Sandy's Garden .. Luxury in the Garden

Her late husband was the son of one of the ‘jute barons’ who had founded Gilroy Sons & Co Ltd, a company which had been started by three brothers, Robert, George and Alexander Gilroy, in 1849.

Their Tay Bridge Works were built in 1863 and the firm became a limited company in 1890. In 1920 it amalgamated with other jute firms to form Jute Industries Ltd. The Gilroys were among the first of the Dundee manufacturers to establish the direct importation of jute from India and their products included hessians, sacks and canvas. The company went into voluntary liquidation in 1933.

Mrs. Gilroy’s luxurious home was designed by a well-known Dundee architect, Donald Mills, and included three reception rooms and five ‘principal’ bedrooms, as well as ‘the usual offices’ and ‘servants’ quarters.’

The property was built on ten acres of agricultural land once owned by the Priory of St Andrews as part of the Priory Acres and it was known as the “Ruch (pronounced “ruff”) Flets”, which in the Scots tongue, meant “rough, flat lands.” She deemed that its name should be ‘Rufflets’.

From the outset, the extensive grounds were beautifully landscaped, with a large formal garden fronted by a generous terrace in front of the house and a flight of steps leading down from the formal garden into informal cultivated grasslands incorporating a fascinating collection of specimen trees. There was also a big kitchen garden where vegetables and herbs were grown for the chef and the cooks to use. The house and its gardens were south-facing and enjoyed every minute of sunshine, with the gardens protected from any chill north or north-east winds by the house.

Last week Ailsa and I enjoyed a taste of Mrs. Gilroy’s lifestyle for, since 1952, when the house was bought by George and Margaret Cook and business partners, Anna and James Meldrum, it has been an hotel.

Today, Rufflets Hotel is owned by Mark and Christopher Forrester, grandsons of two of the original founders of the hotel. Their mother, Ann Murray-Smith, who took over the management of the business from her parents in 1976, remains a director and acts as an adviser to the business.

The ten-acre gardens remain beautifully landscaped by a team of professional gardeners, keeping the acres of grass and formal hedges neatly trimmed.

While we enjoy returning from a pleasant day out to sit in our own garden with a cold gin and tonic, it doesn’t quite match up to the experience of sitting on a sunlit terrace looking out over a formal garden with a background of mature trees, luxury-brand local gin … and tonic … in hand, reflecting on how much we could enjoy this lifestyle.

In a couple of weeks, our gardening adviser, guru and occasional labourer, Alison, wqill be spending a day with us and we anticipate this event eagerly – for she will undoubtedly refresh our horticultural thoughts and help us rethink what we can do better.