Traditional Artistry
Designed for you, by artisans and craftsmen
A distinctive venue
Cairns Farm Estate ensures a personal wedding journey to impress your guests with our stylish event spaces. A stunning ceremony area, bespoke bar, beautiful dining and dancing and an outdoor venue terrace for drinks or a barbecue – all set against the backdrop of the stunning Pentland Hills.
Some might call this a barn venue. If it is, then it’s a really modern barn with features of stone, metal and wood combined with artist created pieces like bespoke fused glass windows, ultra modern lighting, sprung dance floor and a craftsman created ceremony table. Let’s call it modern Scottish, ideal to add your own style touches.
At Cairns Farm, love and community unite, creating an atmosphere of respect and celebration. The true magic lies in experiencing this special place for yourself. Come and be a part of the story at Cairns Farm Estate.
With sustainability at the heart of this venue, it was build with authenticity, craft and a passion for historical importance.
Below is the full detailed story of our build packed with interesting facts about materials, furniture and key pieces.
Behind The Build
From the start, we’ve wanted to show warts and all, that we are in a sheep shed and so design decisions were made in such a way that would enhance this. For example…
We always agreed that we wanted the style of the building to be agricultural, we wanted it to sit comfortably and naturally in the environment and it was important to us that the materials we used had to respond to that.
So many people have been involved in the build and there’s a real personality to the venue. From family and friends to using local crafts men and women, there’s a real sense of community and care that’s gone into the project.
The skeleton of the building, the steel frame, is sitting on foundations that haven’t changed for decades. We knew that the new building couldn’t shout at the landscape, it always had to compliment it.
Sustainability and being ecological was a huge driving factor for us and can be seen throughout the build. Where we can, we’ve reused original buildings, built using materials found natively on site and worked in conjunction with the landscape around us.
From reusing to repurposing, up-cycling and sourcing locally, the ethos of the build has entered around working with the resources we have around us.
There are a lot of wedding venues around. The farm type of venue traditionally will be a stone steading which has been repurposed into a wedding venue. We’re creating a large space that can be adapted for multi-use.
Each member of the family have brought their unique skill to this project and every design decision has been representative of the family’s ambition and dream for this space. The finished result is a combination of lots of people coming together to create the project.
Old shed materials
Where there was once a concrete wall in the sheep shed, that has now been crushed and used in new foundations under the ground which help to support the venue.
And where there was a stone wall around the sheep shed, we’ve reused the stones to create a new dyke outside.
Where there were drystone dykes in the old building, the stone has been reused in in the Great Wall.
The skeleton of the building is sitting on foundations that haven’t changed for decades.
Robust references to agriculture throughout the building; in the timber posts used in the breakout area to the single metal cladding that was once around the sheep shed and is repurposed and used on the toilet doors and around the silo. The rocks used within the landscaping around the venue has come from the quarry on the farm and is the same stone used to build the farmhouse.
There was a requirement for us to fell a number of old specimen trees onsite which we have gone on to use throughout the build. The trees were planted by (Graham’s) Great Grandfather in the 19th century and by us using them in present day, continues to tell the history of the farm; the trees aren’t lost, they have a new purpose.
The felled timber is a really big part of the building and is a fantastic material to use and helps tell the story of the building and the evolution of the farm. The Scots pine is a soft wood and lends itself well to the external cladding of the building and has been scorched to keep its colour and integrity. The sycamore is a hard wood which is beautiful and pale, it has a purity to it and lends itself to making furniture so has been used internally for the bar, tables and benches.
The sycamore trees were felled from our woodpecker wood, in order to create a safe space around the venue. The trees have been milled and dried and are now being hand crafted on site into various features used throughout the venue.
A sycamore was felled from the site of the Silo, it has now been crafted into the ceremony table and the bar top.
Farming at 900 feet in the Pentland Hills, you have to learn to work alongside the elements and with the resources you have. The wind turbine pre-dates the project and is a reference to the farms’ attitude towards renewable sources.
Locality is massively important to us and runs throughout the build and where we can, we’ve gone with local contractors.
The whole building is all about textures; from a smooth sterile plastered board to the farm like stone, timber and jute and rough grain of the timber.
Our environment is important to us, we have planted many small and some larger plantations at Cairns and this will continue with the creation of our woodland walk and tree planting by all our celebrated couples.
