Winton Teams

Trustee-owner and factor for the estate with a surveyor’s training in Edinburgh and Angus.

Winton was Sir Francis’s childhood home and he has striven to make it such for his own family of four children. He works as factor for Winton Estate, separately from his own surveying, architectural and estate agency practice of Ogilvy Chalmers, based locally in Haddington.

He enjoys a project where the result is to improve the use and effectiveness of the estate and contribute to the local economy. If he could mix business with pleasure, it would include music and sporting challenges.

Mother of four whilst still involved as musician and teacher in Edinburgh.

FAMILY TREE – (Monkeys L-R):  Hamish, Robert, Elspeth & Calum

Niall joined Winton at the beginning of 2022 and with him came over 20 year of international hospitality experience from, amongst others, Andrew Fairlie/Gleneagles Hotel, Six Senses Resorts and Roxburghe Hotel & Golf Course.

He is delighted to have joined such a beautiful and special place with an experienced and talented events team enjoying a reputation far beyond East Lothian. The potential for Winton Castle and Estate is very exciting!

A family man living with his wife and three children in the Scottish Borders, spending most of his free time as a glorified (and happy) taxi driver to and from various sports and other activities.

Julie joined Winton in early 2010 and brings with her over 30 years of experience in the Tourism & Hospitality Industry. She is never allowed to forget that she has been in the industry longer than some of the team have been alive but her sage wisdom and experience are ALWAYS deferred to.

A cosmopolitan girl at heart (her Mastermind specialist subject would be shopping), she has grown to love estate life and has even been spotted enjoying some of Winton’s outdoor activities!

Janis joined Winton July 2008 and since this time her role has grown and developed.  Today Janis plays a key role in events at Winton Castle, from Gala Dinners, Conferences, Winton Highland Games, Corporate Team Building days to taking Winton Woodfuel log orders.  Janis is our dedicated Winton Trail Run organiser and loves the outdoors.

She enjoys running as a hobby and is always looking for new events to stretch her abilities.

Rae has been linked with Winton Castle for over 30 years, having grown up on the surrounding Estate where her family still lives.
She began work at Winton Castle back in 2002 with the catering team on some of the first events to take place at the venue. Over the years she has gained a wealth of knowledge and experience, and for the last 9 years has been at the helm of most of the Weddings that have been hosted in the Castle over this period.
Rae is a country girl through and through and enjoys being outside in the sun, wind and rain, or sitting by an open fire with a nice cup of tea watching one of her 1000+ DVDs. She and her husband Paul have 2 beautiful and energetic girls who keep her busy in her ‘spare’ time.

Lexi joined the events team in May 2018, she studied Creative Media and loves working in historic places such as Leeds Castle, Archerfield Estate and now Winton Castle!

She spends her free time rambling around the East Lothian countryside, kayaking, reading and travelling with friends.

Fay joined the Winton team in April 2018 and brings with her hospitality and events experience from Aberdeenshire, Edinburgh and Switzerland where she spent six years living in Zermatt.

When Fay is not enjoying country adventures from her family farm in Fife, she can be found following her other passions of art history and calligraphy, or as a keen mixologist, concocting a variety of virtuous cocktails!

Christopher has looked after Winton’s marketing since 2005 when Events was a team of one! He continues to be heavily involved in Winton’s marketing as its Virtual Marketing Manager, on a consultancy basis through his full service marketing consultancy, Real Marketing Specialists. He always looks forward to visiting Winton.

Christopher is a marketing consultant who believes passionately that to be successful all businesses have to have a clear, creatively executed marketing strategy. He is a chartered marketer and a specialist in all-things marketing (except Tiktok).

He likes to spend any spare time cycling, skiing, walking, playing tennis and gardening. He is a family man and lives in Haddington, within (occasional) cycling distance of Winton Castle, with his wife, Bornie, and (when they pop in) three grown up children.

You can contact Christopher by email or by calling 07957 870071.

Joining Winton in 2004 and becoming Head of Housekeeping in 2007, Hazel manages the busy house keeping team.

Throughout this time Hazel has seen many changes and witnessed the growth of the business.  What has remained throughout this time is her dedication to high standards of cleanliness!

Guests tell us we have the cleanest, best kept stately home in Scotland. Hear! Hear!

Lorna, Elaine, Donna & two Carols complete the friendly team behind the scenes at the castle. Laying the fireplaces, ironing tablecloths and polishing the candelabras, all the little touches to make your visit magical.

Stephanie, Jane, Jeni and Avril make up our dedicated housekeeping team for our three large self-catering farmhouses. Following diligent cleaning protocols for your peace of mind, allowing you to truly relax and enjoy your country escape.

Scott joined the team in 2021 bringing a variety of the skills needed to tackle the many facets of his important role as Caretaker at Winton.

With over 2 decades in the motor trade doing after sales, along with a wealth of other practical and hands-on experience from hospitality and road and pavement artistry, Scott is well-placed to take on the challenges of a castle and all the events inside and out!

Scott is a family guy and spends most of his spare time enjoying the outdoors of East Lothian with his family.

Dependable like Mr Ben to be there when you need him and always willing to help. He draws from a lifetime’s experience of gardening where he could drive a tractor before he could walk (almost).

He remains the Highland Games caber champion and can turn his hand to most outdoor work as well as assisting with caretaking duties. Off and on the estate – he can be found moving bee hives.

Erika joined Winton Castle in early spring 2022 as the Head Gardener, bringing a wealth of experience from Skibo Castle in the north of Scotland.

With a degree in Horticultural management and a passion for creating magical settings in gardens, she is looking forward to building on the beauty that’s already here.

When not gardening or enjoying the milder winds of Lothian, she can usually be found reading and drinking tea.

Sarah is former horticulturalist trainee of The MacRobert Trust in Aberdeenshire but originally coming from the sunny south in Brighton.

She joined in early 2022 to assist Erika in continuing the legacy of nurturing and developing the beautiful gardens at Winton.

She has a love for cut flowers, drinking tea and being near the sea.

As 24 times Scottish champion, he has every reason to show off, but takes persuasion. An instructor second to none, with novice and experienced guns.

Land Rover, Mitsubishi, Toyota, Ford, Jeep or even quad bikes, Hugh has experience with them all!  Offering off-road driving experiences or driver training on our purpose build track, you’ll be in safe hands with our own BORDA qualified instructor.