch to discuss your particular requirements.