The Silo
There was a eureka moment! Chris (the architect) saw the silo which is attached to the feed shed and said “Thats it! That’s how we get into the venue…through a silo. That’s how we need to make it different.”
The important thing was to have something which was tall, agricultural and signified the entrance. Its the repurposing and nod to the theme of agriculture to fit in the landscape. Its a very visual way of signalling the building, its like a beacon and is structurally impressive. Its a striking structure, a great big silver, glistening tube!
It came from a farm 7 miles down the road having been used previously to house grain. The colour blends into the countryside.
Its up cycled, things change over time and get worn out. What we’re going to do in the silo is to reuse it but to make it look as though its gone back to nature. There will be plants and natural light
Nature and the elements are very powerful out here and we want to create the illusion that nature has taken over in a controlled way.
Coming in through the silo, you have to have an entry space. We wanted to make a striking space representative of the original purpose of the building as a lambing shed.
The journey through the building
We’ve created a route through the building which keeps you connected to the landscape, taking you in at appropriate points in the building. It’s a series of surprises throughout, starting with the entrance through the silo.
You are greeted by a log burning stove and the glowing embers of the fire, as you enter the venue. Fire inside is welcoming and the log burning stove provides a retreat for people to sit and enjoy.
The roof lights continue throughout the building, creating a corridor of light and directing people through the building.
Artificial lighting is really important to create the mood of the building and through the use of a variety of lighting types and locations, we celebrate the materials and textures used throughout the build. The light responds to the different stages of the day and the surrounding landscape.
Ceremony Room
It had to be a space of calm and spirituality to represent all creeds; its a room of significance. Its been purposely designed with fused glass and the great wall, with the idea that the guests are always looking to the landscape and with the focus on the couple, connecting them to the view. The view is always to the couple and the landscape.
To achieve that, its a space that will be naturally lit, people will watch the ceremony, the bride and groom and they’ll be drawn out towards the landscape.
Through the permanent structure of the Great Wall, we’re creating a space that’s relating to the gravity of the commitment the couples are making to each other.
The horse stalls used as the entrance to the Ceremony Room are reclaimed from the stables, which were once underneath The Keep and create a visual screen with suspended jute bags that will hang down.
The design of the room is such that views stretch out over Harperrig Reservoir and the surrounding rolling hills. A sky light is positioned directly above the ceremony table to enhance the natural lighting of the room.
The ceremony table is handmade onsite from the felled sycamore trees. It’s been designed by Chris @millarchitects in a ‘wing’ shape to represent the coming together of two people. Chris’s signature style marries industrial with agricultural and the table has been created as such that it draws upon the natural landscape of Cairns.
The different sized windows in the ceremony wall were the idea of Chris’s who draws his inspiration from Lecorbusi and the chapel at Ronchamp (famous church). This was a personal choice of Chris’s based on the work of someone he admires whilst allowing different levels of light to come into the building.
The fused glass windows are made locally by Scott @harmoniesinwood; a master craftsman in fused glass and wooden sculptures. He draws his inspiration from the light and colours of the Pentland Hills.
The coloured glass is on a north facing wall, and as the light fades, the light will be reflected outside.
The Ceremony Table
The Ceremony table was designed by Chris Duncan of Mill Architects. Whilst Mill was the architectural practice engaged for the venue itself, Chris is separately a furniture designer and maker.
Looking down on the table, it is like wings and reflects the Martlet birds.
Before being married, couples would stand in the hollows created on either side of the table, as separate people. Afterwards, they come together on the other side, united, to confirm their commitment to one-another.
The table is organic, at one with nature and a symbol of moving forwards together. Made from sycamore timber, which was felled on the farm in 2019, the sycamore was selected for its pale colour and pure associations. Sycamore is often the choice of musical instrument makers, an appropriate association for celebration.
The Great Wall
Where the main shed is, that used to be the walled garden of the farm. We used the stone of this wall to enclose the newly built shed, 30 years ago. When the shed was being repurposed into a wedding venue we then used these stones around the shed to build the Great Wall.
The stones used to build this impressive feature came from the original wall of the farm shed used to winter cattle and house over 200 ewes for lambing.
Hand built over many months, the idea of the Great Wall is that the foundations are solid and permanent, as is marriage.
The entrance to the wedding venue is constructed from a reclaimed grain silo and has been meticulously measured and fitted by hand. The silo is attached to the building using glass, as on farm steadings, silos are stand independently from the building. The glass is used to represent ‘distance’ instead of having a solid link.
Putting a permanent structure in, we felt, grounds the space. The growing plants above it enhances the natural quality of the ceremony space.
Stone and plants and the force of nature is quite powerful. You’re doing a powerful thing by coming together and we wanted the space to emulate the commitment.
The Great Wall will be cast in up-lights, highlighting the texture of the wall.
The Bar
Functional and hand-built on site. Materials are from the farms timber, sycamore and corten steel. Part of the party room, it keeps the gathering of people together.
Cut out of the corten steel will be a profile of East and West Cairns hills, representing the location of the farm.
Wooden furnishings
The tables and wooden furnishings, such as the bench in the ‘break away’ room and the bench along the Great Wall, are all handmade on site from the farm’s sycamores, which have been felled, milled and dried onsite.
The tables in the party room are handcrafted onsite using scots pine timber, first planted on the estate by great-grandfather William Hamilton 150 years ago. Each table can sit between 6-8 comfortably.
The Dance Floor
The oak spring floor has been installed by hand and was chosen in anticipation for the Scottish dancing which will be happening!
We’ve chosen circular lighting to hang above the dance floor, to represent the famous 8th-reel, a family favourite celidh. They are different sizes and hung at different angles which creates the illusion of movement.
The Fire Pits
The introduction of the fire pits, gives you a comforting feeling of warmth and belonging. Fire is primal and it makes you feel good. It was the only element we initially didn’t have at the Venue so we needed to introduce it somehow.
The fire pits will burn disused timber from the farm and have been out sourced. They are made from recycled metal.
Handmade Dyke
Hand built by Mr Hamilton, the purpose of the stone dyke is to protect the patio from the prevailing wind. The stone has been sourced from the farm and the wall anchors the building into the landscape. Flagstones have been rescued from the stable and will act as seats.
Soft Furnishings
The cushions in the breakout room are made locally by Juniper Green Furnishings, a family-run interior design and soft furnishings business. Using Harris tweed wool, the cushions add a comfortable, relaxing space to be enjoyed next to the log stove. The back wall represents a wall of wood, using all the off cuts from our home saved timber, handcrafted by the family.
The fleece wall feature has been chosen to represent the DNA of the farm: sheep farming and was hand stitched by the family.
Retreat Room
The beautiful, curved ceiling helps to create a calming environment where the wedding party can come and take a moment to relax.
The Toilets
Unique in their style and reflective of the farm, the design of the toilets is a contemporary take on the trough. Industrial design with a definite wet and dry area. The cubicles are covered in clad metal panelling, that was taken off the original shed and the sinks sit on a grey quartz top, representative of a feeding trough that you are likely to find in a barn.
The Animals
Cairns Farm is a fourth generation working sheep farm set in the Pentland Hills. With a flock of over 400 Scottish Blackface ewes, farming has run in the family for over 100 years.
With 20 (only 2 left now) rescue hens at the farm, you can enjoy fresh eggs in the morning after the big night before!
We have three dogs here at the farm, two working collies and a black lab. They love running about the fields and taking dips in the reservoir on hot days.
Highlights of the Cairns Farm Estate venue build
“The ceremony table is handmade onsite from the felled sycamore trees. It’s been designed by Chris @millarchitects in a ‘wing’ shape to represent the coming together of two people.”
“The fused glass windows are made locally by Scott @harmoniesinwood; a master craftsman in fused glass and wooden sculptures. He draws his inspiration from the light and colours of the Pentland Hills.”
“The stones used to build the Great Wall came from the original wall of the farm shed used to winter cattle and house over 200 ewes for lambing.”
“The silo was a eureka moment! Chris (the architect) saw the silo which is attached to the feed shed and said “Thats it! That’s how we get into the venue…through a silo.”
“The tables in the party room are handcrafted onsite using scots pine timber, first planted on the estate by great-grandfather William Hamilton 150 years ago.”
“The cushions are made locally by Juniper Green Furnishings, a family-run interior design and soft furnishings business, using Harris tweed wool.’